ReachOut NextStep is an online tool which facilitates help-seeking for young Australians aged 18-25. Design led by end-users, the tool helps young people navigate the Australian mental health system and empowers them to feel confident to seek help across a broad spectrum of mental health issues. This presentation will use insights from a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)), as well as analytics and empirical data from the enhanced live product in order to demonstrate: 1) The effectiveness of an online tool to facilitate help-seeking among young Australians, 2) Benefits of partnering with young people throughout the full development cycle of the project, and 3) Benefits of partnering with academics and service providers to ensure reliable, evidence-based outcomes.

1. 'ReachOut NextStep'
Drea Browne
Senior Project Manager/Producer
ReachOut Australia
Facilitating pathways to help-seeking
for young Australians through an online
self-assessment tool

2. I’TS BEEN A LONG JOURNEY

3. I WORK AT ReachOut Australia

4. WE JUST TURNED 18yrs
1998 2016

5. WE REACH 1.3m
Young Australians

6. WHY WE EXIST

7. YOUTH SUICIDE
AGE MALE FEMALE
15-19 35.9% 27.1%
20-24 34.9% 30.2
Percentage of total deaths by suicide in Australia, 2012
ABS 2014 - http://www.mindframe-media.info

8. PROBLEM
1 in 4 young Australians suffers
from a mental health difficulty.
ONLY 1/3 of them seek help.
King et al.(2010)

9. WHY?
 ACCESS
 AUTONOMY
 AWARENESS
 CONFIDENTIALITY
 FEAR
 VALIDATION

10. SOLUTION
OBJECTIVE
Develop and evaluate of an online tool which facilitates
help-seeking through the Australian mental health
landscape for young people.

11. APPROACH

12.  Enable me access anytime on any device
 Walk me through the process
 Validate my feelings
 Show me I'm not alone
 Give me a sense of hope
 Tune into me (my changing needs)
 Make it easy to act/connect
 Give me a place to start and show me what’s next
YOUNG PEOPLE
UX GOALS

13. HELP-SEEKING THEORY
Rickwood et al, (2005)

14. SERVICE PROVIDERS
 CONSULTATION
 EXPERTISE
 EFFECTIVENESS
Drawing on the expertise of 10 other leading providers

15. PHASE 01 - MVP
1. Select an issue
2. Define severity
3. Choose service type
4. Get support options

16. PHASE 01 RCT(403 participants)

17. PHASE 02 – ReachOut NextStep

18. PHASE 02 – ReachOut NextStep

19. PHASE 02 – ReachOut NextStep

20. PHASE 02 – ReachOut NextStep

21. PHASE 02 – ReachOut NextStep
 100 Symptoms
 12 Issues
 5 Severity levels for each issue
 25 Apps an tools
 5 Online forums
 14 Chat services
 41 Phone services
 28 Face2Face services
 29 Practical tips
 250+ Articles/stories
 12 Videos
 60 Pathways
 THOUSANDS of possible combinations

22. YOUTH INVOLVEMENT
 Help-seeking workshops
 MVP concept testing
 MVP prototype + UX testing
 Academic pilot study
 Academic RCT
 Functionality workshops
 Phase 2 concept testing
 Phase 2 prototype and UX testing
 Content and multimedia workshops
 Ongoing Youth Advisory group
600+ young Australians participated in the project

23. VALUE
"It was very self-paced.
There's a lot of fear in
seeking help that you may
be judged or not be able to
do it privately and at your
own pace”
"When you’re distressed
you want a simple, clear
recommendation but
you also want choice if it
doesn’t work for you"
When taking their first steps to actively seek help, young people are stepping
into the unknown and outside their comfort zone.
ReachOut NextStep can help simplify this process and provide a starting point.

24. CHALLENGES + LESSONS
5 KEY LESSONS
1. Rapid in a slow lane is risky
2. One size doesn’t fit all
3. Data means business
4. Reaching the hard to reach is hard
5. Success metrics, or are they?

25. 3 MONTHS IN…
 About 4,000 users in Australia
 Conversion from Step 02 to Step 04 is 80%
 Average time spent on tool is 5.09 mins
 Average number of symptoms is 10.08
 546 unique clicks through into recommended support services
TOP 5 Issues Selected
1. I'm feeling stressed, anxious, worried or down 1525
2. I'm having problems with people close to me 401
3. I'm worried about my drug and/or alcohol use 315
4. I'm stressed about body image, eating or exercise 277
5. I'm thinking about ending my life 198

26. OUTREACH

27. REACH MORE YOUNG PEOPLE
ReachOut NextStep
When life becomes your worst enemy, log onto
ReachOut and get tailored help when you need it
most. Always available, always free.
ReachOut NextStep
Having a brainsplosion? There's a website for that.
Try NextStep, a new tool from ReachOut.com, it's
always free and always available.

28. THANKS!
ANY QUESTIONS?
andrea@reachout.com
@ReachOut_AUS
@hidrea