In our weekly Peer Group Chats, you can chat in real-time with others living with complex mental health issues as well as family, friends and carers. Peer Group Chats are free to attend and happen every Thursday at 7pm AEST with a different topic each week.
Peer Group Chats focus on a specific topic and are guided by peer workers with lived experience of mental health issues. A moderator is in the background to make sure chats are as safe as possible for participants.
To find out more about the upcoming events, head to the Special Events area on the SANE Forums.
Participate in our Peer Group Chat
Chats take place in the chat box below or for mobiles by clicking the blue speech bubble at the bottom right of your screen. You can only join the chat when it's on, at the specified times above.
To join and comment follow these steps:
- Sign up with a username, email, and password.
- Enter the verification code sent to your email address.
- That’s it! You can start commenting.
To follow the chat but not comment, simply click 'Enter as a guest' and create a username only.
Chats are anonymous, so make sure your username does not identify you in real life.
Open Peer Group Chat in new window
For any questions about how the chat works including technology issues please check out our Peer Group Chat: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
Important: group chats are peer spaces, so if you need one-to-one support please reach out to our counselling support team. In the case that you are at risk we will direct you to crisis services. If there is immediate risk we will work with you to reach out to emergency services.
Read previous Peer Group Chats
You can view the transcripts from past chats. They are full of great information, discussion, and suggestions from others.
Group guidelines
Our guidelines are essential to creating a safe online peer space. These guidelines will be reviewed and updated with feedback from group participants. We encourage you to read the guidelines before joining a chat so that you can participate knowing your responsibilities to other group participants and exactly how we create a safe environment for everyone.
Please note that our peer group chat is only available for participants within Australia.
Our guidelines prioritise the following principles, which apply to a participant’s username and comments:
"It was a joy to participate last night and it was interesting and inspiring to hear how others had coped... and promoted self-care for themselves"
"The peer group was really great, and I hope it can be a regular thing!"
If you need immediate support and can’t reach us, contact the services below. In an emergency contact 000.
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Emergency, police & ambulance (24 Hrs) -
Connect with a lifeline crisis supporter (24hrs) -
Suicide callback service (24 Hrs) -
Kids helpline (24 Hrs) -
13 YARN