Murray Bridge lawyers take a plunge for funds for mental health

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Murray Bridge lawyers Caitlin Shervill and Alexandra Svenson have faced their fears by abseiling down a building in Adelaide’s CBD.

Last month, six lawyers from the firm TGB descended 25 storeys – that’s 70 metres – down Adelaide’s Intercontinental Hotel to raise funds for mental health charity Talk Out Loud.

The team aimed to raised $6800 for Talk Out Loud but ended up raising $7468 for the charity, which supports the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of young people.

Ms Shervill and Ms Svenson said they both felt terrified about doing the Adelaide City Plunge abseil, but they did it anyway to help youth mental health.

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“One of our colleagues came to us with the idea, and the charity was to support mental health,” Ms Svenson said.

“I was quite nervous, but I thought going down a building is nothing compared to what the kids are going though – I forgot I have quite a fear of heights.”

Ms Shervill said that as she suffered from mental health issues, she understood their impact; this motivated her to do the abseil.

Although she pretended not to be terrified during the abseil to calm her colleague down, she said confronting her fear had helped her.

“It was a mental challenge, but knowing you can overcome what you’re frightened of is good for my mental health,” Ms Shervill said.

Ms Svenson was too nervous to look down during the plunge and kept telling her encouraging colleague to “please be quiet”, but she also grew from the experience.

“I didn’t enjoy any view,” Ms Svenson said.

“I focused mentally and got on with it.

“If you do something you’re nervous about, it’s always more of a feeling of accomplishment.”

Ms Shervill, whose legs were “like jelly” as she first went over the edge of the building, decided to fake it it ‘til she made it.

“I kept telling myself, ‘I’m not scared,’ and if I said it enough I’d believe it,” she said.

“This worked, so I’ve just got to do this in everyday life.”

• More information: talkoutloud.com.au.

Get help: Talk to your GP; find a local mental health service that suits you at

murraymallee.servicesdirectory.org.au; call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or SANE Australia on 1800 187 263; or, in an emergency, call 000.

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