The low-intensity psychological service will be provided by psychological practice Ashkar & Co for children between the ages of 5 and 17.

Free one-on-one sessions will be led by provisional psychologist Rosy Dennington every Friday for 12 months.

Spanning 45 minutes, it will include talk therapy, play therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, general counselling, and other therapies as is fit for each individual presentation.

Ashkar & Co co-owner Jennifer Apter said in Goulburn, where the practice is located, children as young as 3 receive support.

“Anxiety and behavioural issues can present in pre-school age children, so we do not believe that 5 years old is too young. We wanted to encompass all school age children,” Ms Apter said.

“Learning basic emotion regulation skills early in life has been shown to reduce more serious presentations later in life.”

She said she was finding young people presenting with self-harm, behavioural issues, anxiety and depression.

“These presentations are at much younger ages than most people may expect and at quite intense levels,” she said.

“We have found that this is especially significant for children and young people who might be more geographically isolated and have trouble accessing mental health services,

“We are hoping we can provide a space for these clients to speak openly about their feelings and the issues they are facing, to prevent a more serious presentation that may occur if left untreated.”

Principal psychologist Chantel Ashkar will also be in Crookwell every week to visit clients who are not appropriate for the outreach program and need more intense or specialised psychological therapy. 

Jo Marshall who has been advocating since 2015 for the service thanked the community for their donations and support.

“This is an opportunity to help our children build resilience, learn to cope with minor mental health issues before they can turn into a condition less manageable,” Ms Marshall said.

“The service is here for our youth as an early intervention, to help the reduce the rates of suicide and depression… tragically, suicide is a growing problem in regional areas.”

Information will be shared at school assemblies in the Shire and via newsletters, according to Ms Marshall, who is hoping parents and children utilise the service.

Upper Lachlan Shire Council acting general manager Gary Woodman told the Gazette if the service is “well patronised” it is hoped it will be extended in future years.

“Council’s role has been advocacy for services for youth mental health. Council has also held the funds raised in Council’s trust account,” Mr Woodman said.

“This service will provide much needed early intervention and give additional support to young people who have disengaged with education and their community supports.

“I would like to extend a heartfelt congratulations to the Upper Lachlan Youth Council for bringing this vital service to our community and make special mention of the remarkable efforts of Jo Marshall who has been the driving force behind the project.”

Ashkar & Co plan to collate de-identified statistics to secure more funding and continue their free service in the district.

“We understand that speaking to someone you don’t know about your thoughts and feelings can be a daunting and overwhelming experience,” Ms Apter said in response to those unsure of the service.

“We would like to encourage anyone who feels like they may want to talk to someone about their mental health to contact us.”

Services will begin on July 20 and be held at the Wellness Centre.