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Acute intervention

Acute services are available for people who are experiencing mental health distress or symptoms that require immediate treatment. 
Below is a list of services that may be available to you or a loved one.

 

Crisis and early intervention teams

Our Community Acute Care Service provides mental health care in the community to people who are experiencing: 

  • a relapse of an existing mental health issue
  • experiencing a mental health issue or episode for the first time
  • experiencing a life crisis with self-harm or suicidal thoughts

This service provides short term mental health care to stabilise an acute crisis to help avoid the need for hospital admission, and links people with other services.

 
Crisis early intervention
Assertive and acute response team

Assertive and acute response teams

The Community Assertive Response Team (ART) provides intensive services to people with severe and persistent mental illness and other complex issues that impact their ability to live in the community. This team links patients to a variety of services as needed, including: 

  • psychologists 
  • occupational therapists 
  • psychiatrists

Visits to patients can be made on a weekly basis, or more frequently, depending on the needs of the person being treated. Rehabilitation support is provided to enable people to live safely and happily within the community. 
ART can also implement and enforce a Community Treatment Order (a legal order made by the Mental Health Review Tribunal or by a Magistrate) if necessary.

Prevention Early Intervention Recovery (PEIRS)

PEIRS is a community-based, specialist assessment, therapy, and recovery service for adolescents and young people aged between 12-24 years who have been diagnosed with a moderate to severe mental illness.

This service provides developmentally appropriate assessments, along with therapeutic individual and group intervention programs which are focused on graded goals and that are guided by the patient's own personal recovery plan.

PEIRS programs are run for the duration of each school term, with holiday programs being offered between terms.

PERIS
BEATS

Blacktown Early Access Team (BEAT)

The BEAT team works with young people aged 12 – 24 years who are experiencing their first episode or presentations of mental illness.
Their focus is on: 

  • early detection
  • intervention
  • prevention

Services include health promotion and improved resilience building strategies and treatments include:
individual, family, and group therapy

  • psychometric testing
  • psychiatric review
  • metabolic monitoring
  • Clozapine clinic 
  • the management of community treatment and orders