The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Dialectic Behaviour Therapy Program provides Dialectic Behaviour Therapy to adolescents aged 14-18 years who experience difficulties in managing their emotions and a pervasive pattern of difficulties in relationships.
Dialectic Behaviour Therapy is designed to help people change unhelpful ways of thinking and behaving while also accepting who they are.
About this service
Our program is a specialist program which runs 5 days a week, during business hours from 8:30am – 4:51pm. We provide intensive individual therapy, a skills group, phone coaching and parent/carer/family sessions.
We aim to help adolescents and their parents/carers to have improved relationships, reduce unhelpful behaviours and to help them work towards a ‘life worth living’.
This program runs in line with school terms and requires attendance at individual and skills group therapy sessions for both the young person and a parent/carer for minimum 20 weeks (2 school terms).
Who we care for
We care for young people who are:
- Aged 14-18 years
- Residents of the ACT
- Experiencing moderate-severe mental health issues for which Dialectic Behaviour Therapy is an indicated treatment option
- A current Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services client.
How to access this service
As this is a specialist service, we only accept referrals from other Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Community or specialist teams. We need you to try other less intensive treatment options first.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services provides mental health services for young people aged 18 years and under with moderate to severe mental health issues. Anyone can be referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services by contacting the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services community teams (South or North) and booking a CHOICE (initial assessment) appointment.
What to expect
You need to be an existing Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services client to access this program.
If you are an existing client, your clinical manager can provide additional information about our program to you and your family. If you and your clinical manager/treating team feel a referral to the Dialectic Behaviour Therapy Program is appropriate, a referral by your clinical manager can be submitted for consideration. The Dialectic Behaviour Therapy Team may then contact you to offer an information session.
What to bring
- Medicare Card or ACT Services Card
- Any letters or correspondence from your GP
Where we're located
The Dialectic Behaviour Therapy program is co-located with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Cottage, and is located on the North Canberra Hospital campus, Bruce.
We have directions and transport information for this service.