It’s normal to feel stress and worry when there is a health event happening in the community that is affecting people’s wellbeing, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

This can affect people through isolation from loved ones and usual supports, changes to normal daily routines, changes to or loss of work, difficult financial situations, as well as anxiety about becoming unwell.

There are services available to support your mental health and wellbeing. during this challenging time.

Services include

For urgent or acute mental health concerns, contact:

Beyond Blue Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service

Call 1800 512 348 or chat online on the Beyond Blue website.
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Counsellors are available to talk to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on Beyond Blue’s dedicated coronavirus phone support line and webchat.

They will provide you with counselling and useful information to help support your mental health and wellbeing, based on your specific needs.

All sessions are one-on-one and confidential, and you can let them know if you’d like to remain anonymous.

Regional Access

Call 1300 032 186 or visit saregionalaccess.org.au/
Available 24 hours, seven days a week (including public holidays).

Regional Access provides free professional telephone and online counselling 24/7 for people 15 years and older living or working in regional South Australia

13YARN for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Call 139276
Available 24 hours, seven days a week (including public holidays).

13YARN is a national crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are feeling overwhelmed or having difficulty coping. People can yarn about their needs, worries or concerns in a culturally safe space and without judgement.

Visit the 13YARN website for more information about 13YARN services.

Lived Experience Telephone Support Service (LETSS)

Call 1800 013 755 or chat online at the Lived Experience Telephone Support Service website
Available 5.00 pm to 11.30 pm, seven days a week (including public holidays).

The Lived Experience Telephone Support Service is operated by Skylight Mental Health. This service is available to all South Australians including people with mental health issues as well as their carers, family and friends, and is designed to provide information on mental health topics, navigation on the mental health system in Adelaide and real-time support. The trained Peer Workers, who callers will chat to, have a personal lived experience of recovery and managing challenges to their mental health or caring for someone with mental health challenges.

Parent Helpline

Call 1300 364 100
Available 7 days per week. Calls received between 7.15 am - 9.15 pm will be answered by local Parent Helpline staff; calls received outside these hours will be automatically redirected to the national healthdirect helpline. The service is also available on public holidays.

The Women's and Children's Health Network (WCHN) Parent Helpline provides telephone information and support for parents of children under the age of 12. The service is available at any time 7 days a week.

Kids Helpline

Call 1800 551 800 or visit www.kidshelpline.com.au/
Available 24 hours, seven days a week (including public holidays).

Kids Helpline offers free online and phone counselling support 24/7 to children and young people aged 5 - 25 years of age.

Headspace

Headspace provides a range of mental health services for young people aged between 12 and 25, including face to face, online and telephone support.

Visit headspace.org.au/ to access online and phone support or to find a centre near you.

Affordable SA

Call 1800 025 539
Available 9.30 am to 8.00 pm, Monday to Thursday and 9.30 am to 4.30 pm Friday (except public holidays).

Affordable SA is operated by Salvation Army and can provide financial counselling, mental health support and material assistance. Financial counsellors can provide comprehensive financial counselling without the need for face to face meetings. In addition, a team of caseworkers are available to provide mental health support over the phone or via webinar. Caseworkers provide wrap-around support and have access to a range of psychologists who can also provide support to clients via phone or video calls. For more information about Affordable SA services, see the Affordable SA website.

Mental Health Emergency Triage Service

For assistance in a mental health emergency, contact the mental health triage service - telephone 13 14 65 available 24 hours, seven days a week (including public holidays).

Urgent Mental Health Care Centre

Visit the Urgent Mental Health Care Centre (UMHCC) at 215 Grenfell St, Adelaide. If you can, call ahead on 08 8448 9100.
Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week (including public holidays).

The Urgent Mental Health Care Centre is a welcoming place for people experiencing a mental health crisis. It is a Neami National service, delivered in partnership with RI International and supported by SA Health and the Australian Government. The multi-disciplinary team support each person with their immediate mental and physical needs. Throughout the stay at the centre, guided by a Peer Support Worker, the team collaborate to enhance safety, ensure a comprehensive clinical and psychosocial assessment and to develop an initial care plan.

Care planning responds to the medical, personal and social factors that led to the mental health crisis and current presentation and feature:

  • assessment for diagnostic clarification and medication requirements
  • plans for managing psychosocial stressors including referrals to appropriate community support
  • communication with family and carers and any existing care teams or support
  • provision of self-help materials and referral to appropriate support groups
  • referrals to appropriate services for any escalated or follow-up care.

Other COVID-19 mental health resources

Wellbeing SA Website

The Wellbeing SA website provides valuable resources and information to support the physical, mental and social wellbeing of all South Australians.

A range of information and resources are available on Wellbeing SA’s website to support your health and mental wellbeing as you adjust to the changes and challenges of managing life with COVID in South Australia. Visit www.wellbeingsa.sa.gov.au/covid

Beyond Blue

The BeyondBlue website provides information and resources to help you take care of your mental health as well as information about the mixed emotions that you may be feeling. For more information, see the BeyondBlue website.

Australian Psychology Society

You can use the Australian Psychology Society website to find a psychologist or for COVID-19 mental health support information. For more information, see the Australian Psychology Society website.

Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia (PANDA)

PANDA supports women, men and families across Australia affected by anxiety and depression during pregnancy and in the first year of parenthood. This includes providing supports to help expecting and new parents anxious about COVID-19. For more information, see the PANDA website.

Translated resources

Beyond Blue have developed information for managing your mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in languages other than English.

The Australian Government Department of Health has developed information and resources to support people from diverse backgrounds who might be feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or just not like themselves.