Individual & Group Youth Support
Early support for young people’s wellbeing
Our Child and Family Wellbeing Service offers free, one-on-one and group support for children and young people aged 0-18 across The Top End, including Darwin, Palmerston, Litchfield and surrounding communities: the Big Rivers region, including Katherine and surrounding communities and Gunbalanya. It’s early support, stepping in at the first sign something isn’t sitting right, rather than waiting for things to get harder, so a young person has the understanding, the skills and the people around them to look after their mental health as they grow.
Support meets children and young people where they’re most comfortable: at home, at school, at the park, or wherever in the community works for them. Some prefer to work one-on-one with a worker, who takes the time to get to know them. Others find their feet in a group alongside others their age. Many do both. It’s led by the young person and what matters to them, and it’s shaped to fit their world rather than the other way around.
What we offer
Support is shaped around each young person, and might include:
- One-on-one support – regular time with a worker who listens, gets to know them, and helps them work through whatever’s going on at their own pace.
- A plan built around them – working together to set their own goals and a practical plan to work towards them, drawing on their strengths and what they care about.
- Group support and activities – welcoming groups where young people can connect, build confidence, and feel less alone in what they’re navigating.
- Understanding and looking after wellbeing – practical ways to make sense of big feelings, manage stress, and build habits that help day to day.
- Support in schools – workshops and programs that build resilience, reduce stigma, and make it easier for young people to ask for help.
Groups and Activities
Groups run across our communities and change with the seasons and school terms. Some run whenever there’s enough interest, so it’s always worth asking what’s on near you.
Current groups:
Palmerston/Litchfield
- LGBTQIA+ Youth Support Group | First Monday of each month between 2:30pm - 4:00pm | headspace Palmerston
A safe, youth-led space for young people aged 12–18 to connect, explore identity and share their stories, run in partnership with headspace Palmerston. Upcoming sessions:
- Monday 5 October 2026
- Monday 2 November 2026
- Monday 7 December 2026
To find out more or to register your interest, please contact: Rene Madeddu (TeamHEALTH) at 0408 385 397 or Kimmie Mychas (Headspace) at 0447 587 797.
- The Pride Club | Last Thursday of each month between 12:15pm - 1:00pm | Darwin High School.
A welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ students and allies at Darwin High School, delivered with headspace.
- First Nations – Young Women's SEWB Yarning Circle
A monthly facilitated yarning circle for young First Nations Women 12 – 18yrs.
Katherine/Big Rivers Region
- On Country Cultural Program in collaboration with Jawoyn Association. A Women’s and Children’s Wellness Program facilitated on country with a strong focus on cultural connection, wellbeing, identity, and belonging. Activities include bush medicine making, plants and animal knowledge, weaving, visiting healing places, fishing/healing activities with fire and water, and learning about skin groups and Indigenous parenting perspectives.
- Community Education: Social and emotional wellbeing workshops and one-on-one sessions, delivered in collaboration with Healing Circle Mob.
Gunbalanya
- Daluk Night | Thursday Nights
Weekly group sessions for women and children, offering social connection and wellbeing support, building a sense of belonging, preserving culture and tradition, deepening relationship with the land, empowering participants through shared experiences and collective growth.
School holiday activities
When school’s out, our Child and Family Wellbeing team runs activities for children and their families, things like workshops, outdoor play and community events. Activities vary based on location. It’s a chance to have some fun, learn something, and stay connected over the break.
For what’s coming up near you, reach out to a Child and Family team member near you.
Workshops
We also run workshops in schools when they ask: mental health and wellbeing sessions for primary, middle and secondary school students. They’re about making mental health easier to talk about and making it feel normal to ask for help.
Who it’s for
This support is for children and young people who:
- Are aged 0-18
- Live in Palmerston and Litchfield, Katherine and the Big Rivers Region, or Gunbalanya
- Are showing early signs of, or are at risk of developing, challenges with their mental health and wellbeing
- Would value someone alongside them. One-on-one, in a group, or both.
We welcome everyone, regardless of gender, race, ability, sexual orientation, faith, religion and all other identities represented in our community.
Not sure whether this is the right fit? Reach out anyway. We’ll talk it through and help find the support that suits.
The Child and Family Wellbeing Service is delivered by TeamHEALTH, with funding from the Australian Government Department of Social Services.
“I felt everyone on the team was so kind and supportive. I didn’t feel judged. Especially willing to pick up and drop off for both my son and I was so helpful. We are in a better place right now and that has in part to do with the help we received, and are still receiving, from TeamHEALTH.”
- Child and Family Wellbeing Participant, 2026
Referral
Making a referral
A referral is the first step, and referrals are welcome from anyone. A young person can reach out themselves, or a parent, carer, family member, teacher or service provider can get in touch on their behalf.
If you’d like a hand with the referral form, just give us a call and we’ll walk you through it.
Phone: 1300 780 081
Email: teamhealth@teamhealth.asn.au
