After years of battling suicide in her youth, peer support worker Michelle Levy is helping others through some of their darkest days in a pilot program pairing people recently discharged from hospital with someone with a lived experience.
The Wesley LifeForce Aftercare program was implemented more than a year ago to reduce suicidal distress and high rates of suicide deaths in Coffs Harbour on the New South Wales Mid North Coast.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, deaths by suicide in the North Coast Primary Health Network region have been consistently high and above the national average between 2010 and 2020.
Ms Levy said the program filled a void in the community, offering an additional avenue to clinical care and much more than what was available when she struggled to find support.
"It's nice to see something like this developing to support people in our community," she said.
"In a small town it can be hard, but the more programs that come out to talk about suicide the more the stigma is going to be reduced."
Program coordinator Bonnie Leighton said it provided critical short-term assistance. It bridged the gap between being discharged from hospital after a suicide attempt and receiving professional support.
Ms Leighton said no other provider supported Coffs Harbour adults during that period, and some residents could wait up to six months to see a specialist.
"I think it is a pretty big gap that we've filled," she said.
"Those first three months of discharge is the most critical time, with the highest rate of re-attempting and dying by suicide.
"When we get a referral from the hospital it is really important we get in touch within 48 hours so we can really wrap around support for this individual, educate their family and friends, and empower them to make those steps toward recovery."
Ms Leighton believed the program had reduced the risk of suicide in the region and, in turn, changed many lives for the better.
"It has increased resilience and strength within the community, both for the participant and their family," she said.
Ms Leighton said the lived experience element of the service was crucial.
"When you put a person with lived experience into a program, such as a suicide prevention program, it really adds that extra layer of support to that individual who is experiencing and going through that," she said.
Learning from lived experience
Ms Levy has been working with residents experiencing suicidal distress or self-harm behaviour for about a year and said it had been a privilege to deeply connect with participants and show empathy.
"I'm at a place in my recovery where I can share my story and my battles with suicide," she said.
"If we don't listen to the people who have lived experience, none of us know how to really support that person."
Reflecting on her own journey, Ms Levy said she had struggled with feelings of isolation in her early teens through to her mid-20s.
"I was a self-harmer earlier on and I just felt like I could never get the right support," she said.
"I'm finally in this space where I feel like I'm in this recovery stage and that [suicide] is not something I turn to when I have hard times.
"That came out of having the right support and that is what I hope to do with the individuals who come through our program."
At 33, Ms Levy has learnt to problem-solve when a crisis occurs and she takes mental health days when needed.
"Suicide is not linear," she said.
"Recovery looks different for everyone and, for me, suicide is not an option anymore."
Pending permanent funding
Other aftercare programs in the region include New Horizons Youth Aftercare Pilot, for residents under 25, and Social Futures Care Connect program, which supports residents in the Kempsey, Bellingen, Nambucca Valley, and Macksville areas.
Ms Leighton said she would like to see the program permanently implemented in Coffs Harbour and rolled out in other regional areas.
"If there are more services and support available for people experiencing [suicidality] then hopefully there will be enough individuality within the services that someone will connect and be able to find [a peer support worker] who really works for them," she said.
The program offers one-on-one support for up to 14 weeks to Coffs Harbour residents who are at least 18 years old. It also offers peer and carer support groups as well as free suicide prevention training.
