Mental Health Stepped Care is a model that focuses on linking you in with the right level of support that you need. It focuses on you and uses a ‘wrap-around’ approach to make sure that all of your needs are met, including your physical, social and mental health needs.

One of the main features of Mental Health Stepped Care is that it is flexible – we know that the level of support you need will change over time, and if that happens, we change with you. A good way to think about this is ‘stepping up’ or ‘stepping down’ as your needs change, but we’re still there with you, staying with you for your journey. This allows us to offer you a ‘continuity of service’, so that you get what you need without having to change care providers every time you step up or step down.

The Mental Health Stepped Care model also aims to engage with underrepresented communities. For example, we accept referrals from everybody, so that everybody can access our services. This includes children, young people, LBGTIQ people, culturally and linguistically diverse people, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Steps Mental Health provides Mental Health Stepped Care for the Inner East and Outer East of Melbourne, and is a free service, supported by funding from the Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network. To be able to access our services, you need to be living or working in a specific area and unable to access a similar service. To find out more about eligibility, please check out our eligibility page here.