Women’s Recovery Network
Women’s Recovery Network (Wren) is a specialist mental health service for women* experiencing mental health challenges. Wren focuses on safety, respect, choice and recovery. Support is provided in a way that recognises your experiences, including trauma, and what matters most to you. Our goal is to help you feel safe, heard and supported while working towards your recovery.
*Wren uses the term “women” inclusively to refer to anyone who self-identifies as a woman, regardless of sex assigned at birth or gender expression.
Who is this service for?
Wren supports:
- women and anyone who identifies as a women
- aged 18 years and over
- people experiencing moderate to severe or complex mental health challenges
- people who may benefit from a women-focused, trauma-informed environment
- people who are willing to engage voluntarily with treatment, care and support
What kinds of concerns can Wren help with?
Wren may support people experiencing:
- depression or ongoing low mood
- anxiety or overwhelming stress
- trauma, including past or current abuse or violence
- eating disorder concerns
- perinatal mental health challenges during or after pregnancy
- emotional and psychological distress due to mental illness, which is affecting daily life
- treatment complexity or limited response to previous treatment
How does Wren support me?
Support is tailored to you and may include:
- a safe and supportive space to talk
- individual and group support
- mental health assessment and treatment planning
- help to understand your experiences, triggers and needs
- support to build coping strategies
- brief psychological interventions
- medication review and treatment
- consumer peer support
- carer and family peer support
- involvement of people important to you, if you choose
Care is collaborative. This means you are involved in decisions about your treatment, care and recovery.
What makes Wren different?
Wren is different from traditional services because:
- it provides women-focused and trauma-informed care
- there is a strong focus on safety, choice and dignity
- lived experience perspectives are valued
- care is developed with you, not just for you
- support can include both clinical care and peer support
- family, carers or trusted people can be involved with your consent
Where does the service operate?
Wren Shepparton provides support through:
- short-term inpatient care at Ramsay Health Shepparton
- Hospital in the Home support, where care is provided in your home when suitable
Your care will be planned based on your needs, preferences, safety and suitability for the program.
Who works in the service?
You may be supported by:
- consultant psychiatrist
- junior medical doctor
- mental health clinician
- nurse practitioner
- consumer peer support worker
- carer peer support worker
- social worker
The team works together with you to support your recovery.
What is peer support?
Peer support is a relationship-based way of offering emotional, practical and system-navigation support through connection, mutuality, shared understanding, hope and respect for people’s different worldviews. It is provided by people with lived and/or living experience of mental health challenges, service use, or as a family member, carer or supporter.
Wren has consumer and carer peer support workers.
Peer support may include:
- emotional support
- practical information
- support to speak up about your needs and preferences
- help to understand services and systems
- connection with community resources
- support for families, carers and trusted people
How does Wren work with my family, carers or trusted people?
With your consent, Wren can:
- involve your family, carers or trusted people in your care
- provide them with information about service navigation and support
- include them in family meetings
- offer carer and family peer support through mutuality, connection and worldview
- work together to support your recovery
- Focusing on carer/ family needs
Your privacy, consent and choices are always respected.
How do I access Wren?
Wren Shepparton is not a self-referral service.
You can request a referral if you are currently engaged with one of the following services:
- GV Health Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Service, including Monash Street Shepparton and Seymour
- Mental Health and Wellbeing Local, Shepparton
- Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative, Mooroopna
If you are already receiving mental health support, you can speak with your treating team about whether Wren may be suitable for you.
Once a referral is made, the Wren team will review the referral and discuss suitability, availability and next steps with the referrer.
What happens after a referral?
After a referral is made:
- the Wren team will review the referral
- the team may speak with the referrer to gather more information
- if Wren is suitable, the team will contact you to arrange a time to meet and talk about the program
What if I need help right now?
Wren is not a crisis service.
If you need urgent support:
- call 000 if you or someone else is in immediate danger
- contact Mental Health Triage on 1300 369 005
- contact your current treating team, GP or local mental health service
- contact crisis support services if you need immediate emotional support
When should I seek support?
You do not need to wait until things become unmanageable.
Consider seeking support if:
- you feel overwhelmed, distressed or unsafe
- your mental health is affecting your daily life, relationships, work or study
- you are finding it hard to cope
- you are withdrawing from people or activities
- your sleep, appetite, mood or energy has changed significantly
- you are relying more on alcohol, drugs or other coping strategies that may be unsafe
- past or current trauma is affecting your wellbeing
Resources and useful links
For participants
- Nominated Support Person form
- Advance Statement of Preferences
- Consent to provide information
- Personal Information Collection Statement
Useful links: eating disorder
Eating Disorders Victoria: services, fact sheets, research and forums.
Butterfly Foundation: support for eating disorders and body image issues.
F.E.A.S.T.: support and resources for families affected by eating disorders.
headspace Bentleigh: location and service information for the Bentleigh headspace branch.
headspace Elsternwick: location and service information for the Elsternwick headspace branch.
Beyond Blue: a source for mental health information, support, and hope.
Sane Australia: support for those with complex mental health issues and their family and friends.
Useful links: postnatal mental health
PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia): helpline, counselling, support groups and information.
COPE (Centre of Perinatal Excellence): information for parents and healthcare professionals.
Gidget Foundation: support for expectant and new parents, including telehealth consultations.
MumSpace: mental health support for mums.
MindMum App: A FREE Smartphone app that provides effective coping strategies. Use the link or find it through your app store.
Research Opportunities – Woman’s Mental Health
Learn more about Wren
Wren is a specialist women’s mental health service delivered through a partnership between Goulburn Valley Health, Alfred Health and Ramsay Health Care.
The service was developed in response to the need for safer, more gender-responsive and trauma-informed mental health care for women.
Further information about Wren’s background, partnership model, team structure and suitability criteria can be accessed through the website below:
- ADDRESS
Goulburn Valley Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Service
Monash Street
Shepparton, 3630
- CONTACT
Emergency: 000
Mental Health Triage Service:
1300 369 005