Crisis Support Space - Cairns

The Crisis Support Space helps people overcome immediate distress in their lives by offering a non clinical, peer-led service in a warm environment. 

The Crisis Support Space is a relaxed space where you have the opportunity to engage with mental health peer practitioners or clinicians. In this space you can participate in mindfulness and self-reflection activities. 

This service is a partnership between Mind Australia and Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service.  

About the Crisis Support Space 

The Crisis Support Space has been specifically designed to provide a safe, supportive and non judgemental place where people can go voluntarily when experiencing an emotional, situational or mental health crisis. 

The service consists of two Mind Australia peer workers and a Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service Senior Mental Health Clinician. The Mind peer workers are skilled health workers with lived experience of mental health and wellbeing challenges and recovery. Using their unique lens of lived experience, the team can assist in finding a path to wellbeing. 

At the Crisis Support Space the focus is on caring peer worker support and understanding. 

The Cairns Crisis Support Space is funded by the Queensland Government.  

Who is the Crisis Support Space for? 

The Crisis Support Space is offered to people over the age of 18 years in the Cairns and Hinterland region, who do not require medical treatment but who may have otherwise presented to the Emergency Department when they are experiencing psychological distress, or a mental health crisis.  

How do I access the Crisis Support Space? 

People can self-refer into the Cairns Crisis Support Space. The service is located on the ground floor of the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital (A block). 

The Cairns Crisis Support Space is open seven days per week, including public holidays. 

Opening hours: Monday-Thursday (12 pm – 8 pm), Friday (11 am – 8 pm) and Saturday-Sunday (8 am – 8 pm). 

Why choose Mind for peer-led mental health support? 

Mind Australia provides individualised, evidence-based and recovery focused support to more than 11,000 people experiencing mental health and wellbeing challenges in Australia every year. 

Mind partners with health, community, and government organisations to provide holistic support and a safe environment for people experiencing mental health and wellbeing challenges to live in the community. 

Mind is one of the largest providers of community-managed psychosocial services in Australia with a range of residential, mobile outreach, centre-based and online services. 

We are a leading employer of people with lived experience of mental ill-health, recognising their unique ability to connect with and motivate clients and guide recovery.  

What do Crisis Support Space clients say? 

“I love coming to Cairns Crisis Support Space. Sometimes I am well, not well and a bit all over the place but the Peers at CSS accept me as I am. They are all so natural.” – anonymous.