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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 program provides evidence-based, short-term psychological interventions for people who are socioeconomically disadvantaged and have barriers accessing mainstream treatment options.

The service is delivered in two streams:

  • People experiencing mild to moderate mental illness can access up to 10 sessions (including 1 Intake session) over a 6-month period
  • People who have attempted or are at risk of suicide or self-harm but are not at immediate risk can access any number of sessions over a 2-month period as determined clinically appropriate by the clinician and the client.
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Psychological Therapies Program Factsheet

.PDF (0.3 MB)

Eligibility

The program is available to people living in the Brisbane South region who are 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 - thoughts about hurting or killing yourself in the past 4 weeks but not at immediate risk
  • Experiencing Domestic and Family Violence
Download

Provisional Referral Form

.PDF (1.1 MB)
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GP Referral Form

.PDF (0.6 MB)

Services

Once your GP has indicated Mental Health Care Plan has been completed, you will be able to access a total of 10 sessions (including 1 Intake session) over a 6-month period if you are eligible under the General stream, or if you are eligible under the Suicide Prevention stream you will be able to access any number of sessions, as determined by clinician and client over a 2-month period.

If additional sessions are necessary, a referral from your GP is required, which will provide eligible clients with access to another block of sessions, under the relevant stream, as above.

  • Face-to-face, onsite
  • Phone or web-based consultations
  • Group therapy

Once your GP has indicated Mental Health Care Plan has been completed, you will be able to access a total of 10 sessions (including 1 Intake session) over a 6-month period if you are eligible under the General stream, or if you are eligible under the Suicide Prevention stream you will be able to access any number of sessions, as determined by clinician and client over a 2-month period.

If additional sessions are necessary, a referral from your GP is required, which will provide eligible clients with access to another block of sessions, under the relevant stream, as above.

  • 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

Phone: 07 3151 3825​

Fax: 07 3539 6444

Referral information

Anyone can make a referral to Psychological Therapies program. There are 2 referral pathways:

  • Referral by general practitioners, psychiatrists, paediatricians
    Eligible clients under the General Stream will have access to 10 sessions (including 1 intake session). Eligible clients under the Suicide Prevention Stream will have access to any number of sessions over 2 month period as determined clinically appropriate by the clinician and client.
  • Provisional referral by anyone else e.g. self, family member, community-based organisations
    Eligible clients will have access to 6 sessions (including 1 Intake session). Any additional sessions will require a Mental Health Care Plan to be completed by your GP. Our intake team can support clients with this process.

How to refer:

1. Ensure you/your client meets core eligibility requirements:

If any of the above don’t apply, please contact Head to Health Phone service on 1800 595 212 to identify a service that will meet your needs.

2. Either:

3. Wesley Mission Queensland Intake team will contact you/your client to confirm our service is the right fit and link you with one of our service providers who can meet your individual needs. If our service isn’t the right fit the intake team will suggest alternate supports.

4. The provider will communicate with the referrer (or GP) regarding the client’s commencement, disengagement and exit from the service.

Communication to GP:

When someone engages with our service via a provisional referral i.e. not via a GP, if the client consents, WMQ will advise their GP of the referral and potential need for a MHCP. The service provider will advise once service commences and send a summary report at exit from service.

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.

An intake officer will work with the person accessing the service to determine a suitable provider from our bank of approximately 100 mental health clinicians, based on 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.

The service is for people who would benefit from short term psychological intervention and meet the eligibility detailed above. When the primary reason for referral relates to one of the following the person is NOT eligible for this service i.e. the client is unlikely to 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.

If you think the service will meet your/your client’s needs please contact our team.

Contact us

Call us or complete this form.

Phone: 07 3151 3825​

Fax: 07 3539 6444

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