NSW Central West Division of General Practice

• Provision of community outreach and crisis counselling
• Raising community awareness
• Education and training for health workers

Mental Health Support for Drought Affected Communities Initiative is intended to provide psychosocial crisis counselling of a one-off nature. It is not intended to be used to deliver mental health interventions or ongoing mental health treatment. 

The community support worker is intended to be someone who will fill the role of a mental health coordinator, who is able to undertake crisis counselling as required, and who will also undertake community awareness activities, including

• forming relationships with key community organisations,
• promoting community awareness of the impact of drought circumstances on mental health,
• raising community awareness of mental illness, and
• promoting help-seeking and development of appropriate referral pathways.

The Australian Goverment has provided funding to Divsions of General Practice in drought-affected rural and remote areas around Australia to employ community support workers to provide crisis counselling and outreach services for people affected psychologically by the drought. The CWDGP was one of the Divsions selected to recieve this support in 2007.