Wednesday, 15 April 2026, 12:16 pm
Press Release: True Self Space
The 2025 National Survey on Mental Health and Wellbeing
reported that approximately 3.8 million Australians aged 16
and over experienced a mental disorder in the past year,
with anxiety and depression remaining the most prevalent
conditions. Among young people, the data is particularly
concerning: 45 percent of Australians aged 18 to 34 reported
experiencing mental health symptoms in 2025, up from 40
percent in 2023, reflecting growing pressure on adolescent
and young adult services across the country. The Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare found that 17.4 percent of
Australians consulted a health professional for their mental
health in 2020-22, up from 11.9 percent in 2007, with the
increase in help-seeking among younger demographics driving
substantial demand for age-appropriate therapeutic
services.
The adolescent therapy segment has seen
particularly strong growth as parents, schools and referrers
increasingly recognise the benefit of early intervention for
anxiety, mood disorders, social difficulties and
identity-related concerns that emerge during the teenage
years. Consumers seeking
teen counselling in Melbourne are looking for
practitioners who combine clinical competence with the
relational skills necessary to engage adolescent clients who
may be reluctant to attend therapy or who have had previous
unhelpful experiences with mental health services. The
Productivity Commission’s 2025 Review of the National Mental
Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement recommended renewed
governance structures and targeted funding for priority
populations, with young people identified as a key group
requiring sustained investment in accessible,
developmentally appropriate services.
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Access to
locally based services remains a critical factor in
adolescent engagement with therapy, as travel distance and
unfamiliar clinical settings can act as barriers to
attendance for younger clients. Residents accessing
counselling in Doncaster and Melbourne’s eastern suburbs
benefit from suburban practice locations that offer a less
clinical, more accessible environment for teenage clients
and their families. The expansion of Medicare-subsidised
mental health sessions has improved affordability, but
demand continues to outpace supply in many metropolitan
areas, particularly for practitioners with specific training
in adolescent developmental psychology and age-appropriate
therapeutic modalities.
Providers such as True Self
Space offer teen counselling alongside their broader therapy
services from suburban Melbourne locations, delivering
age-appropriate support for adolescents navigating the
psychological challenges of development, academic pressure
and social transition. With adolescent mental health
presentations continuing to rise and early intervention
recognised as a key determinant of long-term outcomes, the
demand for specialist youth-focused practitioners is
expected to sustain above-average growth within Melbourne’s
psychological services
market.
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