Lived Experience Forum

[Unknow]

I've been wanting to see a mental health professional for years but the problem is I don't have anyone to watch my child while I see the professional. I don't have any friends or family to help and I'm growing increasingly desperate to see someone. I have been through a lot in life and need help dealing with it all as it's affecting most aspects of my life. Is there any health professionals that allow you to either take your child or any that have some sort of child minding service in Perth? Suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 

[Scout]

Hi @Unknow 

It sounds like you're really settled on what you need, which is great. But I can also hear that there are some real barriers to accessing that. You haven't left much detail on things like, the age of your kids so I won't be able to specify or give advice on options. But...I could try or at least direct you to some phone lines that could help guide you on what seems do-able for you.

Some mental health professionals may have some other options or are flexible in having young children attend appointments. Reaching out to them or their clinics directly might be good as they may get this type of query often. If your child is very young, perhaps giving PANDA a call might help you on 1300 726 306 - they also provide phone support. If your children are maybe 3-5, or don't attend school yet, perhaps calling Parentline in your state would help. The WA contact number can be found here 

I hope this might at least help you make a start on getting some help that you want? I hope also that some other members who are parents could chime in on how they manage their appointments with young kids.... best of luck. I hope you are able to take care of yourself and reach out to other services as well...

[CheerBear]

Hi @Unknow and welcome to the forum.

It's so tricky to try and manage appointments with little people when you don't have much support! My kids are all school aged now which makes it easier but I struggled with it for a while when they were younger. Would occasional care or daycare, even for a couple of hours, be an option for you?

Do you have a GP you can talk with? Sometimes GP's can provide really handy local referrals or point you in the right direction. @Scout suggested Parentline which is where I would suggest you try too. They can be awesome people to talk through things like this with and they may have some ideas.

Another option you might like to consider is to try and find some outreach based support (where someone comes to you). When my kids were littler I had family services and mental health support provided via outreach so I could distract my kids but still receive support. I'd put a movie on or settle them with some activities etc. It wasn't ideal as we had to be mindful of little ears listening, but it was still helpful.

Another service that I found helpful was a maternal and child health nurse service. At one stage I had support through an enhanced maternal and child health program where two workers came to our house - one to talk/work with me and one to keep the kids busy. While it was family based, they were also very able to support me with my mental health related issues. I'm not sure if your child is still within the age of maternal and child health services, or whether that service exists in WA, but Parentline or your GP may be able to help you find something similar.

I hope you're able to find something helpful soon. It's a big step to seek support and it sounds like it will be really worth it once you can work through this part.

[Unknow]

Thank you, they are great suggestions, I will look into them.