Orygen & Parkville Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing Service (PYMHWS)

The partnership focuses on youth mental health, generating a skilled and qualified workforce, expanding research opportunities and strengthening support systems for young people experiencing mental ill-health.

Together, we are growing the mental health workforce of the state’s northwest region. VU provides an on-campus location for our partners in Werribee as part of our 'flipped campus' model. Using this space, Orygen Specialist Program PYMHWS Wyndham and headspace Werribee services bolster mental-health services in Wyndham.

To grow the skills of the next generation of mental health professionals, Orygen and PYMHWS provide extensive education and training opportunities for VU students. They also collaborate with VU on research projects that address the many challenges in Australia’s youth mental health sector.

Benefits and positive results from this partnership include:

• A co-located facility for the Orygen Specialist Program PYMHWS Wyndham and headspace Werribee services on our Werribee West Campus, providing support for thousands of young people in the area and opportunities for onsite learning and employment
• More than 80 placements per year for students across VU health and allied health courses, offering experience in a clinical setting
• Graduate roles at Orygen and PYMHWS for many VU social work, nursing and psychology students following successful placements
• Training and support by Orygen PYMHWS to the VU Student Counselling and Wellbeing team, resulting in enhanced supervision practices and direct referrals for students into care and support
• Collaboration across a number of research projects exploring the effectiveness of various mental health interventions
• Direct access for VU students to the Orygen MOST platform, a digital mental health service for young people aged 12 to 25.