Who We Are & What We Do
DBT in Schools is a unique service that combines the best of Clinical and Educational Psychology to provide psychology services to children, adolescents, families and schools.
DBT in Schools in an arm of the Melbourne DBT Centre, which has a long-standing reputation of quality and effectiveness in treating mental health issues using evidence-based frameworks and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy. Click on the following link for more information on DBT: DBT What is it?
Dr Amanda Johnson, Senior Clinical Psychologist and Director of the Melbourne DBT Centre, trained intensively in DBT in the United States, completed her Doctoral research evaluating DBT at the University of Denver, USA, and has practised as a DBT therapist for 20 years. The Melbourne DBT Centre has an established research program dedicated to evaluating the effectiveness of programs.
In 2018 Dr Johnson joined forces with Dr Cheree Murrihy, Senior Educational and Developmental Psychologist, and specialist in psychological assessment, to bring the DBT approach to schools, following research demonstrating the effectiveness of DBT adapted for children and adolescents (see Article on the Effectiveness of DBT for Children), along side providing availability of the CHC cross-battery methodology known to be highly effective in identifying specific cognitive strengths and weaknesses.
Dr Murrihy is teacher trained, and has experience working in SSS for the Department of Education. She conducts research in inclusive education, ADHD and learning difficulties, and lectures at a Melbourne University training provisional psychologists to work in schools.
The leadership and vision of DBT in Schools is to provide highly effective, skills-based interventions that are backed by research to young people. It is founded on valuing the need for continual professional training and research to inform the provision of high-quality care. DBT in Schools provides DBT-informed psychological services, alongside psychological assessment using CHC cross-battery methodology.
The Melbourne DBT Centre has a strong commitment to providing psychological services to a high standard. Aspiring to the same high standards, DBT in Schools aims to provide the high-quality psychology services in schools and as an extension of the work of the Melbourne DBT Centre, with psychologists that are well trained, effective, held to high standards, and work towards being the best psychologists they can be.
DBT in Schools aims to provide the best quality care available in the world to children, adolescents and families, right where you live.
How is Your child coping?
Childrens emotional wellbeing is our concern.
We help children and parents to develop their childs emotional wellbeing. With the support of schools we have established proven programs that develop and nurture childrens ability to cope with everyday situations, increasing there resiliance and sense of self worth. This in turn leads to increased motivation and participation at school and at home.
who we are and what we do
Company Profile
For more than 10 years, we’ve been passionate about the best mental health outcomes for our clients.
DBT In Schools provides therapy, training and assessment for Children, Parents and Teachers for a range of emotional, behavioural, social and developmental difficulties. We specialise in working with children and adolescents, and also work with their families/ carers.
The Regulation Board for Psychologists (AHPRA) does not allow Psychologists to publish testimonials. What we can say though is that we take quality seriously, and collect information from all our clients about how we are doing. We act on feedback, and our commitment to quality service is reflected in the number of our clients who refer someone they know. Our goal is to ensure that our clients learn skills that change their lives.
DBT in Schools is one part of a bigger system designed to have a community impact. It operates under the Melbourne DBT centre, which operates in collaboration with the Nunyara Centre, a private mental health day hospital. Having such an integrated system of highly trained professionals across a number of disciplines is a unique solution to the mental health crisis Australia is faced with.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ
For more than 10 years, we’ve been passionate about achieving better results for our clients.
Children go to see a psychologists for many reasons. It may be that they are having a hard time fitting in at school, or struggling to deal with parents separating, or having trouble handling their strong emotions. They may be self-harming, depressed or anxious. There is no problem that is too little or too hard to treat. They also may come to see a psychologist for an assessment of their behaviour, development, intelligence or learning, for a Diagnosis or just to better understand what is going on. The Psychologists at DBT in Schools are trained to support children with any type of emotional difficulty, behavioural problem, developmental issue or learning problem.
The therapy at DBT for Schools, is informed by Dialectical Behaviour Therapy. Please view the information on our site for a detailed description of DBT.
Our approach to therapy with children in schools involves a collaborative approach, where we work with parents and children to identify the goals for counselling. We then identify the most effective way to help children achieve these goals. We use scientifically based approaches, which means we use strategies that have been researched and proven to be effective for the presenting problem.
We also have an emphasis at the Centre on finding practical solutions that actually work, that make a difference, rather than just talking about problems and hoping that this will change by itself. We have found that talking, although can be helpful, alone generally it isn’t enough People need real solutions to their problems, which therapy can help them develop the skills to do. Our general therapy approach works along these lines, and is essentially collaborative, supportive and focused on helping solve problems using strategies or learning skills that work. Our therapists are highly skilled and committed professional therapists, who are engaged in active supervision and ongoing professional training, and are warm and sincere about their work as psychologists.
No, you do not have to have a GP or any other referral to see a Psychologist. However, if you wish to claim Medicare rebates to assist with your fees, you do need to meet with your GP and have them write a Mental Health Plan (item 2710) referring you to DBT in Schools. You should tell your GP receptionist when you are booking your appointment to see your GP that you are coming in for a Mental Health Plan, so they allow the right amount of time for the appointment.
From the date this plan is written, you are eligible to receive medicare rebates for 6-10 individual sessions and 10 group sessions. If your GP agrees, you may also be eligible for a further 5 sessions under a Chronic Disease Management referral (formally called Enhanced Primary Care). Obtaining any of these rebates is completely up to your GP, and will need to be discussed with them, as there are specific criteria that have to be met to receive these rebates.