Yintarini: Growing Strong Youth

A different kind of therapeutic space for young people aged 14-17

Sometimes a young person doesn’t need another room where they are asked to sit down and talk about what’s going wrong. Sometimes they need somewhere they can move, make things, get their hands dirty, spend time with animals, be outdoors, create something and connect with other young people – and where conversations can happen along the way. This is the thinking behind Growing Strong Youth at Yintarini Farm.

The program has grown from conversations with young people who have experience of mental health services. They told me that they wanted something that didn’t feel so clinical; somewhere they could feel safe with other young people, have access to nature, animals, art and movement, and have opportunities to talk about difficult things in ways that felt natural rather than forced.

Yintarini Farm was identified as somewhere young people already felt safe, grounded and more able to engage openly. So that’s where we’re growing this program.

Growing Strong

The name Yintarini comes from the Tiwi language and means “the shoot of a sapling – a young plant growing beyond the shooting stage.”
I love this as a metaphor for adolescence.

A young plant doesn’t grow by being told what is wrong with it. It needs the right conditions – space, light, nourishment, connection and a little protection while it establishes itself. Young people are much the same.

Growing Strong Youth is about creating some of those conditions. It isn’t about trying to “fix” young people. It is about creating opportunities for them to discover their strengths, develop skills, make sense of their experiences and find ways of moving forward.

What happens at Yintarini?

There isn’t a set formula for every session.
The farm gives us lots of possibilities, and activities are chosen with therapeutic goals and the needs of the young people in mind.

We might:
Walk and talk around the farm, allowing conversation to unfold while we’re moving.
Sit around the fire and explore something that is happening in our lives.
Work with plants and gardens, using growing and caring as opportunities to think about patience, responsibility, change and growth.
Spend time with the animals, exploring connection, empathy, responsibility and regulation.
Make art, using creativity, metaphor and imagination to explore experiences and emotions.
Or sometimes we might simply need some quiet time outdoors.

The farm is not just a backdrop for therapy. The environment itself becomes part of the therapeutic work.
Nature can help us slow down, regulate our nervous systems and reconnect with our senses. Caring for something living can give us a sense of responsibility and purpose. Walking can make difficult conversations feel easier. And being alongside rather than directly face-to-face can sometimes make it easier to talk.

The things we might talk about

The young people who helped shape the program identified many of the things that can make adolescence difficult.
Depending on each young person’s needs and readiness, these might include:

• friendships, relationships and boundaries
• bullying and cyberbullying
• managing strong emotions
• intrusive or difficult thoughts
• anxiety and stress
• self-esteem and identity
• understanding how our brains and emotions work
• coping with change
• physical and emotional wellbeing
• discovering strengths and what matters to us.

These aren’t topics that have to be covered like a school curriculum. They become part of conversations and experiences that arise naturally through the work we are doing together.

A therapeutic program – just not your traditional one

Although Growing Strong Youth takes place on a farm and includes creative and practical activities, it is therapeutic work rather than recreational farming.
Each activity is intentionally connected with therapeutic goals.
My approach draws on narrative therapy, trauma-informed psychosocial therapy and psychoeducation, alongside nature-based, horticultural, animal-assisted and creative therapies.

Narrative therapy helps young people explore their identity, strengths, experiences and the stories they have developed about themselves.
Trauma-informed practice provides a framework for supporting emotional regulation, distress tolerance and the safe exploration of difficult experiences.
And sometimes the best therapeutic conversation happens while we’re painting a wall, walking down to the dam, feeding the sheep or sitting quietly beneath a tree.

Who is it for?

Growing Strong Youth is for young people aged 14–17 years who may be experiencing things such as anxiety, emotional regulation difficulties, neurodivergence, psychosocial or developmental disability, trauma-related experiences or challenges with social confidence and relationships.

It may be particularly suitable for young people who:

• don’t engage well with traditional clinic-based therapy
• prefer doing something while they talk
• respond to creative or experiential approaches
• enjoy being outdoors or around animals
• would benefit from developing social confidence and connection with peers
• need a smaller, quieter and more flexible therapeutic environment.

The group is intentionally kept small so that young people have the opportunity to feel known, safe and supported.

A small group, with space to be yourself

Growing Strong Youth is currently offered fortnightly on Saturday mornings from 10am–12pm.

We meet at:
Yintarini Farm
166 Cochranes Road
Seaspray

Sessions move between indoor and outdoor spaces, depending on the activity, weather and what young people need on the day.

Accessing this program

There are a couple of ways.

Medicare Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP)

Young people may be able to access the program through a Mental Health Treatment Plan, where the groupwork is clinically appropriate and forms part of their mental health treatment.

NDIS

Young people who have an NDIS plan may also be able to use their funding to participate, provided the groupwork is appropriate to their individual circumstances and aligns with the goals and supports in their NDIS plan.

Our Current Project

Over the coming months, our focus will be on an exciting art therapy project incorporating mural work, alongside a local artist. You don’t need to be “good at art”.

Sometimes art gives us a way to express something that is difficult to explain in words. Sometimes it is easier to talk while our hands are busy. And sometimes working alongside other people, negotiating ideas and seeing something slowly take shape can teach us things about ourselves that we didn’t expect.

About me

I’m Lucy Van Sambeek, an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker. I’ve worked with children and young people for more than 20 years and have a particular interest in approaches that recognise the whole person and the environments in which they live.

My work is grounded in trauma-informed practice and draws on narrative therapy, nature-based approaches, creativity, mindfulness and other therapeutic approaches.

Yintarini Farm brings these interests together in a way that feels very natural to me. It is a place where therapy doesn’t have to be separated from life.

Want to know more?

If you think Growing Strong Youth might be a good fit for your young person, or you’d like to have a conversation before making any decisions, Contact Us.