Mittagong-based Anala recently celebrated the official launch of their new program centre, “Life Force”. 

The program centre, Anala co-directors Ana Neale and Alana Winn said, will offer both group and individual therapeutic and skill-building creative classes for people living with disabilities and mental ill health.

These classes will supplement the organisation’s other services that include NDIS navigation, psychology and behaviour therapy, and training and information sessions on things like relationships, sexuality and working with clients affected by trauma. 

Ms Neale and Ms Winn said Anala aims to “help people live a life they did not know was possible” by employing psychologists and therapists to write programs for people based on their specific needs. 

“We try to do things a bit differently, we don’t have a one-size-fits-all approach,” Ms Winn said.

“We meet someone, we see what it is they want to do, what their interests are and we make our service fit them.”

The organisation, which has a special focus on regional areas, then matches a client with a ‘mentor’ that helps them follow the program. 

“Someone might have an intellectual disability or autism and really struggle to socialise, so we would write a social skills program for them that the mentors help them to implement on an everyday basis,” Ms Neale said.

“Whether they be going to the shops, going bowling, in their relationships, anything they want to learn.”

“But we’re not coming in to do things for you – we are coming in to support you to do it yourself,” Ms Winn added. 

The support service is particularly focused on understanding the “whole systems” of people and their support networks in order to give them the help they need.

“No one is an island. You have to have everyone around you working well,” Ms Winn said. 

“We want to help integrate [clients] into the community, support them in relationships, help them to socialise and to cope with the everyday.”

Anala participant, Sean Tasker, said the service had supported him to do everyday tasks, like “cleaning, cooking, swimming, going out and having fun” as well as transition into a group home.

“I’ve done so much in five months,” he said. “I’ve improved out of sight. I’m a lot cleaner and more independent.”

“I have two lovely mentors. I’m not leaving Anala.”

Both directors said they hope they will be able to take their model nationwide. 

“We want to be leaders in person-centered human services,” Ms Neale said. “I think we have become successful in a short period of time because of our uniqueness. 

“We have never asked people to fit in to our service – we fit in to their lifestyle as best we can.”