Clinical therapies

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is designed to help people change unhelpful ways of thinking and behaving, while also accepting who they are. It helps people learn to manage emotions by recognising, experiencing, and accepting them. 

DBT can also help people to understand why they might harm themselves, so they are more likely to change their harmful behaviour.

DBT is usually used to help people diagnosed with borderline personality disorder as people with this disorder feel uncontrollable emotions, have troubled relationships, and have a disturbed sense of self.

Consultation liaison

The consultation liaison team responds to requests from medical teams within Westmead Hospital for the assessment and psychological intervention of inpatients with chronic or acute psychological or behavioural conditions including:

• difficulty adjusting to physical illness or injury
• anxiety after heart related events or treatment 
• experiencing fears, for example a fear of falling
• motivational and non-compliance issues, for example not eating, not engaging in rehabilitation, or not following medical advice
• experiencing phantom limb pain and difficulty adjusting to amputations

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a relatively safe and effective treatment for certain mental health conditions that are considered life threatening, such as severe depression and bipolar disorder. 

ECT involves passing small, brief, carefully controlled electric currents through the brain in order to trigger a brief seizure. The person being treated doesn’t feel discomfort and usually wakes up five to 10 minutes after the procedure.

ECT is a useful therapy because it works more quickly than other treatments such as medicines or therapy. 

Forensic support

‘Forensic’ means related to, or associated with, legal issues. 
Forensic mental health services provide assessment and treatment of people with a mental disorder and a history of criminal offending, or people who are at risk of offending.
People who may be experiencing mental illness or mental disorder can be referred for assessment by: 

• police 
• courts
• prison
• health or mental health services
• justice agencies

Culturally specific therapies: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples

The Western Sydney Local Health District Aboriginal Mental Health Support Team (AMHST) provide a culturally safe and appropriate mental health, social and emotional wellbeing support service to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Western Sydney community. 

The AMHST team also provides support and consultation to non-Aboriginal community mental health clinicians on working with Aboriginal patients to provide high quality care.