Psychology & Counselling
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
Telehealth Services
About Essentia Health Clinics
Essentia Health Clinics have provided psychology, counselling and mental health services to individuals, couples and families since 1999.
Our clinic of well-trained and educated independent professionals are ready to help you with your mental healthcare needs. Our psychologists, social workers, nurse practitioner, counsellors and psychotherapists have many years of clinical experience which includes independent private practice, crisis assessment teams, public mental health, schools, universities and behavioural management teams. Our team is equipped to help with your ongoing health requirements, whether your needs are for a short-term illness or long-term continuity of care, our caring team will assess your needs and treat you accordingly.
Essentia Health Clinics are owned by the Australian DBT Institute and our clinicians provide a range of therapeutic approaches in addition to DBT! Our advantage is that we provide accredited Dialectical Behaviour Therapy programs (individual therapy, groups, and telephone coaching) through the DBT Institute. Our leadership has been trained, supervised and developed by intenational leaders at Behavioral Tech LCC (owned by the developer of DBT, Professor Marsha Linehan) and the developer of Somatic Trauma Therapy, Babette Rothschild.
Mission & History
Essentia Health Clinics, established in 1999, are private mental health practices owned by the Australian DBT Institute. Our first clinic was established by our Executive Director Dr. Peter King in Bendigo, Victoria.
Essentia Health’s unique approach offers a range of independent mental health professionals who have come together from a variety of settings and backgrounds who prefer to work as a team rather than in isolation.
Essentia’s mission is to offer inclusive, trauma-informed and eclectic mental health services which draw on lived experience and evidence-informed clinical practice.
In establishing Essentia Health Clinics, Dr. King has been influenced by mentoring from Marsha Linahan’s Behavioral Tech (2003-2008) and Babette Rothschild (2014-2018) who is the developer of Somatic Trauma Therapy and author of The Body Remembers.
What We Offer
Essentia Health offers access to a range of mental health professionals through private fee for service mental health care. Some of our clinicians will also receive referrals for NDIS, Mental Health Plans, Private Health Funds, TAC, WorkCover, and Veterans & Families Counselling!
Counselling
Counselling seeks to help you or someone you know with concerns or problems such as anxiety, depression, grief or relationship difficulties. Counselling aims to individuals resolve problems in a positive way by helping to clarify the issues, explore options, develop strategies and increase self-awareness. Sessions are generally held one-on-one or with a partner, family or children. Group counselling is also available. More info
Telehealth
Through Zoom or our electronic medical records system our therapists can provide a range of Telehealth services including private counselling and group therapy. Some of our telehealth services can be provided under Medicare or private health insurance. A number of studies have demonstrated that telehealth can be as effective as face-to-face consultations in achieving improved health outcomes. More info
NDIS – Capacity Building Support
Capacity-building support is one of the three types of support budgets that an NDIS plan might include. Essentia Health’s Capacity Building Support Team offers support to individuals who have been diagnosed with a range of mental health diagnoses including Borderline Personality Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Complex PTSD with the aim to help individuals to be more independent and live their best life.
There are nine Capacity Building support categories we work under. You won’t automatically receive funding for all nine. An individual’s NDIS funding for these categories will be based on each individual’s NDIS plan goals. For example, if one of your goals is to be more active in your community, you may receive Capacity Building support in the form of learning skills to manage behaviour, or having a support worker attend social activities with you until you are confident and have the skills to attend on your own.
To speak to our Capacity Building team please contact Erick via email at erick@essentiahealth.com.au or call him at our Gold Coast Clinic on 07 5647 3438 (Tuesday til Friday) to arrange a time to discuss your NDIS support coordination needs. For more information please refer to our NDIS Capacity Building Clinic information!
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Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Through our affiliation with the Australian DBT Institute, our clinicians are credentialed providers of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). DBT is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on behavioural change for individuals with extreme emotions and distress. The “D” means “dialectical.” A dialectic is a synthesis or integration of opposites. In DBT, dialectical strategies help both the therapist and the client get unstuck from extreme positions. Dialectical strategies keep the therapy in balance and help clients reach their ultimate goals as quickly as possible. The “B” stands for “behavioural.” DBT requires a behavioural approach. This means that we assess the situations and target behaviours that are relevant to our clients’ goals in order to figure out how to solve the problems in their lives. The “T” stands for “therapy” which DBT is.
Cost of Services
Each mental health professional at Essentia Health sets their own fees in accordance with the recommendations from their professional body.
A range of rebates are available for our private mental health services including:
Medicare: A mental health treatment plan can let you claim up to 20 sessions with a mental health professional each calendar year. Our clinicians set their own fees, so there will be an out-of-pocket cost.
Private Health: If you have private health insurance, you may be able to get some money back. You can check with your insurer.
NDIS: We accept referrals for individuals with Self-Managed & Plan Managed NDIS plans.
Other Funding Schemes: Some of our clinicians will also receive referrals from TAC, WorkCover, and Veterans & Families Counselling!
Our Team
Our clinicians are independent practitioners who provide leadership in a range of areas including trauma therapy, behavioural management, dialectical behaviour therapy and addiction-based mental health care.
National Management Team
- Dr. Peter King (Clinics Director)
- Kelly Allen (DBT Lead)
- Stuart Langley (RO DBT Lead)
Brighton Clinic Clinicians
- Dr. Julie King, Clinical Psychologist & Credentialed DBT Practitioner
- Dr. Natasha Doulgeridis, Clinical Psychologist
- Dr. Lilian Nejad, Clinical Psychologist & Credentialed DBT Practitioner
- Joanne Tweed, Mental Health Nurse & RO-DBT Accredited Therapist
- Aoife McCann, Child Psychologist
- Annabelle Waldron, Psychologist
- Caitlyn King, Provisional Psychologist
Sydney Clinic Clinicians
- Stuart Langley, Psychologist (Telehealth)
- Kelly Allen, Psychologist, Credentialed DBT Practitioner & RO DBT Accredited Therapist (Telehealth & Mona Vale)
Gold Coast Clinic Clinicians
- Elizabeth Mahoney, Psychologist & Credentialed DBT Practitioner
- Jennifer Ranieri, Counsellor, & Credentialed DBT Skills Coach
- Jacklyn Whybrow, Credentialed Social Worker
- Teagan King, Provisional Psychologist & Credentialed DBT Skills Coach
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does your service cost?
Each mental health professional at Essentia Health sets their own fees in accordance with the recommendations from their professional body.
A range of rebates are available for our private mental health services including:
NDIS: Essentia Health Clinics and our Telehealth Service accept referrals for individuals with Self-Managed & Plan Managed NDIS plans. We are a specialist service supporting individuals with emotion regulation difficulties and other mental health concerns. We do not offer plan development services as our focus is on psychology, mental health, behavioural skills development, and specialist plan coordination services.
Medicare: A mental health treatment plan can let you claim up to 20 sessions with a mental health professional each calendar year. Our clinicians set their own fees, so there will be an out-of-pocket cost.
Private Health: If you have private health insurance, you may be able to get some money back. You can check with your insurer.
Other Funding Schemes: Some of our clinicians will also receive referrals from TAC, WorkCover, and Veterans & Families Counselling!
Do I need a mental health plan or referral from a doctor?
The quick response to this question is no. There are advantages to seeing a doctor including an assessment of your physical wellbeing. Many times a mental health concern or change in mental state can be caused by an underlying medical condition although this is not always the case! Your doctor or psychiatrist are the only health professionals who can refer you to our services through a mental health plan. A mental health plan lets you claim up to 20 sessions with a mental health professional each calendar year.
Do you guarantee I will get better?
No mental health professional can guarantee specific benefits or outcomes through therapy. In fact, there is legislation in place in Australia to ensure that such claims are not made by mental health professionals. What mental health professionals do is use the evidence of effective outcomes from research, clinical experience, and clinical supervision to increase the likelihood of delivering effective interventions. All mental health professionals at Essentia Health have a range of clinical experiences, receive supervision from peers, integrate evidence-informed approaches to mental health care, and seek post-registration training and development in Psychology and/or mental health.
Referrals & Intake
Our National Intake team, based at Essentia Health Gold Coast, will help identify which mental health professionals may be best to meet your individual needs. Feel free to call our intake team on 07 5646 3848 or email us at info@essentiahealth.com.au and we will assist with the most appropriate referral!
GPs, psychiatrists, and other health professionals can also fax a referral to 07 5676 6771 (QLD fax number) and it will be automatically uploaded to our secure electronic medical record system. We also use Medical Objects to receive secure referrals from GPs and other specialists to Dr. Peter King (5949971K). Once received our intake team will contact the individual being referred to identify the most suitable clinician from our team.
ALTERNATIVELY YOU CAN FILL IN ONE OF OUR REFERRAL FORMS ONLINE – NDIS Referral Form – General Referrals Form – DBT Group Referral Form
ESSENTIA HEALTH BRIGHTON (VIC): Clinicians at our Brighton Clinic manage their own appointments. Clinicians will manage appointment times and billing directly with each individual client. For new referrals, feel free to call our intake team on 03 9586 8411 or email us at info@essentiahealth.com.au and we will assist with an appropriate referral!
NDIS CAPACITY BUILDING CLINIC: For all inquiries please contact Vicki from our Brighton VIC clinic via email vicki@essentiahealth.com.au or phone Mondays and Tuesdays on 03 9586 8411. Alternatively, you can send a referral through our NDIS Referral Form at the bottom of our NDIS information page at https://essentiahealth.com.au/our-clinics/ndis-capacity-building-clinic.