Mental health community services in Western Sydney

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

• experiencing a mental health issue or episode for the first time
• a relapse of an existing mental health issue
• 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.

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) is a community-based, specialist assessment, therapy, and recovery service for adolescents and young people aged between 12 to 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.

Blacktown Early Access Team (BEAT) works with young people aged 12 to 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 such as:

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

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.

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.

This service provides mental health care to people aged 25 to 64 years with chronic and persistent mental illness and complex psychosocial needs.

We also work with people in this age group who have been diagnosed with a mental illness and are under a legal order, such as a CTO (community treatment order), Forensic order, or Section 32 of the Mental Health (Forensic Provisions) Act 1990. We take a person-centred approach by working collaboratively with the patients, carers, and other service providers to provide holistic care.

We empower patients to plan their recovery journey and link them with appropriate services to achieve their physical, occupational, social, and spiritual health goals. 

We provide assessment, intervention, and care coordination services to people aged 65 years and over or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples aged 50 years and over who have developed (or are at risk of developing) a mental health condition. We also provide services for people with severe and persistent behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD).

Our aim is to optimise the wellbeing, quality of life, and functioning of older people with mental health issues or BPSD so that they can continue to live as independently as possible, for as long as possible, in the setting of their choice.

A community-based team helps homeless people with mental illness in the Parramatta, Cumberland, Blacktown and Hills Shire Local Government Areas.

The team includes:

• social workers
• psychologists
• occupational therapists
• nurses
• doctors
• peer support workers.

This specialist team includes interpreters for people from diverse backgrounds, and the service is free.

Our goal is to improve the outcomes of young people under the age of 25 years who have a parent with a mental illness.

We focus on reducing the impact that parental mental illness has on those in the home.

This service also supports staff working with families that are experiencing mental health concerns.

We provide assessment and intervention services for families where a child aged 2 to 12 years presents with complex mental health issues that interferes with their daily life.

We work with families and their support networks to improve the emotional and mental health of children.

This service is child-centred and family-focused, supporting parents who have mental health or drug and alcohol concerns, and parental difficulties.

This service is also tailored to support where children’s safety is compromised, and a risk of significant harm report is in place.

Our goal is to increase the safety and wellbeing of children and improve their developmental outcomes.

We provide psychiatry consultation and liaison support to NSW Health clinicians, primarily in regional, remote and rural areas, who are working with women and families in the perinatal period (conception to age 2).

We can discuss options for appropriate medication, therapeutic interventions and care management considerations, as well as support for mother-infant attachment concerns with the clinician and the woman in a telehealth consultation.

NSW e-PIMH also delivers education and training and clinical supervision to NSW health professionals. Pre-conception counselling is available for women with a history of severe or complex mental illness.

We provide perinatal infant mental health assessment and support to mothers and primary-caregivers with severe mental illness via the phone, home visits or visits to Redbank House.

We support the infant-mother relationship, maternal mental illness and infant development.

We also provide education and consultation liaison to midwives, Child and Family Health clinicians and relevant mental health and community services staff.

NSW School-Link is a collaboration between NSW Health and Education to facilitate access to wellbeing services and specialist programs to improve the mental health outcomes of children and young people.

This collaboration aims to enhance partnerships between child and adolescent mental health services and local schools within the Western Sydney LHD catchment.

This service provides consultancy to assist education staff in working with school aged children and young people who are presenting with mental health concerns.

NSW School-Link is available to education staff, health staff, government and non-government service providers working with primary or secondary school students who live or study in the district catchment area.

The Alternate Care Clinic (ACC) is a specialist mental health service for children and young people in Out of Home Care aged 0 to 18 years who are living in western Sydney.

ACC offers a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment and a range of effective therapies for children and young people who are experiencing:

• mental health difficulties
• emotional and behavioural problems
• relationship conflict.

Our goal is to help children, young people, and their carers feel safer and function better at home, school, and in the community. 

We work from an attachment, trauma informed model that highlights the importance of relationships and healing through relationships.

The Got It! Program is a school based early intervention and preventative program for children enrolled in NSW Government primary schools. Got It! is delivered by child mental health clinicians in partnership with the Department of Education.

This program is for children 5 to 8 years who are experiencing emotional and behavioural challenges at home or at school.

We work to strengthen children’s social, emotional development and social skills and reduce disruptive and challenging behaviours. Our aim is to strengthen parenting capacity and the ability of school staff to respond effectively to children with emerging behaviour challenges, and their families. 

Engaging Assertively and Building Links to Empower (ENABLE) supports young people aged 12 to 18 years who have moderate to severe mental illness and who are at risk of hospital admission or emergency department (ED) presentation. 

We offer assertive outreach intervention, risk management, and short term (up to 8 weeks) therapeutic intervention in the community.

ED Navigators are an essential part of the ENABLE Team. They see young people who present with mental illness to the EDs in Westmead, Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals. Navigators complete a comprehensive mental health assessment, discuss the assessment with the child psychiatrist, and then develop a plan which can be either based around a hospital admission or discharge back into the community.

ED Navigators also provide follow up intervention post presentation to emergency departments and link the young person back to their GP.

The Transcultural Mental Health Centre works with people from culturally and language diverse communities, health professionals, and partner organisations across NSW to support good mental health.

These services complement public mental health services (hospital and community) and enhance pathways to care for culturally and language diverse communities.

This is a state-wide service that assists problem gamblers from culturally and language diverse communities living in NSW (and their families) by providing quality and accessible counselling, treatment, and support services.

Confidential assistance is available for gamblers and their families in more than 30 languages at locations across NSW and assistance includes free telephone counselling, information, advice and referral, and one-to-one counselling in your preferred language.

We offer early intervention, specialist programs and crisis support in the community, in hospital Emergency Departments, and through an adolescent inpatient unit for 12 to 18-year-olds in acute distress.

Our multidisciplinary teams include psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, therapists, nurses and peer workers. We work with GPs, schools, hospitals and community organisations to provide coordinated, recovery-focused care.

Support is tailored to each person through assessment and a care plan. Interventions may be individual, family, group or parent-child, and can be short or long term. We are committed to innovation, research, teaching and the highest quality of care.

The table below outlines a summary of the services and programs offered by PCYMHS. 

Redbank House – Westmead Hospital campus

Redbank House has been supporting children, young people and families since the late 1970s. It was the first service in NSW to:

• admit whole families.
• open an acute adolescent mental health unit.
• run specialist clinics for children in out-of-home care and for children whose parents have a mental illness.

Today, Redbank focuses on community-based and home-visiting programs while maintaining its award-winning standard of care.

Programs and services at Redbank House include:

• Acute Adolescent Unit (inpatient)
• Alternate Care Clinic
• Children of Parents with a Mental Illness
• ENABLE team
• ED Navigation Project
• Parent Infant Mental Health Service
• School-Link
• NSW e-Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Service (e-PIMH)
• Therapy for Kids and Families
• Whole Family Team.

Rupertswood – Mt Druitt Hospital campus

Opened in 2019, Rupertswood offers a local option for families in the Mt Druitt and Blacktown areas.

Programs and services at Rupertswood include:

• Blacktown Early Access Team
• Getting Back on Track In Time Program
• Therapy for Kids and Families
• ENABLE (offices at Grevillea Cottages).

Parramatta – PEIRS

The Prevention, Early Intervention and Recovery Service (PEIRS) supports young people aged 12 to 24 in the Parramatta Local Government Area, The Hills Shire, and parts of Auburn and Cumberland. Services are provided from Jeffery House at Parramatta Community Mental Health Service.

Auburn – Therapy for Kids and Families

A dedicated team provides children’s mental health services from Auburn Community Health Centre for local families.

PCYMH services operate across the Western Sydney Local Health District. Main sites are:

• Redbank House – Westmead Hospital campus.
• Rupertswood – Mt Druitt Hospital campus.

We also provide services at:

• Fleet Street and Jeffery House, Parramatta Community Health Centre.
• Auburn Community Health Centre.

Contact details are listed below:

In general, referrals can be made by calling the NSW Mental Health Line 1800 011 511 which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Referrals can be made by families or on their behalf by professionals (with the consent of the young person, parent, or legal guardian).

To make a referral to a specialist service, please refer to the services table above or see the individual service tab on the side.

Older People’s Mental Health Service support:

• people aged 65 years and over
• Aboriginal people aged 50 years and over who identify as functionally old
• people under 65 with mental health issues linked to dementia or age-related functional disability.

Services are available to people living at home or in residential aged care within the Western Sydney Local Health District. We also support people with severe and persistent behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD).

Our aim is to improve wellbeing, quality of life and independence, so people can live in the setting of their choice for as long as possible.

Care is person-centred, recovery-focused, trauma-informed and culturally sensitive. It is delivered in partnership with people with lived experience, families, carers, other health specialties and community organisations.

A multidisciplinary team provides support in the least restrictive way, ensuring safety, reliability and quality in all services.

The Eating Disorders Day Treatment Program provides specialist psychological and dietetic support for people with an eating disorder.

We offer 2 clinical streams:

• Children and adolescents – 12 to 17 years
• Adults – 18 years and over.

Adult treatment

Adults receive individual or group cognitive behavioural therapy. If more intensive support is needed, a Meal Plus+ program is added. This includes:

• having lunch at the clinic several times a week
• group therapy after meals to build coping skills around eating.

Child and adolescent treatment

Treatment is based on family therapy, with parents or carers taking a central role in managing the person’s eating. Over time, the focus shifts to helping the young person develop independence in managing their own eating.

Service access

• Child and adolescent stream: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays
• Adult stream: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays
  • Open for referrals, triage and treatment during business hours (8:30am to 5pm)
  • Telehealth options are available for some programs and consumers.

Referrals

• Child and adolescent stream: referred by a medical practitioner, post medical assessment
• Adult stream: you may self-refer by contacting (02) 8860 2630.

The Emotional Health Clinic and Research Unit (EHCRU), including the Cumberland Gold Card Clinic, provides brief, evidence-based psychological support after a crisis.

Services include:

• up to 4 crisis-focused sessions
• for those needing extra care, up to 10 additional sessions through the EHCRU program.

EHCRU offers rapid, structured programs that bridge the gap between short-term and longer-term psychological therapies. We support people with difficulties linked to personality disorders and/or complex trauma who cannot be adequately supported by Medicare or Primary Health Network funded programs.

The Anxiety Treatment and Research Unit is one of the few specialist facilities in NSW for anxiety and obsessive-compulsive related disorders. It provides evidence-based treatment for adults living in the Western Sydney Local Health District with a primary diagnosis of an anxiety disorder or obsessive-compulsive related disorder.

Treatment is delivered by clinical psychologists, psychology registrars, provisional psychologists and psychiatry registrars under supervision. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is the main treatment approach.

The unit is a part-time outpatient service operating during business hours. It does not accept referrals or see consumers on weekends or public holidays.

Operating hours:

• Monday, Wednesday and Thursday: 8:30am to 5pm.

The Westmead Psychotherapy Program (WPP), based at the Mental Health Sciences Centre on the Cumberland Hospital campus, offers individual psychotherapy ranging from short-term to longer-term interventions.

The program focuses on treating mental health conditions linked to trauma and/or loss, particularly complex trauma from early life experiences or relational trauma.

In addition to therapy, WPP provides training, education, supervision and research in partnership with the University of Sydney and Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD). This includes Australia’s only university-level qualifications in trauma-informed psychodynamic psychotherapy:

• Master of Medicine (Trauma-Informed Psychotherapy).
• Master of Science in Medicine (Trauma-Informed Psychotherapy).
• Graduate Certificate / Graduate Diploma in Medicine or Science in Medicine (Trauma-Informed Psychotherapy).

WPP also works closely with other WSLHD services, supervises psychological care across acute and community settings, and advocates for complex trauma awareness, Trauma-Informed Care and Trauma-Informed Psychotherapy.