Wagga Wagga and Young Medicare Mental Health Centres (MMHC) are inviting interest from people who have accessed services at one of our centres and would like to share their story on video. The video of stories will be shared with our communities online and on social media.
We know that stories can be powerful. By creating a video of real shared experiences, we hope to reduce stigma around seeking mental health support, encourage people to reach out to services, and help reassure people that safe and welcoming support is available for them.
Who can take part
We are looking for people who are:
- Aged 16 or over.
- Have accessed regular care from the Medicare Mental Health Centre in Young or Wagga Wagga.
- Willing to share their story of accessing support for mental health concerns, alcohol or other drug use in a short, filmed interview.
We will be looking for people from a range of ages, identities, cultures and service experiences. If we receive a lot of interest, we may not be able to involve everyone that wants to take part. We will talk to you about this and keep you updated throughout the process.
What would I need to do?
When you let us know that you are interested in taking part, we will contact you to talk more about your interest and what's involved. We will talk to you about the video, what parts of your story you might like to share and gain your consent to be involved.
After this conversation, if you still want to take part, you will be invited to come to the Medicare Mental Health Centre (MMHC) nearest you for filming. This may be Wagga Wagga or Young. Filming will take place in March 2026 during usual business hours (Monday to Friday). We will work with your availability as much as possible.
We value and respect your time and lived experience and are grateful that you are willing to share your story with us. All participants will be paid for their involvement with the project in line with the Grand Pacific Health Consumer and Carer Participation Payment Schedule.
During filming, you will be asked some questions about your experience of seeking support from the MMHC.
We will share the questions with you before the day, so you have chance to prepare and think about what you might want to say.
You can choose what you would like to share and how much you say about your experiences. You do not have to share a lot of detail about your past experiences or tell us about anything that is upsetting for you to think about. You do not have to share anything you are not comfortable with or do not want others to know.
Filming will take up to an hour in total. You may be asked the same question more than once.
We will ask you about your experience of the Medicare Mental Health Centre (MMHC) and how that may have helped you.
Some of the kinds of questions we might ask are:
- What was it like for you when you first walked into MMHC?
- What was your most positive or memorable moment during your journey with MMHC?
- What is one key learning or strategy you gained from MMHC that made the biggest positive impact on you?
- What was it about MMHC that made you feel supported/safe/welcome/heard?
- What would you say to someone else who was thinking about seeking support?
We want you to feel comfortable and enjoy taking part.
Our Community Engagement Officers, Emma and Jo, will be available to help you prepare and answer any questions you may have before, during and after filming.
On the day of filming, we will introduce you to our Peer Workers and Mental Health Professionals who can offer support to you if needed.
You can also bring your own support person with you on the day if you wish.
We will keep in touch after filming in case you have any questions or need some support.
You will be able to see the video before it is released and let us know if there is anything you are not comfortable with.
Deciding whether to take part
Owning and sharing our personal story of mental health concerns, alcohol or other drug use can feel really powerful and rewarding.
We know that being open about the real experiences of others can help people feel less shame and more able to take the step towards seeking support.
Sometimes though, it may not be the right time for us to talk about our story or think about difficult past experiences.
Being involved in this project also means sharing a bit about your story publicly. That means that the video you will be part of will be shared online and in social media. It may be seen by people you know and others in your community.
It is important to take some time to think about if sharing your story is right for you at the moment and if you feel ready to be involved.
Only you know if you feel ready and safe to share your story right now.
Some things you may find helpful to think about when deciding whether to take part are:
- Why do you want to share your story? What do you hope to get out of this process?
- How do you feel about people that you know seeing the video and recognising you? How do you think they might react?
- Have you talked to people in your life about your decision to take part? If not, why not?
- How does thinking about your story feel for you now? If remembering things makes you feel very upset, now may not be the right time for you.
- Do you know what you might like to share, and what you want to keep private?
- What is happening for you in your life right now, or what is ahead? If you are feeling stressed, overwhelmed or dealing with difficult situations in your life, now may not be the right time for you.
- What supports do you have available to you right now? What can you do if sharing your story causes you distress or you feel overwhelmed?
We want you to feel ready and enjoy this experience. We are happy to talk to you about your feelings around sharing your story and we will be here to support you during your involvement.
Ready to get involved?
Have you read the information above and would like to take part? Great! We look forward to hearing from you!
Please tell us a bit about yourself and how we can contact you in the form below. Your form will be sent to our Community Engagement Officers, Emma and Jo. They will be in touch with you to talk more about the project and what is involved.
Don't want to complete the online form? That's ok! Other ways you can let us know you are interested are:
- Complete the PDF form (146.05KB) and email it to mmhdaa@gph.org.au or print and bring to your nearest Medicare Mental Health Centre (Wagga Wagga or Young)
- Email mmhdaa@gph.org.au with your name and phone number and someone will call you back
- Call us on 02 6453 4440 and ask to speak with Emma or Jo about the Consumer Stories project
Expressions of interest will be open until 9am, Monday 16th February, 2026
Your privacy
The information you share in your form will be viewed by our Community Engagement Officers and our Lived Experience Participation Manager. It will not be shared for any purpose other than your involvement in this project. It will not be recorded in or linked to the healthcare records that we hold. Your decision to participate, or not, will have no impact on your access to care with us, now or in the future.
