A free mental health service for young people in Port Stephens has secured a merger with a Sydney-based organisation in a move that will benefit thousands of youngsters.
The program, named Jupiter - Space to Talk, had been under threat of closure.
It helped more than 1300 young people in Port Stephens in five years.
Jupiter operations manager Avril Saunders was relieved to say "we'll be staying around".
"We've just undergone a merger with KYDS Youth Counselling in Sydney," Ms Saunders said.
"We will remain as Jupiter, but with the support of a larger organisation."
Jupiter had previously received state and federal government funding, but was unable to secure more public grants to stay afloat.
This was despite the program providing almost 7000 free counselling sessions to about 1300 young people in Port Stephens in its five-year existence.
Jupiter works with young people to prevent mental health conditions from worsening, so they don't need "high-intensity measures or services".
The Newcastle Herald reported last week that almost 6000 young people aged 12 to 24 presented to emergency departments for mental health problems in Hunter New England in 2022/23.
This was a 33 per cent rise in a decade.
Ms Saunders said Jupiter now had a "stronger future" due to the merger, with KYDS to do the service's administration tasks and grant applications.
Due to its size and experience, KYDS regularly secures government funding to support its services.
"KYDS do about 10,000 consultations a year. They have a great team. They're large and expanding," she said.
Expanding into Port Stephens showed the organisation's support for regional areas.
With KYDS' help, Jupiter aims to secure state and federal funding from government bodies such as the Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network.
COPSY (Caring for our Port Stephens Youth) had previously run Jupiter.
"COPSY is a small, volunteer organisation, so trying to crack through those barriers in the government was difficult," Ms Saunders said.
"It's nice to have this support and not feel so alone."
Geoffrey Basser, who was vice president of COPSY, helped start KYDS 24 years ago.
When he moved to Port Stephens he worked with others to commission University of Newcastle research to assess gaps in youth mental health services.
When the research showed a big gap, they worked to establish Jupiter.
Jupiter also keeps going with community fundraising efforts and corporate sponsorship.
"Jupiter will need to continue to get local funding. Any local funding will be spent locally," Mr Basser said, adding COPSY volunteers would continue to help fundraise.
He said the Jupiter operation had been efficient, costing $400,000 a year to run with four counsellors.
"The combination with KYDS will be highly effective," he said.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data shows one in seven youngsters aged four to 17 experienced a mental health disorder in the past 12 months.
The most common mental illnesses among youngsters were attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorders, major depressive disorder and conduct disorder.
- Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; Mensline 1300 789 978; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732.
