In partnership with The Salvation Army and Reach Church, the conference was part of Mental Health Awareness Week and featured award-winning keynote speaker, educator, author, singer and songwriter Julia Grace.
About 150 people attended the weekend conference at which Grace shared from her own experience of diagnosed depression and anxiety, along with science-based understandings of the brain.
Salvation Army captain Jocelyn Smith said attendees found the conference inspiring.
"So we best learn how to be kind to our minds, and supportive of others," she said.
The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week this year was "top up together", a shared community-based approach to wellbeing.
Having five sessions over three days meant many people connected with Grace’s message and the tools to support themselves and others, Mrs Smith said.
"This was intersected in moments of sheer laugh-out-loud humour and song.
"One of her ‘take home tips’ was the reminder that stressed-out brains are off-line brains — or SO-BOB brains as an acronym.
"This means when we, or others, come under mental strain or stress, our frontal cortex goes into survival mode and shuts down our capacity to problem solve as we normally can.
"Tools to help calm an anxious brain or resolve a depressive dip were offered to participants with practical insight," Mrs Smith said.
While the conference was targeted for women, open sessions on the Saturday night and Sunday received "a great response", she said.
Next month, the Salvation Army will host guest speaker journalist Rob Harley for men’s wellbeing sessions.
Mr Harley would speak at a men’s breakfast and two further sessions, Mrs Smith said.
For more information, phone (03)434-8413.
