Crisis Stabilisation Centre (Nakurrinthi) begins staged opening in Elizabeth South

sonder

Funded by SA Health and delivered by Sonder, the Crisis Stabilisation Centre (CSC) provides free, voluntary support for people aged 18 years and over in a calm, home-like environment designed to promote rest, recovery and connection.

The 16-bed Centre is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with guests able to stay for up to 72 hours while receiving personalised support from a multidisciplinary team bringing together clinical, medical and lived experience expertise.

Opening through a staged approach

The CSC is opening through a staged approach, with access to the new service expanded over time.

Initially, the CSC is accepting referrals from Northern Adelaide Local Health Network services and via the Northern Adelaide Medicare Mental Health Centre‘s walk-in service, which will be co-located with the CSC as of the end of August.

Referral pathways will broaden over time to enable more people experiencing mental health crisis to access the service, with further information shared as these pathways become available.

A different approach to crisis support

The CSC has been purposefully designed to provide a welcoming, safe and therapeutic alternative to a clinical hospital environment.

During their stay, guests are encouraged to actively participate in decisions about their care and choose the supports and activities that best meet their needs.

Support available at the Centre may include:

• Peer support from people with lived experience, including dedicated peer practitioners with expertise in supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, LGBTQIA+ communities, multicultural communities, and people experiencing alcohol and other drug challenges.
• Mental and physical health care from clinicians and nurses.
• Wellbeing and therapeutic activities.
• Recovery planning and connections to ongoing supports.
• Support for families and carers.

The service has been co-designed with people who have lived experience of mental health crisis and distress, helping ensure every aspect of the service reflects what people need during times of distress.

Lived Experience Leadership & Advocacy Network (LELAN) Chief Executive and Founder Ellie Hodges said the Crisis Stabilisation Centre provides a new way of supporting people experiencing mental health distress and crisis.

“Not everyone experiencing distress needs a hospital bed, but having the option to access more support than they may have at home is really important.

“Having a place to go that provides a more home-like environment, with a team offering compassion and connection, will make a big difference for people who need that extra bit of care during a tough time.

“The model for the Crisis Stabilisation Centre is more contemporary than anything we currently have elsewhere in South Australia and provides a vision for how mental health crisis support can be done differently.

“This is particularly reflected in the strong peer workforce and the involvement of people with lived experience in shaping the service and its model of care from the outset.”

Sonder Chief Executive Officer Sageran Naidoo said the new service represents an important addition to South Australia’s mental health system.

“The Crisis Stabilisation Centre offers a much-needed, very welcome alternative to the hospital Emergency Department for people experiencing mental health distress or crisis.

“Our vision from the outset was to create a place where people feel safe, respected and supported. We know that recovery looks different for everyone, which is why our team works alongside each guest to understand what matters to them and help connect them with the right supports, both during their stay and beyond.”

Nakurrinthi – “to see each other”

The Centre has been given the Kaurna name Nakurrinthi, meaning “to see each other.”

The name reflects the service’s commitment to seeing each person with compassion, dignity and respect, and recognises the importance of connection, understanding and walking alongside people during times of mental health distress.

Working together to deliver recovery-oriented care

International mental health organisation Ember Korowai Takitini has worked alongside Sonder to support the implementation of the Crisis Stabilisation Centre, drawing on its extensive experience delivering recovery-oriented and lived-experience led crisis alternatives in New Zealand.

Ember has also provided training and guidance to Sonder’s lived experience workforce, helping embed trauma-informed and recovery-oriented practice within the service.

Ember Chief Executive Darryl Bishop said lived and living experience plays an important role in providing compassionate and effective crisis support.

“Through our experience in New Zealand, we’ve seen the difference recovery-oriented, lived experience-led approaches can make for people experiencing mental health distress.

“It has been a privilege to share our experience with Sonder and support its lived experience workforce as they bring this new approach to crisis care in South Australia.”

Sonder also acknowledges the people with lived and living experience of mental health distress and crisis who generously shared their perspectives throughout the co-design process. Their insights have helped shape a service grounded in compassion, dignity and recovery.

For more information

Learn more about the Crisis Stabilisation Centre (Nakurrinthi), including current referral pathways, at sonder.net.au/crisis-stabilisation-centre.