WayAhead

What WayAhead does

WayAhead (legally Mental Health Association NSW) is a not-for-profit charitable organization founded in 1932 and headquartered in Pyrmont, Sydney, operating across New South Wales, Australia. The organization delivers community-based mental health services through a portfolio that includes 35+ volunteer-facilitated anxiety support groups (in-person and Zoom-based), the Small Steps early intervention program for childhood anxiety, the Sharespace workplace wellbeing network, an online mental health services directory, telephone information lines, and the annual NSW Mental Health Month campaign held each October. In FY2024-2025 WayAhead reported 1,250 calls answered and 990 referrals, 426,000+ directory page views, 56 Small Steps seminars reaching 1,600+ participants, and 2,000+ support group service occasions, alongside a 100% year-over-year increase in Sharespace workplace forum attendance. The organization is led by CEO Sharon Grocott and is structured around a 2024-2027 Strategic Plan that emphasizes lived experience, advocacy, and stigma reduction.

WayAhead is not a technology company; its core "platform" is a hybrid service-and-community model rather than software. Underlying infrastructure consists of a recently relaunched website (February 2025), an online service directory at directory.wayahead.org.au, Zoom-based virtual support groups, and a telephony information service (1300 794 991 / 1300 794 992). The technology stack is standard nonprofit web/communications tooling (website, Instagram, monthly "Mind Reader" newsletter) with no proprietary AI, API, or integration assets disclosed.

The revenue model is diversified across donations and bequests, individual and organizational memberships (recurring subscriptions), and government funding and community grants, including funding from the NSW Government and partnerships with the NSW Alliance for Mental Health and Mental Health Carers NSW. All direct services to individuals—support groups, forums, fact sheets, the directory, and phone information—are provided free of charge (freemium model for end users). The organization operates from a single NSW headquarters and serves an exclusively domestic New South Wales market.

Name

WayAhead

Legal name

Mental Health Association NSW

Website

https://wayahead.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WayAhead (Mental Health Association NSW) is a 1932-founded nonprofit delivering free community-based mental health services across New South Wales, including 35+ anxiety support groups, the Small Steps childhood anxiety program, the Sharespace workplace network, and an online services directory, funded by donations, memberships, and NSW government grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Mental Health Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (62419), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAEAH

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

Keywords

• Mental health support
• Anxiety support groups
• Community mental health
• Mental health education
• Workplace wellbeing programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Accepts donations from the public to support mental health programs and services. Operates fundraising campaigns and bequest programs for legacy giving.
2. Membership: Offers various membership tiers for individuals to support the organization and access benefits. Multiple membership options available including individual and organizational memberships.
3. Government Funding and Grants: Receives government funding and distributes community grants for mental health initiatives. Mental Health Month includes a grants program distributing funds to community organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WayAhead (trading name of Mental Health Association NSW) is a not-for-profit peak body that delivers community-based mental health services across New South Wales. Its core offerings include peer-facilitated anxiety support groups (in-person and online), the Small Steps early-intervention program for childhood anxiety, the Sharespace workplace wellbeing network, an online mental health services directory, and coordination of the annual NSW Mental Health Month campaign.

Product overview

WayAhead (NSW Mental Health Association) is a not-for-profit mental health organization offering a portfolio of community-based support services rather than a technology product. The core offerings include: Anxiety Support Groups and Forums providing peer-led in-person support across NSW; the Small Steps Program delivering early intervention education for childhood anxiety; Sharespace (formerly Wayahead Workplaces) offering a workplace wellbeing network; the Wayahead Directory providing an online mental health services finder; and Mental Health Month coordinating annual awareness activities. Additional services include Living Library storytelling, Mental Health Fact Sheets, Stress Less Tips, and an Anxiety Disorders Information Phone Service. These services operate independently rather than as an integrated platform, serving individuals, families, educators, and workplaces across New South Wales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sharespace: A workplace wellbeing network that evolved from Wayahead Workplaces, providing mental health support and resources for organizations and employees
• Mental Health Month
• Small Steps
• Anxiety Support Groups
• Wayahead Directory

Products and services

• Anxiety Support Groups

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,250 calls answered and 990 referrals to appropriate services in 2024-2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NSW GovernmentcoreOthers · 1 September 2025Wayahead receives government funding and has contributed to NSW Government Pre-Budget Submissions calling for increased investment in early intervention, stigma reduction education, and improved mental health services. Actively participates in NSW Parliamentary roundtables and policy consultations.
• ACONminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorACON provides venue space at 414 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills for Wayahead's Surry Hills LGBTI Anxiety Peer Support Group. This is a venue partnership enabling in-person support group meetings for the LGBTI community on the first Saturday of each month.
• Relationships Australia NSWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted a roundtable on relational approaches to mental health care with experts and advocates. Both organizations are working together to develop a framework for 'socially supported care' model and build a coalition for change in mental health policy and service design.
• NSW Alliance for Mental HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWayahead maintains active membership in the NSW Alliance for Mental Health, working collaboratively on systemic advocacy and policy reform at the state level. This alliance reinforces Wayahead's role as a trusted, non-partisan voice driving systemic change.
• Mental Health Carers NSWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Mental Health Carers NSW on policy consultations and systemic reform efforts. Jonathan Harms, CEO of Mental Health Carers NSW, contributed to the Bondi Junction Inquest symposium co-hosted by Wayahead, highlighting the importance of carer voices in mental health reform.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mental Health Foundation Australia: National mental health promotion charity running awareness campaigns, workplace training, and community education programs. Direct peer given its national mental health month coordination, research dissemination, and focus on stigma reduction and prevention—overlapping with WayAhead's Mental Health Month campaign and educational content library.
• SANE Australia: National mental health nonprofit providing peer support, information helpline, advocacy, and research on complex mental health conditions. Direct peer given shared focus on mental health information/referral services, lived-experience storytelling (SANE's Guided Conversations vs. WayAhead's Living Library), and stigma-reduction campaigns.
• Lifeline Australia: National crisis support and suicide prevention charity operating a 24/7 telephone helpline, text-based crisis support, and community education programs. Direct peer given its national information/referral phone service model (analogous to WayAhead's 1300 lines) and focus on mental health awareness and community training.
• Kids Helpline: Australia's free 24/7 telephone and online counseling service for people aged 5-25, run by yourtown. Direct peer in the youth/children mental health information and support space, with overlapping education programs for parents and schools analogous to WayAhead's Small Steps.
• headspace (National Youth Mental Health Foundation): Federally funded youth mental health organization providing counseling, education, and early intervention services for 12-25 year olds through physical centers and eheadspace digital channels. Direct peer given its peer/community support orientation, mental health education programs comparable to Small Steps, and overlapping target demographics around parents and educators.
• ReachOut Australia: Digital mental health service for young people providing peer support, moderated forums, and self-help resources. Direct peer given overlapping online peer-support forum offering (ReachOut Forums vs. WayAhead's Anxiety Forums) and shared focus on youth mental health, anxiety, and peer-led content delivery.
• Beyond Blue: Australia's largest mental health nonprofit, providing 24/7 helplines, peer support forums, workplace mental health programs (Ahead of the Game, The Right Response), and information services. Direct peer given overlapping mission, peer-support model, workplace wellbeing offering competing with Sharespace, and broad information/referral services comparable to WayAhead's directory and phone services.
• Mind Australia: Community-managed mental health service organization providing psychosocial support, recovery-focused services, and advocacy across Australia. Direct peer given its community-mental-health orientation, peer support delivery, and information/referral services for people with mental health conditions.
• Black Dog Institute: UNSW-affiliated mental health research and clinical translation institute offering workplace mental health training, online clinics, and education programs. Direct peer in the workplace wellbeing space where it operates MyCompass, The Essential Network, and other workplace programs that compete with Sharespace.

Others

• Relationships Australia NSW: NSW-based relationship and family wellbeing organization that WayAhead has partnered with on mental health policy roundtables and the 'socially supported care' framework. Included as a peer because it is a known WayAhead collaboration partner in the family/mental health policy space, though its primary focus is relationship counseling rather than mental health per se.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/wayaheadmentalhealth
• Xx.com/mentalhealthnsw
• Facebookfacebook.com/mentalhealthnsw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mental-health-association-nsw-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WayAhead