Mental health day programs

Living and thriving with ADHD

This ADHD day program is designed to help you build the skills you need to manage your symptoms and thrive in your personal and professional life.

Who is the day program for?

• Adults (18+) who have completed inpatient ADHD treatment.
• People living with ADHD who need continued support to manage their symptoms.
• People seeking practical, everyday skills to enhance personal and professional success.

How will it help me?

This eight week ADHD day program offers a structured, supportive environment to help you manage symptoms and develop life-enhancing skills. The day program uses interactive group therapy, evidence-based techniques, mindfulness, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and social skills training tailored for adults with ADHD.

The day program provides:

• ADHD skills development: Learn practical skills for managing your symptoms in daily life.
• Therapeutic support: Build coping strategies to improve focus, organisation, and emotional regulation.
• Group learning: Engage in group therapy with others facing similar challenges, fostering connection and peer support.
• Personal growth: Enhance your social, emotional, and professional wellbeing through targeted skill-building exercises.

When can I start and how long will it take?

The program runs for eight weeks and consists of weekly sessions, which run for one to two hours.

This is an open and ongoing group, so patients can join the group at any time.

How do I join the program?

To join the group, you will need a referral from a psychiatrist or GP.

Please send your referral to [email protected] or call 03 9773 7000 to register.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy pre-commitment program

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is an effective form of cognitive behavioural therapy that helps you reduce the frequency of self-harm, assist in emotional regulation and reinforce healthy behaviours.

This group is for people who struggle with their emotions, experience impulsivity, significant distress, or who have difficulty in maintaining relationships or employment.

Some of the specific psychological problems that can be helped with DBT include clinical depression and anxiety, binge eating, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use problems.

Benefits of the day program?

This group aims to prepare you for participating in the 32 week DBT program. This group will orientate participants to the structure, goals and requirements of the DBT program.

When does the program run? 

This is a closed program, with new participants only accepted during the first week. Once you have completed the pre-commitment program you will be assessed for your suitability for the DBT program.

Program format

Group sessions, face-to-face.

Book your place:

To join the group, you will need a referral from your psychiatrist. 

This group is skills-based, which means it requires your active participation during sessions, and will require a pre-assessment from the group facilitator prior to being able to participate.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is an effective form of cognitive behavioural therapy that helps you reduce the frequency of self-harm, assist in emotional regulation and reinforce healthy behaviours.

This group is for people who struggle with their emotions, experience impulsivity, significant distress, or who have difficulty in maintaining relationships or employment.

Some of the specific psychological problems that can be helped with DBT include clinical depression and anxiety, binge eating, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use problems.

Benefits of the day program?

This group aims help you increase effective skill use across four domains, including: Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation and Interpersonal Effectiveness.

When does the program run? 

The DBT program consists of three 10-week modules, delivered over a 32-week period with a one week break between each module.

The program is delivered in a modular format allowing new participants to enter the group at the beginning of each new module.

Program format

Group sessions, face-to-face.

Book your place:

To join the group, you will need a referral from your psychiatrist.

This group is skills-based, which means that it requires your active participation during sessions, and will require a pre-assessment from the group facilitator prior to being able to participate.

Please note that successful completion of the DBT Pre-commitment Program is a prerequisite for entry into this program.

Road of Addiction Recovery (ROAR)

The Road of Addiction Recovery Day Program (ROAR) uses effective components from various addiction recovery models to support you to develop and implement life enhancing skills. Multiple modalities are seamlessly brought together to offer effective evidence-based strategies.

Each session is complete within itself and will teach skills that are ready to put into practice, session-by-session, building your ability to take life-enhancing actions.

Who is it for?

This group is for people who are experiencing problems with substance use and mental health issues.

What will I learn?

• This group aims to assist you to develop mindfulness skills to clearly see the relationship between thoughts, feelings and actions.
• Enhance problem solving and communications skills.
• Strengthen interpersonal skills.
• Improve personal motivation
• Cultivate a healthier life.

When can I start and how long does it take?

This program consists of twelve sessions. Participants can join the group at any stage of the program. Groups run on Wednesdays between 10am to 1pm.

How do I register and join the program?

To join the group, you will need a referral from your psychiatrist. Assessment will be undertaken by the Transition Team.

This group is skills-based, which means that it requires your active participation during sessions.

Creative Art Therapy Open Studio

The Creative Art Therapy program provides participants with a safe and supported space in which to explore and engage in the creative process of art making to improve physical, mental and emotional well-being.

Through creating art and reflecting on an individual’s self-expression and inner world, participants can increase their awareness and acceptance of self and others, develop coping skills, relieve stress and anxiety, effect change and growth on a personal level and enjoy the life affirming pleasures of making art and engaging the imagination.

Each session begins with a check-in which provides participants with the opportunity to share how they are feeling with the facilitator and group members. Varied art materials and creative approaches are on offer each week.

This is a self-directed group where participants can choose to use the check-in as a beginning point or engage in their own self-directed creative exploration. The facilitator is available to assist group members with the creative process, expression and choice of materials.

Benefits of the day program?

The aim of this program is to give group members the opportunity to:

• Express feelings that may be difficult to verbalise.
• Explore their imagination and creativity.
• Improve self-esteem and confidence.
• Identify and clarify issues and concerns.
• Identify blocks to emotional expression and develop healthy coping skills.

When does the program run? 

The program runs weekly, on Wednesdays from 9.30am till 3.00pm. This is an open and ongoing group, so patients can be referred into the group at any time.

Program format

Group sessions, face-to-face.

Book your place:

To join the group, you will need a referral from your psychiatrist.

This group is skills-based, which means that it requires your active participation during sessions, and will require a pre-assessment from the group facilitator prior to being able to participate.

Trauma Resilience Art Therapy

The Trauma Resilience Art Therapy group is a structured group where patients who have experienced trauma or are managing life with a mental illness can explore a range of art methods and themes. Art is used as a medium to communicate and explore aspects of self and your challenges to build capacity and resilience.

This group focuses on developing the felt sense of safety and regulation, to build resources and strengths that act as tools to repair ruptures caused by trauma. Including to gain a sense of trust and control within yourself again to meet life’s challenges.

Who is it for?

This group is suitable for those who enjoy exploring the creative art process and have a desire to learn more about themselves and want to develop resources for coping integration.

What will I learn?

• Better understand yourself and your needs.
• Exercise personal choice.
• Explore a range of creative art methods.
• Receive regular support to sustain and integrate recovery.
• Develop useful coping skills to incorporate into your daily life.
• Discover your abilities, strengths, and resources.<
• Recognise and develop an awareness of underlying patterns of behaviour.
• Increase your capacity to explore and express your feeling states and needs.
• Develop an understanding of your boundaries and learn to assert them.
• To use art as a tool for organising, mapping, and problem-solving issues.

When can I start and how long does it take?

The program has two streams running weekly.

Tuesday full day from 9:30am to 3.00pm or Thursday half day from 4:30pm to 7:30pm.

This is a semi closed group that is ongoing. Patients will need to be referred into the group at an appropriate time within the module. Please contact our transitions team to discuss which group is most suitable for you to sign up to.

How do I register and join the program?

To join the group, you will need a referral from your psychiatrist.

Cultivating Wellbeing

The Cultivating Wellbeing Day Program uses a range of evidence-based treatment modalities to support your ongoing recovery and wellbeing. You will learn various coping strategies that will be ready to put into practice in your daily life.

During the session, you will also be guided through experiential practices that directly sooth the nervous system. This powerful combination of therapeutic approaches work together to support and nurture wellbeing.

It will orientate participants to the structure of talking group therapy, and teach goals and supportive strategies that are required to engage effectively in other specialised day programs.

Who is it for?

It is suitable for participants who are struggling with a range of challenges, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder etc. This group also aims to prepare you for other specialised day program streams, including DBT.

What will I learn? 

• This group aims to assist you to develop skills in mindfulness.
• To help you work out and understand personal goals and values.
• To increase understanding of emotions and their impacts.
• To identify patterns of unhelpful thinking and creating coping strategies.
• To learn coping skills when feeling distressed.
• To directly experience the effectiveness of cutting edge self-soothing strategies that can be applied in day-to-day life.

When can I start and how long does it take?

This half-day rolling program is comprised of 12 weekly sessions. This is an open and ongoing group, so patients can be referred into the group at any time.

How do I register and join the program?

To join the group, you will need a referral from your psychiatrist.

This group is skills-based. This means that it requires your active participation during sessions, and will require a pre-assessment from the intake team prior to being able to participate.