Hax of Life · Wellbeing
I'm not a clinician and this isn't advice. It's a list of people who actually do this, so you don't have to go hunting while you're already flat.
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Free, and answered by trained people.
Crisis support for anyone in Australia. If talking is too much, text or use the web chat. All three run round the clock.
Answered by mental health clinicians who work out what you need and refer you on. Call this one when you don't know what you're asking for. It's assessment and referral, not counselling.
Phone, chat and video counselling for anyone affected by suicide, including if you're worried about someone else.
Counselling for men, especially around family and relationships.
Anxiety, depression, general low mood. Good when it's grinding rather than acute.
Beyond the 13 11 14 line, the local centre runs low-cost counselling, free support groups, free financial counselling and training.
Free. No referral, no diagnosis, no Medicare card needed.
Free walk-in centres staffed by clinicians and peer workers who've been through it themselves. Thirty-three across NSW.
Unglamorous, but it's the main door. A GP writes a Mental Health Treatment Plan, which unlocks Medicare-subsidised psychology sessions. Book a long appointment or you'll be rushed.
Drop-in support covering homelessness, domestic and family violence, youth and family services, free counselling and multicultural services.
Any hospital ED, any time, if it's acute. Some Sydney hospitals also run Safe Havens, a calmer alternative to ED for distress that isn't a physical emergency.
Not therapy. Blokes in a room, which for a lot of us is the missing bit.
Groups of men meeting regularly to talk honestly and listen without judgement. Ongoing peer connection rather than a one-off.
Men together each week for movement, conversation and coffee. Somewhere to make mates and talk straight.
Community charity focused on preventing mental ill-health and suicide among Australian men. Gets men outdoors, moving and connected.
Grassroots charity creating openings for real conversations through community events and local challenges.
Peer-led community for people living with mental health challenges. Groups covering social connection, education, employment and recovery goals.
Bring the kids. No pressure to say anything.
Dads and their kids on relaxed weekend walks. No pressure, no expectations.
Saturdays 7:30am at Curly's, North Curl Curl
Sundays 7:30am at Kazzi Greek, Manly
Monthly catch-up for dads in a neuroaffirming community. No lectures, no pressure to talk. Just dads round a fire.
Third Wednesday of the month, 7pm, Dee Why
Evidence-based programmes for dads, from infancy through adolescence, focused on building stronger family relationships.
Sometimes the easiest way in is doing something, not saying something.
Free meditation on the beach. Open to anyone, including if you've never tried it.
Saturdays 6:30am
Volunteer-led running community using exercise to build belonging. Friendship first, pace second.
Somewhere to be, something to do, someone to talk to while your hands are busy.
Not-for-profit workshop giving men a safe, friendly place to work on meaningful projects alongside other men.
Open to men and women. A shed for people who no longer have their own workshop or workspace.
Fully equipped workshop. Share time, learn skills, work with timber, contribute to community projects.
Kirribilli and Milsons Point. Members make timber projects including bread, chopping and cheese boards, much of it from reclaimed timber.
Monthly cooking sessions for groups of eight to ten men, learning basic cooking in a social setting.
Free, and led by people who've been through it.
Free trauma-informed programmes for people recovering from addiction, led by therapists with lived experience.
For sites and industries where nobody talks about it.
Industry-backed approach to mental health and suicide prevention on site. Connection, looking out for each other, and knowing where to turn.
Free, private, and used to hearing anything.
One-to-one and group mentoring for teens and students. A trusted third space outside home and school.
Free, private counselling for anyone aged 5 to 25. Phone and web chat.