The Geelong Clinic's Outreach service provides mental health treatment and therapeutic support to enable individuals to recover, develop coping strategies and stay well.
The Outreach services seek to minimise the disruption that can occur in a person’s day-to-day living by reducing the length and frequency of hospital stays and providing community care as an alternative to an inpatient admission.
Outreach services are provided by experienced mental health professionals.
Who is the Outreach Service for?
The outreach service provides clinical assessment, and therapeutic skills and support for people seriously affected by psychiatric illness, it may be an alternative to in-patient treatment.
The program aims to:
- Assist with reintegration back into the community after hospitalisation
- Provide psychiatric clinical care in the most functional and least restrictive environment
- Support participants to resume life functioning and reduce the risk of relapse.
More about Outreach appointments?
Outreach appointments may include the following:
- Psychiatric assessments
- Therapeutic interventions such as cognitive behavioural techniques (CBT)
- Supportive counselling
- Relapse prevention
- Family work
- Skills development – coping skis, social skills and stress management
- Linking to appropriate services and activities
Other important information
Under certain circumstances, a patient may not able to be receive Outreach Services. These include patients who:
- are not clinically safe to be treated in the community
- live in circumstances where patient and/or clinician safety may be jeopardised
- do not consent to community based treatment
- are unable to participate actively in their care
- are consistently unable to keep appointments
- have no health fund cover and are unable to self-fund
- no longer see their psychiatrist.
Outreach Services support the following specialist programs:
- Addictions
- Eating disorders
- General Psychiatry
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
How to access Outreach Services?
The Outreach Service accepts referrals from a Credentialed Treating Psychiatrists at The Geelong Clinic.
To access the Outreach Service, simply discuss your interest in Community Based support with your treating Psychiatrist and if the services is deemed suitable for your needs, your psychiatrist will make a referral to the Outreach Service.
If you do not have a psychiatrist, a referral from your GP for an outpatient appointment, can be addressed to ‘Dear Doctor’ or to one of our accredited psychiatrists. The fax numbers are listed below:
- Private Consulting Suites – 03 52484767
- Geelong Psychiatry Practice - 03 5248 0464
If you do not have a treating psychiatrist, please click HERE to view our Specialist Directory.
Once your referral is received
On receipt of a referral, a fund check with your Private Health Provider is conducted, to check that the cost of Outreach is covered by your Private Health Insurer.
The Outreach Coordinator will then contact you with a view to commencing an Outreach service.
You will be allocated an Outreach Clinician, who will contact you directly to establish a mutually suitable time to meet either at your home or in the community.
During treatment
Our Clients benefit from the ongoing support and assistance that the service can offer, as well as continuity of care that compliments both hospital stays and regular Psychiatrist appointments.
All Outreach Team Leaders hold a duty role and are available for consultation with treating psychiatrists and GP’s between 9.00am to 5.00pm if you or your referring psychiatrist require further information or support from the program.
Quarterly reviews will be sent to your treating psychiatrist.
After treatment
Following your discharge from the program, a discharge summary will be sent to your referring doctor.
How much does it cost?
All referrals are subject to a health fund check prior to admission or commencing a program.
Outreach services are generally covered by private health insurance or by Workcover, DVA and TAC. Self-funding is also an option.
Please call us to discuss any questions you may have in relation to cost.
More Information?
Referrals and inquiries regarding the Outreach service can be directed to the Director of Therapeutic Programs on 03 5240 0700.
Outreach Services brochure - Please click HERE