Young Australians with mental health concerns will no longer have to wait or miss out on help with the launch of a free online mental health platform.
Momentum brings vital evidence-informed treatments, tools and techniques to the fingertips of 7 to 17-year-olds who are experiencing common mental health issues.
Chief Investigators from The University of Queensland’s School of Psychology Professor Vanessa Cobham and Professor Leanne Hides were responsible for leading the co-design element of the project.
“Momentum represents a world first in terms of being a digital mental health platform that has been designed in partnership with children, young people, parents and clinicians,” Professor Cobham said.
“We are confident that this will increase the likelihood that children and young people will engage with the program and that clinicians will refer families to the program”.
The innovative platform was a collaborative project developed by researchers, experts and web designers from UQ, Griffith University, Queensland University of Technology, The Australian National University, Federation University and the lead institution, the University of Southern Queensland.
Professor Leanne Hides said the comprehensive self-help interactive platform was timely given the unprecedented demand for mental health care among young people.
“Momentum is essentially a one-stop shop for young people to get help for a variety of mental health problems like anxiety, depression and sleep difficulties,” Professor Hides said.
“Waiting lists to see a psychologist can be over 12 months, while the number of young people experiencing mental health issues continues to climb.”
Professor Sonja March, program lead at the University of Southern Queensland said Momentum delivers a thorough assessment of a young person's situation to determine their need for help and then builds a personal program.
“It will get young people the help they need, when they need it, using a method they are used to,” Professor March said.
“We know that the earlier we can help young people, the better their outcomes will be, so it’s important to make services available to them as soon as possible.”
The research was supported by the Australian Government under the Medical Research Future Fund.
The $5 million project also received additional input from industry partners Kids Helpline, Stride, Education Queensland, West Moreton Health, Children’s Health Queensland and Darling Downs and West Moreton Primary Health Network.
The platform is available at www.momentumhub.org.au.
