“Momentum” is a comprehensive, self-help digital mental health program that conveniently connects young people ages 7-17 with common mental health issues with vital evidence-based treatments, tools and techniques.
Key Point
- “With waiting lists to see a psychologist being longer than 12 months, Momentum is part of the solution to help young people earlier and give them a positive start in life.”
- Momentum is a one-stop shop where young people can get help for a range of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression and sleep disorders.
Led by the University of Southern Queensland, the $5 million project brought together researchers and experts in child and adolescent mental health and digital health from six universities and six other organisations across the country.
This innovative platform was designed and developed in collaboration with hundreds of young people, parents and mental health professionals.
Project leader Professor Sonia March said the team was proud to launch the platform to meet the unprecedented demand for young people’s mental healthcare.
“In situations where people have to wait 12 months or more to see a psychologist, Momentum is one solution that can help young people earlier.”
“Momentum is essentially the product of 20 years of feedback from young people who gave up their valuable time to tell us what they wanted,” Professor March said.
“Around 14 per cent of young people in Australia suffer from mental illness and sadly around half of them don’t receive support. And the situation is only getting worse because there aren’t enough therapists in Australia to support everyone.”
“With waiting lists to see a psychologist being longer than 12 months, Momentum is part of the solution to help young people earlier and give them a positive start in life.”
Research-based
Professor March said Momentum was a one-stop shop for young people to get help for a range of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression and sleep disorders.
“Most of the digital programmes available to young people only offer help for specific issues or can only be done with a therapist, but many young people are unable to access face-to-face care or don’t prefer to meet someone in person,” Prof March said.
“Momentum gives young people the support they need, when they need it, in a way that is familiar to them.
“We know that the sooner we can help young people, the better their outcomes are, so it’s important we get services to them as soon as possible.”
Professor March said the safe, easy-to-use platform, built specifically for children and young people, offers a personalised experience for each user.
“Momentum is unique in that we thoroughly assess each young person’s situation to determine their need for support,” she said, “and then we build a personalized program just for them, including sessions focused on topics related to youth mental health issues.”
“Momentum puts the control back in the hands of young people and their families. Young people can track their progress through the program, see how they feel with each session, and use the program to practice skills in the real world.”
“We’ve built the platform young people have been asking for, and we’ll continue to refine our programs together with young people.”
Expert collaboration
Momentum is a collaborative project developed by the following researchers, experts and web designers:
- University of Southern Queensland
- Griffith University
- University of Queensland
- Queensland University of Technology
- Australian National University
- Federation University
Additional input was received from industry partners.
- Kids Helpline
- stride
- Education in Queensland
- West Morton Health
- Queensland Department of Child Health
- Darling Downs and West Moreton Primary Health Network
This research was supported by the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund.
Momentum is available to all Australians aged 7 to 17 at www.momentumhub.org.au .
This article is provided with gratitude to 96five.
Image: Courtesy of Momentum
