Women’s Mental Health Service

The challenge was to develop a state-wide, specialist women’s mental health service that responds to a recommendation from the Royal Commission into mental health (Victoria). The brief required a co-designed service model and physical space that meets the complex needs of women experiencing diverse mental health issues, including perinatal mental illness and eating disorders. Limitations included a two-month design timeframe and limited participant availability from First Nations communities. Despite these constraints, the feedback from co-designers was that the process was meaningful, safe and inclusive. As part of the co-design, architects were invited to sessions to hear first-hand the from co-designers.

The design process included co-design sessions with 131 women with lived experience and 9 health professionals across general, perinatal, and eating disorder streams. These informed both service and space design. Key outcomes included peer-led reception, therapeutic spaces, holistic care planning, and family-inclusive practices. Physical spaces prioritised comfort and privacy, avoiding clinical aesthetics. Practical insights like enlarging perinatal rooms for prams led to tangible changes. Discharge planning was enhanced to start at intake and include trauma-informed de-escalation, strong community linkages, digital home support tools, and gender-sensitive policies.

The Service established a new standard for women’s mental health care in Victoria. Commercially, it leveraged a cost-efficient public-private model to deliver high-quality, scalable care. Environmentally, its flexible design supports in-home care, reducing long-term institutional dependence. Societally, it centred lived experience, cultural inclusivity, and holistic wellness by empowering women through personalised recovery and minimising the need for re-hospitalisation. The impact extends to carers through peer support and their continuous involvement. With scalable potential across regional areas, it promises systemic change in how mental health care is conceived and delivered, focusing on listening to people with lived and living experience.

•Co-Design Model: Over 30 individuals with lived experience co-created the model, ensuring relevance, empowerment, and authenticity. •Three co-design streams: Specialised streams—general, perinatal, and eating disorders—address nuanced needs through tailored therapeutic approaches. •Peer-Led Intake: Establishes trust from the outset, reducing trauma and fostering connection. •Physical Design: Bedrooms are home-like and customisable; therapy rooms are non-clinical, sensory-sensitive, and privacy-oriented. Communal areas foster inclusion and family bonding. •Trauma-Informed Practices: Elimination of seclusion/restraint practices with alternative de-escalation strategies rooted in positive risk-taking and human connection. •Discharge and Follow-Up: Begins at intake, involving carers and linking with community services. Consumers receive tailored wellness plans and continued check-ins post-discharge. •Gender and Cultural Inclusivity: Policies, spaces, and practices are inclusive of LGBTQIA+ and CALD communities, including unisex facilities and multilingual resources. •Digital and Home Support: Hospital-in-the-Home integration and digital tools support long-term recovery from within the community. •Carer Inclusion: Carer-family-supporters are engaged throughout the journey with access to counselling, education, and therapy.