Is Bulk Billing available?

No, we are a full fee paying program. Some of our clients have a mental health care plan and referral from their GP and so do receive rebates for individual sessions. These rebates do not cover the costs of the program and are limited in number. The program has been deliberately designed so that people who work can still attend outside of business hours.

Do I have to attend the group?

Sometimes the thought of attending a group can be daunting. The purpose of the group is to learn skills and part of the effectiveness of DBT is that skills are taught in a separate session to individual therapy. People find that they benefit from hearing how other people have struggled with or been successful with skills. In certain circumstances, we can organise for people to have an individual skills session, however this will increase the overall cost of therapy.

I already have a therapist, can I stay with them?

Everyone in DBT needs to have an individual therapist that is in the consultation group and part of DBTBrisbane. DBT is such an intensive and time consuming program that it is not possible for people to undergo another therapy at the same time. It is also confusing for people to learn 2 different therapies at the same time. People are able to maintain a relationship with another therapist and see other providers for things other than therapy i.e. prescriptions or reports, and are welcome to return to another therapist after they complete the DBTBrisbane program if they wish to.

Do I need a referral?

You are welcome to refer yourself to DBTBrisbane. You would only need a referral from a GP if you wish to claim rebates under a mental health care plan. (Better Access to Mental Health Scheme) More information on the Better Access Program is available in this link: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/mental-ba-fact-pat

What training have your clinicians received?

At DBTBrisbane all clinicians have completed the 10-day Intensive Training with Behavior Tech. Three of our clinicians have also completed a further 5-days of Advanced Intensive Training provided by Behavior Tech and specifically, Marsha Linehan. Additionally, two of our clinicians have undertaken training with Linehan on Mindfulness and Reality Acceptance skills. As such, we are the only known DBT provider in Australia currently able to offer the latest evidence-based version of Mindfulness, Reality Acceptance and Emotion Regulation modules.

I’ve already tried DBT and it didn’t work.

DBT is a skills based program. If we stop using the skills it can seem like we are back at square one. That is why we offer regular “booster” sessions for graduates of DBT. Attendees at our graduate groups report that they are able to sustain positive changes in their lives. The evidence for DBT is for a program with all the components i.e. skills group, individual therapy, phone coaching, homework, consultation group. If you were previously in a program which didn’t offer all these components, and didn’t follow the treatment guidelines as manualised by Dr. Marsha Linehan, the developer of DBT, then evidence suggests it will not be as effective. There are sometimes therapists and programs which are called DBT but are not adherent DBT programs. This language may include “DBT based” or “DBT informed”. To enable you to identify a DBT Program from other programs, we have provided a detailed list of questions to ask your DBT Provider. This is available further down the FAQ page.

Why should I choose DBTBrisbane?

DBTBrisbane have highly trained therapists and skills group trainers who have worked hard to develop a comprehensive, adherent, evidence-based program. The DBTBrisbane consultation team meet weekly to improve the program and work hard to deliver the best quality therapy.