A University of Melbourne study has found that 80 per cent of rural teenagers reported improvements in their ability to cope with difficult situations after completing the Best of Coping program, with those teenagers at the highest risk of becoming depressed reporting the biggest improvements.Developed by educational psychologists at Melbourne Graduate School of Education, the Best of Coping program helps teenagers develop coping and positive thinking skills.

Dr Chelsea Eacott, a PhD graduate of the Melbourne Graduate School of Education has been closely involved with the program since its inception in 2007. She believes it is vital to provide additional mental health support for young people in rural areas, where demand for support usually outweighs supply.

"In rural and remote areas depression and anxiety in young people is poorly recognised and under-diagnosed. Treatment can also be difficult to access - mental health services in rural areas are often limited and over-subscribed. 

"Teenagers in rural settings face the challenges of isolation, leisure boredom and parent vulnerabilities due to the threat of drought and flooding. This makes them more susceptible to depression and despair than their urban peers."

Students in the Best of Coping program learn skills such as building support networks and decision making, through a range of activities including role play, group discussions and self reflection. They then completed a ‘booster’ session 12 months later to reinforce these skills.

Dr Eacott is confident that the approach is working.

"We are finding that the Best of Coping program is a practical and effective way of tackling mental health problems among rural teenagers. By teaching young people in schools the skills they need to safeguard their own mental health, we can help tackle the higher rates of depression experienced by our country communities."

The Best of Coping program is currently available for rural high schools and can be organised through the Melbourne Graduate School of Education or the Australian Council of Education Research. For more information, please go to www.education.unimelb.edu.au.