Rural Minds roaming ambassador Luke Smith, who has previously worked as a support worker for people with chronic and persistent mental illness, is travelling with his family of nine to facilitate the workshops.

“It gives people an opportunity to talk about how mental health issues have impacted on them and an opportunity to be heard in an understanding and non-threatening environment,” Mr Smith said. 

The sessions start with the foundation of what mental health is and how it affects rural communities, then looks at dealing with stigma and how there is no one-size-fits-all solution. 

Other topics covered include anxiety and depression, destructive thinking, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide.

The sessions aim to break down stigma associated with mental health issues and encourage offers of help, in the same way a person may provide practical support for people with physical injuries. 

It is also an opportunity to become aware of the signs and symptoms, which gives people the best chance possible of early intervention.

Mr Smith said this was one of the key messages.

“We’re often quite good at noticing changes in others but not in ourselves,” he said. 

“Being equipped with knowledge, then the sooner you do something about it, the much better chance you have of staying on top of it.”

Mr Smith said while people had responded well to the workshops, the greatest challenge was trying to get men to attend.

“That’s not at all surprising because the data shows us that men are very poor at communicating and nearly 80 per cent of all suicides are men,” Mr Smith said.

“We’re trying to change that as much as we can.”

The four-hour workshop, which is funded by the Movember Foundation, will be held in Ballarat on Thursday, February 22. To register contact Luke Smith on 0429 878 766 or send an email to lukesmith@rrmh.com.au.  

If you are in crisis or distress, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.