Brief Intervention Study FAQ
Do you have to have a diagnosis of depression or anxiety to take part?
Does a young person need to have a Medicare card to take part?
How can I get involved in the Brief Intervention Study?
How can I refer a young person to the trial?
What happens if a young person's symptoms get worse during the trial?
What if a young person decides to take part and then changes his/her mind?
What is the Brief Intervention Study?
Do you have to have a diagnosis of depression or anxiety to take part?
A young person does not need a formal diagnosis of a depressive or anxiety disorder to take part in the study.
Many of the young people involved in the study have mild/moderate symptoms of anxiety and/or depression that are not severe enough to meet the criteria for a diagnosis. Others have more severe symptoms and have been diagnosed with a mood and/or anxiety disorder.
Does a young person need to have a Medicare card to take part?
A young person does not need to have a Medicare card to participate in the trial.
If you have a Medicare card you are able to access 6-12 sessions of treatment under the Medicare mental health items.
Sessions in the Brief Intervention Study are provided independently of Medicare. That means that should you choose to attend the free 6-12 counselling sessions after the brief intervention and need further treatment after that you will not have used up any of your Medicare mental health items.
How can I get involved in the Brief Intervention Study?
If you want to find out more about the Brief Intervention Study or you want to get involved you can either contact headspace Western Melbourne (Sunshine) or the Research Team Directly:
- Email: briefintervention@oyh.org.au
- Call or text Friederike (0401 772 664)
- Or call headspace Western Melbourne on (03) 9091 8222
How can I refer a young person to the trial?
If you want more information or if you want to refer a young person to the study you can contact the research team directly or call headspace Western Melbourne (Sunshine):
- Email: briefintervention@oyh.org.au
- Call or text Friederike (0401 772 664)
- Or call headspace Western Melbourne on (03) 9091 8222
You may find it helpful to print off the document attached below to discuss the study with the young person and give them an idea of what it is about.
You could also suggest they take a look at this website.
How long is the waiting list?
There is no waiting list for this trial.
Once a young person has been referred and assessed as eligible for the trial (meet the inclusion critieria) they can start brief intervention as soon as they are ready.
What happens if a young person's symptoms get worse during the trial?
Young people participating in the trial will be closely monitored by the clinical psychologist delivering the treatments.
If at any time a young person's symptoms become more severe and/or the treatments offered within the study appear to be inappropriate to their needs participation in the study will be discontinued and arrangements will be made to ensure they access the most appropriate treatment available through headspace Western Melbourne.
What if a young person decides to take part and then changes his/her mind?
Taking part in the study is voluntary – it is always up to the young person to decide if he/she wants to take part. If at any time a young person changes their mind they can drop out of the study.
This will not affect their treatment options at headspace Western Melbourne.
What is the Brief Intervention Study?
The Brief Intervention Study is a research study designed to help young people (aged 16-25) who are having problems with their mood (eg. feeling sad, down or upset) or with anxiety (e.g. feeling worried, nervous, stressed or panicky) and have used alcohol or drugs (for example cannabis) in the past month
As part of the trial a young person can access 6-12 sessions of free treatment at headspace Western Melbourne (Sunshine). All of the therapies offered have been found to be effective in helping people with these kind of problems. All of the therapies are provided by a clinical psychologist experienced in working with young people.
Treatment is FREE and there is NO WAITING LIST.
What treatments are involved?
Each participant will receive either one self-help session or two specialist counseling sessions. One month after a participant has attended the self-help session or the specialist counseling sessions, he/she can choose to attend another 6-12 sessions of specialist counseling if he/she wants to change their use of alcohol or drugs and their symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.
Once a young person is accepted in to the study they will be offered treatment immediately.
Who Can Take Part?
The trial is open to young people (aged 15-25) who have used alcohol and/or other drugs in last month and are experiencing symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.
For some individuals symptoms may be mild while for others they may be more severe. A young person does not have to have a formal diagnosis of a depressive or anxiety disorder to take part in the study.
A young person does not have to have a Medicare card to take part in the trial