Our stories
Art has helped Lucy, who uses they/them pronouns, share their thoughts and feelings for nearly 10 years now. More recently, art has been a helpful outlet for Lucy, 25, as they have navigated their mental health recovery journey and a bipolar disorder diagnosis.
A lot has changed for Laura, a graphic designer from Melbourne’s north-east, since she accessed NDIS Support Coordination services from Mind Australia.
Cynthia doesn’t know what sparked her interest in art, or when it started, but art has always been there for her, especially throughout her mental health journey living with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD).
“I remember being the kid at school that got into trouble for scribbling on books instead of writing notes,” she says.
Chris Blums is a Mind peer practitioner who walks to the beat of his own drum. “I want to be the guy that provides surprises and new experiences,” he says of his work at the Mind centre in Williamstown. “I want people to leave our group and say ‘you won’t believe what we did today’.”
A group of Mind residents have created their own small business to help develop work-related and social skills. The program is made up of residents and support staff from Mind services in Melbourne’s inner-north. Together they make body scrubs and room sprays, which they sell at local markets in the hope of raising money to fund a camping trip.
Talking about mental ill-health can be difficult, particularly for young people also navigating the challenges that come with being a teenager. To help young people at one of our residential services to address what can be a confronting subject, a Mind peer practitioner has made a life-sized board game.