Essentia Health has some exciting news! We have expanded our services to now include a specialist NDIS Capacity Building Clinic on the Gold Coast and Nationally via Telehealth! We are also pleased to announce from the 30th March 2022 we will be accepting referrals for a world-first Randomised Clinical Trial (RCT) exploring the effectiveness of Telehealth DBT vs face-face delivery of DBT! All participants in the RCT can access a $600 incentive rebate for participating in this ground-breaking research project with our research partner, Southern Cross University on the Gold Coast.
Please find below more information about our exciting updates.
Essentia’s NDIS Capacity Building Clinic
Essentia Health Clinics, through the leadership of the Australian DBT Institute, has developed a unique NDIS Capacity Building Clinic for individuals with complex mental health presentations. Using a trauma-informed Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT-TI) informed framework, our NDIS Capacity Building Clinic offers specialist support for individuals with self-managed and managed NDIS plans with complex mental health presentations access Essentia Health’s services from our clinics Melbourne and the Gold Coast as well as our Telehealth Services and Stabilisation Retreats in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.
Click here for further information about our NDIS Capacity Building Clinic or contact our program coordinator Erick via email (erick@essentiahealth.com.au) or phone Tuesday til Fridays between 9am and 5pm on 07 5647 3438.
2022 RCT of Online vs F2F DBT
The randomized trial is considered the ‘gold standard’ indicator of whether a treatment works or not. The Australian DBT Institute is one of the few organizations which developed a full DBT programme online before COVID-19 forced many programmes online. Our team has undertaken in-depth interviews with therapists (as part of a previous study) and concluded that the online programme is likely to be as effective as the face-to-face programme, and has been well received by both therapists and research staff at Southern Cross University. In this project, we will seek to compare the effectiveness of each type of delivery in a full DBT programme. We hope that the knowledge gained would assist in developing programmes that can be offered to people who would otherwise not be able to access DBT with the confidence that these programmes are safe and effective.
For participating in this research, individuals will have access to a $600 rebate over the course of a full DBT program at Essentia Health on the Gold Coast.
Research Related Questions: If you have any questions about this research please contact the chief investigator, Dr Richard Lakeman (+61 420355374) or email Richard.lakeman@scu.edu.au)
Referral to our DBT Program: Feel free to call our team on 07 5619 8031, or SMS/WhatsApp our team on 0401 535 188 or email us at research@dbtinstitute.com.au and we will assist with the most appropriate referral!
Gold Coast Clinic Expansion
On the 10th January 2022, we moved our Gold Coast Clinic to Level 1, 115 Scarborough Street Southport QLD 4215. Our newer and more modern clinic allows our team to offer more access to effective therapeutic interventions and mental health care for our clients. Our waitlist time is now down to one week with appointments available with a range of therapists.
We have also welcomed a range of new staff and independently practicing mental health professionals including:
- Sam Whybrow – Clinical Director and Crednetialed Mental Health Social Worker
- Aleksandar Stojkovski – General Manager and Senior Health Promotion Officer
- Crystal Black – Specialist NDIS Support Coordinator and Counsellor
- Erick Piggott – Specialist NDIS Support Coordinator and Counsellor
- Naomi Ramsdell – Credentialed Mental Health Social Worker
New referrals through our new national intake service.
- Intake & Referrals via phone, email, or medical objects
- NDIS Referral Form
- General Referrals Form
- DBT Group Referral Form
- Phone: 07 5646 3848
- Fax: 07 5676 6771
- Email: intake@essentiahealth.com.au
- Medical Objects referrals to Dr. Peter King (5949971K)