Men in the Lithgow Region now have the opportunity to sit down for a chat and a cup of coffee to benefit their mental health through a monthly Growth room at the Transformation Hub.
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The Growth room is an initative that was launched by Lifeline Central West to encourage men to connect with others in a setting that differs from clinical mental health support.
The Lithgow Growth room, which is run by men, for men is held on the first Wednesday of evey month between 6pm and 8pm.
Lifeline Central West Growth Room organiser Max Fenton said A Lithgow group had been in the pipeline for over a year.
"We thought the people of Lithgow need something like this, where men can come and talk to one another, not be judged and have that safe place for themselves to come to," Mr Fenton said.
According to Mr Fenton, The first session was held on Wednesday, February 7 and had a good response from those who attended.
"We had a couple of guys turn up.The idea is that we let people just talk. So it's not a conversation where a whole bunch of people are talking all at once. It's very much everyone has their own piece," He said.
Every man does a wheel of life activity as well. They grade themselves on how things are going. So one to 10,"
"Whether it be family, friends, finance, or just general relationships."
Facilitator Steve Hopwood said the Growth room offers men the space to get things off their chest that they may not have had otherwise.
"Typically men don't have a space to talk, not even necessarily about their mental health, just about what's going on for them in their day to day lives," Mr Hopwood said.
"It's just really important for men to have a space to feel like they can be listened to."
Mr Fenton said that access to services can be hard due to expenses and waiting times, plus individuals differ in what treatments may be effective for them.
"Sometimes people don't want to go and sit in a room with four walls, or sit down one on one with psychologists," Mr Fenton said.
"Different strokes for different folks."
Mr Fenton said forming connections with other attendees is benficial for mental health, but it isn't compulsory to do so.
"Some people come here and if they want to establish relationships, They can," He said.
"If they don't want to, that's okay. They can just wash away the month that was."
Reidun Berntsen
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
