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Brisbane South Psychological Therapies Program

Providing evidence-based, short-term treatment for people who experience mild to moderate mental illness and have barriers to accessing mainstream treatment options. Clients are able to access a number of defined therapy sessions delivered by an approved mental health clinician.

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Man at a therapy session, one of our allied health services available in Brisbane Brisbane South Psychological Therapies Program for mental illness

What is the Psychological Therapies Program?

The Psychological Therapies Program is an initiative funded by Brisbane South PHN and managed and delivered by Wesley Mission Queensland.

The program provides evidence-based, short-term psychological interventions for socio-economically disadvantaged people who experience mild to moderate mental illness or people who have attempted or are at risk of suicide or self-harm and have barriers to accessing mainstream treatment options. Clients can access a number of defined therapy sessions delivered by an approved mental health clinician.

The Psychological Therapies Program, delivered across the entire Brisbane South region, has been in operation since October 2017 when it replaced the former Access to Allied Psychological Services (ATAPS) program.

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Psychological Therapies Program Factsheet

.PDF (0.1 MB)

Two service streams

The Psychological Therapies Program is a funded initiative by Brisbane South PHN and managed and delivered by two community targeting both general and multicultural specific populations.

  • Suicide Prevention Stream
  • General Stream

Suicide Prevention Stream

Clients who have had thoughts about hurting or killing themselves in the past 4 weeks but are not at immediate risk can access 12 sessions over a 2-month period as determined clinically appropriate by the clinician and client.

All clients must have been assessed by the referring GP as low-risk and have been given options if they require immediate assistance.

General Stream

Clients accessing Psychological Therapies under a stream other than the risk of suicide or self-harm stream have access to 6 sessions within a maximum 6-month timeframe.

  • Identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
  • Identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and/or questioning
  • Living in a rural and remote community
  • Cultural and Linguistically Diverse
  • People with disabilities not accessing psychosocial supports through NDIS
  • Being a child under the age of 12 years, who has been, or is at risk of, developing a mild to moderate mental illness, childhood behavioural or emotional disorder
  • Experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness
  • Experiencing perinatal depression/anxiety
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Review form

.PDF (0.3 MB)
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Referral form

.PDF (0.5 MB)

All clients must be socioeconomically disadvantaged, in addition to one of the below contributing factors:

  • Identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
  • Identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and/or questioning
  • Cultural and Linguistically Diverse
  • People with disabilities not accessing psychosocial supports through NDIS
  • Being a child under the age of 12 years, who has been, or is at risk of, developing a mild to moderate mental illness, childhood behavioural or emotional disorder
  • Experiencing perinatal depression/anxiety
  • Living in a rural and remote community
  • Experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness

Being at risk of suicide or self-harm - the client has had thoughts about hurting or killing themselves in the past 4 weeks but is not at immediate risk

  • Face to face, onsite and home visits
  • Phone or web-based consultations
  • Group therapy.
  • 6 sessions within up to 6 months for those not referred under Suicide Prevention or Self Harm
  • 12 sessions, as determined by clinician and client, within a 2-month period for those referred under Suicide prevention or Self Harm stream
  • 1-2 referrals
  • Cognitive-behavioural therapeutic strategies
  • Behavioural interventions
  • Skills training
  • Interpersonal Therapy
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
  • Narrative Therapeutic Strategy
  • Psycho-education (including motivational interviewing)
  • Group Therapy
  • Art therapy
  • Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
  • Play therapy
  • Family therapy

The service accepts referrals from general practitioners, psychiatrists, paediatricians, community-based organisations (provisional referrals).

How to refer:

1. Complete Psychological Therapies Referral Form ensuring client meets core eligibility requirements:

  • Resides in Brisbane South PHN region
  • Socioeconomically disadvantaged (e.g. current Health Care Card)
  • Benefit from short-term intervention
  • Clinical Mental Health (MH) diagnosis
  • Has/working toward Mental Health Care Plan.

2. Send the form to Wesley Mission Queensland or Head to Health Intake Service via Fax or Secure Messaging.

3. Client will be contacted for completion of intake/assessment process.

4. If not eligible, intake team will contact the referrer suggesting alternate supports.

5. Once approved the client will be allocated to a service provider who can meet their individual needs. The provider will communicate regarding the client’s commencement, disengagement and exiting from the service.

Communication to referrer:

Referring GP will be advised once service commences and receive a summary report at the client’s exit from service.

Phone: 07 3151 3840

Fax: 07 3539 6445

FAQs

Services delivered under the Psychological Therapies Program are provided by qualified and experienced mental health practitioners.

Both require the completion of a Mental Health Care Plan. The Psychological Therapies Program is for people who could not otherwise afford the cost of psychology, including gap payments through Better Access, meet defined target group populations, and would benefit from short-term intervention.

Clients who have the capacity to pay and can readily access psychological services or do not identify with a target group population are ineligible for this program and should continue to be serviced under Better Access arrangements.

No, all referrals will be directed to an intake officer at either WMQ or WWG who will work with the client to determine a suitable provider based on their individual needs and preferences.

Once the referral has been accepted, the provider aims to see the client within 10 working days or in the case of suicide prevention, within 3 working days. Any delays in the commencement of the service will be communicated to the referrer by the service provider.

Any allocation delays will be communicated to the referring GP by intake staff. Clinical responsibility for clients referred will remain with the GP until seen by the psychological therapies’ services.

Target clients are detailed on the next page however the following clients are NOT eligible for this service when the primary reason for referral. i.e. the client would not benefit from short-term psychological intervention:

  • Clients who are clinically suited to ‘lower intensity’ or more acute complex services
  • People experiencing chronic, severe mental illness
  • People with a primary diagnosis of a Personality Disorder
  • People actively experiencing psychotic, bipolar/manic symptoms
  • Adults and children with an intellectual disability who do not have the capacity to participate in psychological therapy
  • People requiring cognitive assessments and/or reports
  • Children experiencing developmental and learning disorders, (including Autism Spectrum Disorder) as a primary diagnosis
  • People experiencing Dementia, delirium, or tobacco use disorder as the primary diagnosis
  • Duplication or replacement of existing services/funding i.e. client is eligible for other funded services.

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Call us or complete this form.

General stream - Ph: 3151 3840

Specialist multicultural stream - Ph: 3333 2100.

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