Listening to Families Videos

Christos Merentitis and Jade Caulfield (Yellow Brick Road) note that historically mental health support has been very focussed on individuals. They explain the importance of having a supportive environment.

Matt talks about stepping back. He shares the benefits from not trying to fix things for his daughter and the importance of looking after himself.

Cath explains how they found out about Yellow Brick Rd. Matt notes his initial reluctance. They had reached a point where there was nothing to lose by engaging. Yellow Brick Rd turned things around for him and Cath.

Christos talks about the diverse range of skills available across the Yellow Brick Rd team. He notes that the package is tailored to the family’s need. Jade notes that a lot of the families that come to Yellow Brick Rd say that they haven’t felt heard.

Matt shares his experience of being part of a men’s group. A key observation for him was “I’m not alone – there are others facing similar challenges”. Cath and Matt talk about the reluctance of men to get involved in men’s groups.

Jade shares the story from the Yellow Brick Rd movie - the characters journey to find what they wanted only to find that they already had this. She notes that this applies to families and notes the role of Yellow Brick Rd in supporting families on their journey.

Cath and Matt share their experience with organisations during the phase when their daughter wasn’t prepared to accept help. Being told by these organisations that there is nothing they can do to help was really challenging. Yellow Brick Rd was different.

Cath and Matt share their experiences from their journey and provide tips for those starting the journey including getting support as early as possible and not being embarrassed to ask for support.

Cath and Matt share their experiences with parenting courses. The key message from attending the course was that they weren’t the only family struggling. The support from Yellow Brick Rd was different, tailored to the family.

Cath notes the support provided by her General Practitioner. She talks about the significant amount of help that the Health Improvement Practitioner provided in navigating the system – really valuable.

Cath and Math talk about the one on one sessions and the group sessions – both were useful. Cath talks about the importance of maintaining connections established through the group activity.

Cath and Matt, Christos and Jade share their key messages