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A heart attack and multiple strokes left Richard from Oakley finding day-to-day life difficult. It also brought up unresolved trauma from his childhood which he found “difficult to reconcile”. Richard spent years struggling to access the mental health support he needed for PTSD and depression. Through Rural Health Connect he was finally able to receive consistent psychological care. 

Living in rural Australia made accessing support extremely challenging. Richard shared that “finding someone to talk to was very difficult”. Even when he did find a clinician, the support was only short term. “In rural areas [help] just doesn't seem to be consistent, and I've struggled with that because you get comfortable talking about what's happened to someone. And then that person moves on and then you have to get comfortable with somebody else.” Whenever he did connect with services they never lasted longer than 6 months, after which he had to once again search for support.

Richard believes that “getting consistent help for mental health is key to recovery from mental health issues.” He was diagnosed with depression and PTSD after suffering a heart attack and multiple strokes, experiences he describes as life changing. “My past isn't great … reconciling with those memories is, has and will always be very, very difficult for me. And finding someone I can talk to about them has been challenging.“

Since being referred to Rural Health Connect Richard has been able to see the same psychologist consistently for nearly a year, Someone with experience supporting clients with PTSD, depression and complex health challenges.