EDITORIAL ADVERTISING FEATURE

REGIONAL and remote communities, such as ours, in and around the Greater Bendigo area largely rely on the land for a living and we often experience undesired weather events or disasters like droughts or floods that can greatly affect our livelihood.
As a farming community, we are either losing livestock or crops, which profoundly affects our financial situation with a compounding influence on our personal lives.
These difficulties can contribute to stress, anxiety disorders and depression, or can make already existing mental health issues like bipolar, schizophrenia, and social phobia worse.
For people facing mental health issues in these isolated areas, the lack of community awareness, a scarcity of appropriate supports and the isolation itself, create a barrier to getting the aid they need, whether it is talking to someone about their problems or accessing the resources to manage their mental health.
Stride is Australia’s longest-serving mental health provider and the largest provider of integrated services offering individualised support to children, adults, families, and their carers.
Our presence in Greater Bendigo puts us in the position to understand the unique challenges faced by the communities in this region. 
This also allows us to deliver Psychosocial Recovery Services (PRS) that enable people to access mental health support and care through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the Disability Support Pension (DSP).
What are Psychosocial Recovery Services?
Our Psychosocial Recovery Services helps people with psychosocial disability, which is described by the NDIS as “a disability that may arise from a mental health issue”.
People with a psychosocial disability, such as bipolar, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), may find it difficult to interact with others, set goals and make plans, manage stress, concentrate on tasks, and engage in education, training or employment.
With our Psychosocial Recovery Services, we reach out to qualified people and help them identify the evidence they need for NDIS, DSP, or other supports. We also support them in collecting this evidence, such as preparing applications, arranging for cost-effective assessments, and formatting doctor’s reports so that they comply with NDIS and DSP. 
This might involve giving them a ride to their appointment for the report, or making sure their online applications are done properly.
In other words, we help people navigate applications for NDIS, DSP and other supports, including retesting for NDIS eligibility and making sure that they are successful.
Benefits of Stride’s Psychosocial Recovery Services
Stride’s Psychosocial Recovery Services are free to access. We provide individualised support and collaborative care based on your needs and goals in a setting of your choice, whether it is from your home, a public park, or somewhere else that you are omfortable with. 
Our non-judgemental team in Bendigo will support you in gathering evidence and preparing your application for NDIS, DSP, and other services.
One of our main objectives is to build your capacity and life skills so that you can be as independent as possible and achieve your goals. 
Through our Psychosocial Recovery Services, we reinforce capacity-building. For example, when we make the first specialist appointment for you, we will show you how to do it. To make the next appointment yourself, we will guide you so that you develop the skills and confidence to make appointments independently.
When you are successful in getting your NDIS plan, you have the choice to access our range of mental health services and specialist support, such as Psychosocial Recovery Coaching, Therapeutic Support and Support Coordination. 
If we are not the right organisation for you, we will connect you to other services that are right for you.
Discover how Stride can help you with your mental health concerns and guide you on your journey to recovery.
Get in touch with Belinda, Russell and the Stride Bendigo team today:
2 Bushs Lane, Bendigo VIC 3550
1300 00 1907
PRS@Stride.com.au
www.stride.com.au