A GROW support group has been established in Busselton to help people with mental health in a unique program of mutual support and personal development.
The group GROW has been running for 60 years in WA and helped Busselton resident Alan Coyne recover from mental health issues after he suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle accident.
"Back in 2001 I had a motorcycle accident and received severe brain injuries, as a consequence I came out of Shenton Park Hospital after being in a coma for three months and I was depressed," he said.
"I did not realise I was.
"With head injuries you automatically go onto antidepressants, because I was not focused in my mind at the time I should not have been allowed out of hospital had I known what was going to happen in the future."
Mr Coyne said when he realised how much medication he was taking he threw away his antidepressants because he did not think he was depressed.
"Obviously that is not the way you come down from antidepressants, I just crashed big time. My doctor was helping me and she asked if I had ever heard of GROW."
Mr Coyne said he went along and met GROW program worker Michele Fiorenza in 2008 who helped him recover.
"I went along to GROW with no self confidence and one of the things that Michele kept reminding me of, was part of the program was learning about the program," he said.
"It helped me with my self confidence, just everything. It brought me out of depression.
"It is just a magnificent thing, you do not have to be depressed to appreciate or get something from GROW.
"I went through a pretty horrendous life experience and it was GROW that saved me and now all I want to do is give back."
Mr Coyne will be running the sessions in Busselton which meet weekly for two hours.
Over the course of the meeting, Mr Coyne will lead the group in a series of discussions, interactions and readings to ensure everyone has an opportunity to participate.
Ms Fiorenza said the group was established by a man named Con Keogh who went to an AA meeting after he had been in hospital and was mentally unwell and could not cope with life.
"He realised the AA meeting did not suit his needs because he did not have an alcohol problem, he had a mental health problem," she said.
Ms Fiorenza said similar to AA, the GROW program was based on 12 steps, and that the first step was getting people to admit they have a personal disorder.
"Until you admit that you are not coping with life you cannot get beyond that," she said.
"The second step is to affirm to resolve order in your life and cooperate with the help needed.
"You do not have to work with the sequence of the steps but by the time you get there this book of programs gives you the life skills you need to hopefully cope with life."
Anyone over the age of 18 years can attend GROW and participants are welcome to bring a friend with them if they need support on the first meeting.
The sessions are free and only first names are shared with the group.
The group meets every Thursday from 6pm to 8pm at the Youth and Community Activity Building, 21 Foreshore Parade, Busselton.
For more information please phone 1800 558 268 or email wa@grow.org.au.