Mind Australia has had a presence in Wodonga for more than a decade, with operational support provided by the Wangaratta campus.

The recruitment of Morag Morrison as centre manager and Rosalind Scott as program facilitator now brings the Border team to 12, to run courses on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

“There is a demand, not just from the mental health clients in the community who are on NDIS packages, but also from the community in general,” Ms Morrison said.

“People’s awareness is rising about anxiety and depression.

“We’re about to be registered to deliver services in NSW – but people can come to the recovery college from anywhere.”

Ms Scott, who taught psychology for more than 20 years in America before moving to Albury in 2013, said more than 50 evidence-based courses would be provided from the Wodonga centre on Beechworth Road.

“We have a variety of topics from how to manage stress or grief, to things like smart-spending and dealing with clutter, that would be of interest to the general community,” she said.

“There’s also a course around food and mood, as there’s a link between what we eat and how we feel.

“It’s not something a doctor or psychiatrist is telling them to do – although that’s a component of it – it’s more about people taking charge of their own recovery.”

Ms Morrison said Mind was a not-for-profit, registered NDIS provider.

“We’ve had to adjust things with funding, which has its pros and cons – we’re finding that our consumers are really focused on telling us what they need,” she said.

“One thing other NGOs don’t have at the moment is a dedicated allied health team; we’re going to be doing counselling, mental health and occupational therapy assessments, as part of the NDIS packages.

“That’s been a gap – people are waiting months for OT assessments.

“Mind will have a roving team of dedicated complex practitioners so people shouldn’t have to wait as long.

“We’re hoping to get involved in some more community events to let people know we’re here.”