Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect – North East Metro

Phone: (03) 8850 4150

Hours: Monday – Friday 9am to 5pm

Free support for families, carers, supporters and kin of people challenged by mental health and/or alcohol and other drug use.

Who we are

Families, carers, supporters and kin of people challenged by mental health and/or alcohol and other drug use often face unique challenges that can impact their mental health and wellbeing and they need supports of their own.

One of eight “Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect’ centres across Victoria, the North East Metro Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect has been co-designed by people with a lived/living experience of being family members and carers.

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect Centres in North East Metro are supported by the Victoria Government. and delivered by partners Access Health and Community, healthAbility and SHARC.

Support available

People of all ages can access the Connect service. You don’t need to be an Australian citizen or resident, and you don’t need a Medicare card.

Support is free, safe and confidential, based on your carer needs. This includes:

• peer support from people who have lived/living experience of being a family member or carer for someone challenged by mental health and/or alcohol and other drugs.
• family counselling
• educational sessions and group programs
• service navigation
• information, resources and practical support for health and wellbeing

Read more about peer support and family counselling here.

Postcards about the service are available in other languages and can be viewed here.

North East Metro Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect is not a crisis service. If you or someone you care for needs immediate emergency assistance, call 000. For 24/7 mental health support, call Lifeline on  13 11 14.

“I’ve been accessing services for years and have struggled to find staff that really listen and place value and weight on lived experience rather than worker expertise. From the first phone call, this service has been a breath of fresh air. The staff are so warm, compassionate and genuinely partner with families. This is what services for children and families SHOULD be like. A fantastic model and I’ll tell everyone to get on board.” 

Mental Health and Wellbeing North East Metro participant.

Get in touch

All support is free and doesn’t require a referral.

1. Call us: (03) 8850 4150

We encourage you to call our peer support phone line first so that we can work together on how we can best support you.

2.  Visit us 

We welcome drop-ins at our at our Ivanhoe hub between 9am-5pm Monday to Friday. Booked appointments are required for the other sites across our region.

3. Send us a message

You may also send us a message online, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

4. Email us: northeastmetroconnect@accesshc.org.au

*If you require our services in your language, call Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) National on 131 450 and ask for an interpreter then ask to be connected to the North East Metro Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect on (03) 8850 4150.

What’s on

Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect Centres in North East Metro run a range of events, programs and workshops for people of all ages. The full program and links to registrations can be found here.

Where we are

Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect Centres in North East Metro has sites across the northern and eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Please see below map for locations and opening hours.

You can also find another Connect site closer to home here.

Spread the word

If you know someone who is supporting a person with mental health issues and/or alcohol and other drug use, let them know about us. We’re always interested in your feedback and ideas for service improvement. Please submit them using this form.

Other resources

Helpful resources and information for families and carers of people challenged by mental health and/or alcohol and drug use, are available via The First Stop  and Tandem .

Please note that generic email addresses (e.g., hello@.**com, info@**.au) may not be able to subscribe successfully. We recommend using a personal email address instead.