ReachOut

ReachOut is an Australian digital mental-health service focused primarily on young people, adolescents and the adults who support them. It was launched in March 1998 as an initiative of the Inspire Foundation, the organisation now known as ReachOut Australia. Its purpose is to make trustworthy mental-health information easier to understand and easier to act on, while encouraging resilience, coping skills and help-seeking behaviour. The service operates mainly through online content rather than clinical treatment. Its website presents fact sheets, practical guides, personal stories, podcasts and other resources covering subjects such as anxiety, depression, bullying, self-esteem, relationships, substance use, suicide prevention and difficult life events. Content is generally written in an accessible, informal style suited to younger audiences, with short sections, lists and visual material. Young people participate in the development and review of programs and content, and ReachOut works with health and community organisations to support accuracy and currency. A major part of the brand’s model has historically been peer connection. The ReachOut Community Forum provided a moderated environment in which young Australians could discuss mental-health concerns, compare experiences and find information about further support. The forum was not positioned as a counselling service; staff and trained moderators helped maintain a safer environment and directed users toward appropriate services, including Kids Helpline and Lifeline. After 18 years of operation, the online community was closed in June 2025. During its operation, more than two million users across Australia had accessed the forum. ReachOut has also developed specialist services for different audiences. ReachOut Parents, introduced in 2016, gives parents and carers practical guidance on supporting young people aged approximately 12 to 18, including advice about bullying, anxiety, social media, communication and self-esteem. ReachOut Professionals provides resources for people who work with young people and seek mental-health information for education, health or community settings. The former ReachOut Teachers’ Network connected secondary-school teachers with lesson material and classroom resources about issues affecting students. The organisation has experimented with interactive and peer-led formats. ReachOut Central, launched as a full game in 2007, used scenarios to show how thoughts, feelings and behaviour can influence one another. ReachOut also operates PeerChat, a free one-to-one online peer-support service for people aged 16 to 25 that connects users with trained peer workers. An evaluation reported in 2024 found outcomes consistent with the service’s intended goals. ReachOut is principally an Australian service. Although it opened versions of the site in Ireland and the United States in 2008, both international sites were later closed. The Australian service has subsequently required an Australian postal code for access to some functions and redirects overseas visitors to suitable local services. The brand’s public role includes publishing mental-health information, facilitating appropriate referrals, involving young people in program design and contributing expert perspectives to public discussion about youth wellbeing and suicide prevention.

ReachOut.com began in March 1998 as a digital initiative of the Inspire Foundation, an Australian organisation established to address youth mental-health needs. From the beginning, the service was designed around the idea that young people should be able to find understandable and relevant support before, or alongside, contact with formal health services. Rather than presenting itself as a replacement for counselling or medical care, ReachOut developed information and referral resources intended to help users recognise problems, build coping strategies and decide when to seek additional assistance. The service’s core publishing model combines practical information with lived experience. Its fact sheets and guides cover common mental-health concerns and related challenges, while personal stories and audio material provide examples that may help users feel less isolated. Young people have been involved in writing, testing and shaping content, and the organisation has worked with health and community partners to improve the reliability and usefulness of its material. The editorial style is deliberately direct and informal, with short sections, lists and visual elements intended to reduce barriers to engagement among adolescents and young adults. ReachOut expanded beyond static information through community and educational services. The ReachOut Teachers’ Network launched in April 2007 to connect secondary-school teachers with classroom lessons and material about problems faced by young people. In September 2007, the organisation released the full version of ReachOut Central, an interactive serious game in which users explored relationships among thoughts, emotions, behaviour and consequences through simulated real-life situations. The game received recognition in the Changemakers.net Why Games Matter competition and later became a finalist and runner-up in the health category of the 2008 Stockholm Challenge Awards. In 2008, ReachOut opened country-specific services in Ireland and the United States. Those sites were subsequently closed, and the organisation’s ongoing service became primarily Australian. This narrowing of geographic scope allowed ReachOut to direct users toward local support systems and adapt its information to Australian institutions, services and terminology. The brand later broadened its audience. ReachOut Professionals provided information for people working with young people in health, education and community settings. ReachOut Parents launched in May 2016 to help parents and carers support teenagers aged approximately 12 to 18. Its topics include bullying, anxiety, self-esteem, social media and communication. The service reflects research suggesting that parents are often the first people young people approach when they need support, even though many young people do not use formal services. Peer involvement has remained central to ReachOut Australia’s programs. Youth Ambassadors and other volunteers have contributed to content, administration, presentations and moderation. ReachOut also developed PeerChat, a one-to-one online service connecting people aged 16 to 25 with trained peer workers. A 2024 evaluation reported positive outcomes aligned with the program’s aims. The ReachOut Community Forum operated for 18 years as a moderated peer-support environment. It enabled young people to discuss mental-health issues, exchange experiences and receive signposting to information and professional services, while making clear that it was not a counselling service. The forum closed in June 2025 after more than two million Australian users had accessed it. ReachOut continues to operate as an Australian youth mental-health information and support organisation, with its public profile also extending to media commentary, suicide-prevention discussions and partnerships intended to improve the availability of age-appropriate online information.

• 2025

  Community Forum closes

  [1]ReachOut.comen.wikipedia.org

  ReachOut closes its online community after 18 years of operation.

• 2024

  PeerChat evaluation reports positive outcomes

  [1]ReachOut.comen.wikipedia.org

  An evaluation finds that the peer-support service is producing outcomes consistent with its intended objectives.

• 2016

  ReachOut Parents launches

  [1]ReachOut.comen.wikipedia.org

  A free resource for parents and carers of teenagers is introduced in May.

• 2008

  International editions open

  [1]ReachOut.comen.wikipedia.org

  ReachOut opens services in Ireland and the United States; both editions are later discontinued.

• 2007

  Teachers’ Network introduced

  [1]ReachOut.comen.wikipedia.org

  ReachOut launches a network connecting secondary-school teachers with classroom resources on issues affecting young people.

• 2007

  ReachOut Central released

  [1]ReachOut.comen.wikipedia.org

  The full version of the interactive serious game is launched on 17 September.

• 1998

  ReachOut.com launches

  [1]ReachOut.comen.wikipedia.org

  The online youth mental-health service begins as an initiative of the Inspire Foundation.

An accessible, youth-informed and non-clinical digital mental-health resource that combines evidence-informed information, peer connection and pathways to professional help.

• Digital mental-health information service · 1998

  ReachOut.com

  The main ReachOut website provides accessible information for young Australians on mental health, wellbeing and difficult life circumstances. Its content includes fact sheets, practical guides, personal stories, podcasts and referral information. The site is written in a youth-oriented style and is intended to support understanding, coping and help-seeking rather than provide diagnosis or clinical counselling.

• Parent education · 2016

  ReachOut Parents

  ReachOut Parents is a free online service for parents and carers supporting young people aged approximately 12 to 18. It offers practical guidance on communication, bullying, anxiety, self-esteem, social media and related issues. The service is designed to help adults become more confident first-line supporters while directing them toward further assistance when necessary.

• Professional information service

  ReachOut Professionals

  ReachOut Professionals supplies mental-health information and practical resources for people who work with young people. Its intended users include professionals in education, health and community services who need accessible material to support conversations about wellbeing and connect young people with appropriate assistance.

• Interactive digital game · 2007

  ReachOut Central

  ReachOut Central is an interactive serious game built around everyday scenarios. It helps users explore how thoughts, feelings and behaviour can affect one another and how changing one part of that cycle may influence outcomes. The game links its scenarios to practical tips and related ReachOut information.

• Online peer support

  PeerChat

  PeerChat is a free one-to-one online peer-support service for young people aged 16 to 25. Users are connected with trained peer workers rather than clinical counsellors. The service is intended to provide understanding, encouragement and pathways toward further support.

• Moderated online community · 2007

  ReachOut Community Forum

  The Community Forum allowed young Australians to discuss mental-health concerns in a moderated environment and connect with people reporting similar experiences. Staff and trained moderators supported safety and signposted users to relevant information and external services. ReachOut closed the forum in June 2025 after 18 years.

• 2025YouTube Australia youth mental-health video initiative

  Australia

  ReachOut Australia participated as a partner in a YouTube Australia initiative to create a dedicated collection of age-appropriate mental-health videos for teenagers.

  Outcome. The partnership was presented as a way to improve access to suitable online mental-health information for young viewers.

  Source

• 2025

  Closure of the Community ForumStrategy

  Background

  The moderated peer-support forum had operated for 18 years and served more than two million Australian users.

  Action taken

  ReachOut closed the online community in June 2025.

  Aftermath

  The forum ceased to be part of the active service portfolio, while ReachOut continued its information, referral, parent, professional and peer-support programs.

  Source

• 2016

  Launch of ReachOut ParentsProduct launch

  Background

  Parents are often the first people young people approach for help, while many teenagers do not access formal support.

  Action taken

  ReachOut introduced a dedicated free online service offering practical guidance for parents and carers of teenagers.

  Aftermath

  The brand expanded from direct youth resources into family-facing support and education.

  Source

• 2008

  International expansion into Ireland and the United StatesStrategy

  Background

  ReachOut sought to extend its youth mental-health information model beyond Australia.

  Action taken

  Country-specific services were opened in Ireland and the United States.

  Aftermath

  Both international sites were later closed, leaving the service primarily focused on Australia.

  Source

1. 1ReachOut.comen.wikipedia.org
2. 2ReachOut Australiaau.reachout.com
3. 3YouTube Australia youth mental-health video initiativeyoutube.com