Deputy premier John Barilaro announced the government's $88 million investment at the newly merged high school, saying the money was set to provide access to two counselors or psychologists.

School captains Jonah Fatafehi, Mea Crossingham, Hrithik Kumar and Maddison Ramponi, principal Peter King and existing mental health staff have said having these additional services will go along way.

"It’s been a long time coming. Kids really need to feel that they are supported, especially within the school environment," Mea said.

With her research into mental health in regional and rural towns, Maddison said one of the biggest issues was not being able to receive help at the moment of need.

"It’s a big help, and its good that they have come to the realisation that we need this support with mental health," Maddison said.

And while the saying goes you can lead a horse to water but can't make it drink, Hrithik says he has seen the stigma especially for men, being broken down and says this is another step in the right direction.

For senior psychologist educator Alan Draper and school counselors Andrew Bartle, the hope is to introduce a more proactive approach to tackling mental health.

"While it is critical to respond to kids in crisis, we think it is also important to introduce mental wellness and promoting healthy habits in a proactive fashion - hopefully these resources will enable us to do that."

RELATED

Mr Bartle said he hopes being able to do more work with the students will help breakdown the stigma attached to seeking help. 

"That would be my hope - that having more counselors at schools allows us to do more work with all students," Mr Bartle said.

Mr King was thrilled the announcement was made at the newly merged school.

He said the commitment "provides really strong support to the welfare teams in our schools, the learning support, and all of those combined services that are tailored together to build kids resilience and build their ability to succeed."

"There is always someone at the school you can talk to, it doesn't necessarily have to be counselors," Mr King added.

"You don't have to go through hard times alone - one of the great skills of the 21st century student is to know when to seek help. We are bursting to help you."

If you or someone you know needs crisis support please call Lifelife on 13 11 14, MensLine Australia on 1300 78 99 78, or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.

​***

While you're with us, did you know that you can now receive updates straight to your inbox every Monday at 6am from The Area News? To make sure you're up to date with all the Griffith and MIA news you can sign up here.