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headspace is revolutionizing adolescent mental health care throughout Australia by seamlessly addressing the dual challenges of stigma and access.

headspace CEO Chris Tanti presented on this international mental health initiative. He discussed how headspace works, its creative youth-directed outreach, its focus on integrated care, and its impact on outcomes and high-risk populations.

headspace is focused on early identification and treatment of mental illness and teen suicide prevention. Their model combines integrated care with mental health skills training for primary care professionals and a national, youth-directed outreach campaign. At 40 headspace centers and growing and online at eheadspace, teens find a safe space to talk about issues central to their lives. Local professional and agency collaboration ensures that fewer teens ‘fall through the cracks.’

Chris Tanti is the CEO of headspace, Australia’s national Youth Mental Health Foundation.

The foundation was established in 2006 and since that time grown to become the largest youth mental health organisation in Australia. headspace is a world-first model in early intervention. It provides a range of integrated mental health services and programs including:

• 40 headspace centres located in each state and territory across Australia
• An e counselling platform known as eheadspace
• A suicide prevention and postvention program for secondary schools and their communities

The headspace model is a unique private and public hybrid model that importantly requires participation of community services and their infrastructure in the development of a headspace centre which is primarily a ‘one stop shop’ of healthcare for young people aged 12 – 25. With an annual budget of $85m and the centre platform increasing from 40 to 90 across the country, Chris’s ambition of being able to achieve access to evidenced-based care for all young Australians is likely to be realised.Chris wants support for all young people and advice and information given to parents, carers and professionals including teachers.

Chris began his career as a psychotherapist. Frustrated with the service systems’ inability to meet the needs of people with mental health problems, Chris quickly moved into management. Chris has worked in both the public and private sectors having managed various programs and hospitals. Primarily Chris has an interest in change management as well as start ups.

He is a passionate advocate for all with mental health problems and is becoming active in social media, including Facebook and Twitter where young people and wants their opinions heard. Chris provides unique insight into some of the issues which effect young people – youth suicide, education, bullying, stress, body image, and same-sex attracted and Indigenous issues.

Whilst he wouldn’t describe himself as an academic he has a published in the area of mental health and particularly co morbidity. Chris started his career as a Social Worker and has degrees from Both LaTrobe University in Melbourne and The University of Melbourne. He has also been a scholar at the Mount Sinai NYU School of Medicine in New York and last year attended theHarvard Business School where he completed the 2 month intensive residential Advanced Management Program.