Information for referrers - Centre for Treatment of Anxiety and Depression

Centre for Treatment of Anxiety and Depression (CTAD) specialises in providing a range of individual cognitive-behaviour therapy interventions as well as group Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for relapse prevention.

We ask that all referrers please also read our information for consumers, prior to submitting a referral.

To make a referral

Please complete our referral form (PDF 407KB) then return by mail, fax or email.

Please read the form carefully as it explains our inclusion and exclusion criteria. If you are unsure whether a consumer is suitable or how to complete this form, please discuss the referral with our team leader. We will not usually accept referrals for individuals who are dependent on drugs or alcohol and currently using, who are continually engaging in self-harming behaviour or aggressive behaviour or who have cognitive problems which affect their capacity to benefit from psychotherapy.

If you are unsure whether a consumer could benefit from cognitive behaviour therapy, consider:

  • Does the consumer make statements that demonstrate he/she has heard and understood what I have told them in my sessions?
  • Does the consumer remember things we have talked about from previous sessions (OK if needs a reminder) or do I need to start from scratch?
  • Does the consumer frequently go off on tangents and have difficulty staying on track in conversation?
  • Does the consumer express or demonstrate unwillingness to do any tasks you suggest?

If the answer to any of the above is 'yes' the consumer may not have sufficient cognitive capacity to benefit from learning-based therapies at this time. In which case, biological treatments and/or practical assistance services are recommended instead.

Why CTAD rather than a private mental health practitioner?

There are many excellent private practitioners who provide excellent care for people with anxiety and depression. Nevertheless, CTAD provides some unique advantages:

  • Most of our clinicians provide lectures into one or more postgraduate training programs in psychology or psychiatry. Our clinicians remain up to date with the latest advances in the treatment of anxiety and depressive disorders.
  • Our clinicians have years of specialist experience in treatment of anxiety disorders and depression. A typical private practice will involve multiple presenting problems, well suited to private practitioners with excellent general knowledge and skill sets but they may not have the opportunity to develop specialist skills to the same extent.
  • Many of the protocols supported by research are not easily administered in private practice settings. For example, the best treatment for OCD can involve 3-5 therapist-assisted exposure sessions/week for 3 weeks, which can not usually be provided under a Medicare-funded mental health care plan. As another example, CTAD can utilise its large pool of provisional psychologists to good effect in helping people with social anxiety to practise.
  • Provisional psychologists and psychiatric registrars follow evidence-based protocols faithfully because they have not formed their “own ideas” about how best to treat people which may not accord with the literature. They both need and appreciate the structure of established treatments and produce good results accordingly.
  • Provisional psychologists and psychiatric registrar training programs require them to spend more time analysing and evaluating their treatment plans, meaning the consumers they work with effectively get more concerted attention than a busy private practitioner could afford, ensuring their treatments follow best practice guidelines.
  • We evaluate all of our work and benchmark it against world best practice results.

Referral processing

Once your referral has been received we will notify you that it has been received. The referral is then screened by the team. A member of our team may contact you to clarify details of the referral or to discuss other treatment options if it seems the consumer would be better served elsewhere.

After the referral is accepted, the consumer is sent pre-treatment questionnaires. Consumers who return these are always offered an appointment (usually 80-90% return these) as we consider them to have demonstrated adequate interest in the referral and motivation to attend. Depending on their responses they will be allocated to a provisional psychologist or clinician wait-list. At this stage, both you and the consumer will be notified. Consumers on the provisional psychologist list will usually be offered an appointment very quickly.

We will write to you once assessment has been complete (usually 1-2 sessions) and then again at discharge unless there is some circumstance that warrants further written communication. However, we consider ourselves to be in a treatment team with you and so welcome more frequent communication.

Contact

Telephone: (08) 8222 8100
Facsimile:(08) 8222 8101