When Men Miss Out: Mental Health Care in Regional Practice
Men in regional and rural Australia experience higher suicide risk, reduced access to mental health services, and greater fragmentation of care. Many men engage with health and support services prior to crisis, yet lose continuity of care as they move between primary care, mental health, and community systems.
This webinar, hosted by the Mental Health Professionals Network (MHPN), will explore what happens when men fall between services, and how clearer models of collaboration, referral, and role clarity can support engagement, safety, and follow-through in regional mental health practice. The webinar is moderated by Andrew McPherson, Director at Ballarat Men's Mental Health and the panel features:
- Mick Fryar, Mental Health Nurse
- Michael Grimes, Counsellor
- Ben Gillet, Senior Mental Health Clinician, Occupational Therapist
- Mark O'Brien, Triage Clinician and Social Worker
This webinar examines recurring themes in men’s mental health care, including late presentation, reluctance to seek help, financial stress, identity and role pressures, and the impact of limited service availability in regional settings.
It will consider how these factors intersect with system boundaries, referral pathways, and disciplinary silos, contributing to disengagement and increased risk for men with complex or unmet needs.
Featuring a collaboration with Ballarat Men’s Mental Health, a community-led, integrated regional service, the webinar will highlight practical, place-based insights from care models designed to reduce service drop-off and actively guide men through fragmented systems.
Through a multidisciplinary panel discussion, the session will focus on practical responses clinicians can use when men do not fit neatly within existing pathways, and when standard referral processes are not sufficient.
For more information see: The MPHN website
