Mental Health Services
We support children, young people and adults living with mental health concerns to improve their wellbeing and pursue a life with meaning, hope and purpose.
Sonder is an inclusive, not-for-profit organisation that has been providing better quality health and support services to the South Australian community since 1993.
We support thousands of people each year to access multiple services that address their needs, delivered from a range of centres located across SA. Our focus is on supporting individuals across seven key domains – mental health, homelessness, Aboriginal health, alcohol and/or other drugs, employment, community health and disability.
Over the past 30 years, Sonder has established itself as a leading provider of mental health services in the state, earning a solid reputation for the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based clinical psychological therapy services for children, young people and adults.
Sonder is proud to be the lead agency for headspace Adelaide, Edinburgh North, Marion and Onkaparinga. The headspace centres act as a one-stop-shop for young people who need help with mental health, physical health, alcohol and other drugs or work and study support.
As an organisation certified to ISO 9001 and the National Standards for Mental Health Services, Sonder maintains a culture of continuous quality improvement through our internal Quality, Risk and Safety Committee. Our proactive approach to risk management and work health and safety ensures we deliver safe, effective, and high-quality services to our clients.
Better Care, Better Health
To deliver high-quality, local healthcare and community services.
We will be the leading organisation at delivering integrated primary care and community services to the most vulnerable people across South Australia.
Our Reconciliation Action Plan supports our journey to becoming a culturally safe organisation and contributing to national reconciliation.
Learn moreOur story begins back in 1993, when Sonder was known as the Adelaide Northern Division of General Practice.
As a division of general practice, the organisation’s purpose was to support general practices to enhance the primary health care experience of people living in northern Adelaide, through the provision of program support, practice support education, training and IT support.
In April 2013, a change in Government led to the transition of Divisions of General Practice into what were known as Medical Locals.
The Adelaide Northern Division of General Practice became the Northern Adelaide Medicare Local, and whilst we retained a focus on general practice, the organisation began to broaden its scope to meet unmet community needs through various community health initiatives, such as Closing the Gap.
A further change in Government in 2015 led to the demise of Medicare Locals and the establishment of Primary Health Networks as commissioning agencies.
The Northern Adelaide Medicare Local was successful in its tender to become the Adelaide Primary Health Network, retaining 50% of staff from the Medicare Local. The other 50% of staff were transitioned into a service delivery organisation called the Northern Health Network (NHN).
The NHN found itself in a new space of competitive tender writing, which meant that almost 100% of our program funding was now dependent on grant funding, through agencies such as the Primary Health Networks.
This new funding landscape meant that the NHN was no longer quarantined to servicing only the north, and our dedication to meeting unmet community needs saw our service footprint expand into other regions of Adelaide and country South Australia.
Our rapid expansion meant that our name ‘Northern Health Network’ no longer reflected the service delivery organisation that we had become.
The NHN needed to revitalise itself into an agency that will remain contemporary and relevant for whatever the future will hold. We decided to re-brand into ‘Sonder’, a name with a definition that resonates well with what we represent as an organisation.
A Social Enterprise is a business venture which allows financial and social values to co-exist. It is a business driven by a social purpose that is at the heart of what they do.
Sonder operates fee-for-service psychology practice, Solasta as a social enterprise. Solasta aims to be financially sustainable while providing social benefits to local communities.
The revenue generated from Solasta is re-invested back into Sonder. These small surpluses of income enable Sonder to continue to provide innovative services for clients that align with the organisation’s values and social purpose, beyond allocated funding.
Helping people to live better lives by providing high quality care, health and support services.
We support children, young people and adults living with mental health concerns to improve their wellbeing and pursue a life with meaning, hope and purpose.
We support people with concerns about their drug and alcohol use to make long-term, positive changes that last.
We provide care coordination and nutrition and exercise programs to support people to prevent and manage chronic health conditions.
We support young people to plan careers, find employment or work towards further education.
We support Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people to navigate the healthcare system, self-manage chronic health conditions and live healthier lives.
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Stay up-to-date with the latest announcements from Sonder and the primary healthcare industry.
Learn moreSonder has a diverse and dedicated team of professionals who work across mental health, Aboriginal health, employment support, addiction services and general practice support.
Our team take pride in the organisation's friendly culture and is passionate about improving the health outcomes of our community.
Become a member of Sonder
Associate membership is free and open to all professionals in the health and community services sector.
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