IPMHC is our Geraldton-based mental health care program, funded by WAPHA.
The Integrated Primary Mental Health Care program is a FREE service offered to people living in the Mid-West region.
These services are available in:
- Geraldton
- Northampton
- Kalbarri
- Carnarvon
- Mount Magnet
- Meekatharra
- Yalgoo
- Cue
The program is designed to support individuals who are experiencing psychological distress, depression, anxiety and other symptoms of mild to severe mental illness, through a range of treatment options.
Who is Eligible?
To be eligible for the program you must be unable to access alternative care under the Medicare Benefit Scheme due to one or more of the following:
- Low income, financial difficulty or job insecurity
- Social isolation
- Limited personal resources to access/use alternative care
- Poor health literacy
This service is for individuals who are able to be safely managed in the primary care setting and is not suitable to those currently in crisis or requiring urgent assistance.
There are three types of clinical treatment services available under this program:
Low Intensity Psychological Intervention (LIPI)
Our LIPI service is designed to offer brief, evidence-based interventions for people experiencing or at risk of mild mental health conditions, that can be easily accessed with or without a referral from a health professional.
If you are experiencing any of the below, this service may be of help to you:
- Feeling anxious or experiencing panic attacks
- Low mood, sadness
- Feeling hopeless or worthless
- Finding it difficult to do everyday things because of how you feel
- Worrying more than usual
- Not being able to relax because of your thoughts or feelings
- Avoiding doing things because they make you feel anxious
Interventions focus on the here and now, offering support, education and skill development to help improve your mental wellbeing and daily functioning. This might include learning self-help techniques such as anxiety and mood management, relaxation, problem solving and mindfulness.
Our LIPI service can be delivered in individual sessions, or through one of our group programs.
We accept self-referrals using this referral form or you can contact us on (08) 9960 6800 to discuss your needs.
GP’s and other health professionals are also able to refer to this service using this referral form.
Psychological Therapy
This service provides short-term, structured psychological therapy/counselling for people with a diagnosable mental health condition, that may be experiencing moderate to high levels of psychological distress.
It is also available for people who have attempted suicide or self-harm, or may be experiencing thoughts of suicide/self-harm (but with low risk).
Our team of mental health professionals utilise a range of evidence-based therapeutic approaches matched to an individual’s need, to achieve the best clinical outcome.
A referral from a GP, Psychiatrist or Paediatrician is required to access this service.
Referrals from other health professionals will also be considered, pending endorsement by the individual’s GP. Please call us to discuss.
Clinical Care Coordination
This service is designed to support GPs in the management of individuals with severe mental health conditions within primary care.
We can provide integrated services that cover a range of needs such as:
- Monitoring of mental and physical health
- Liaison with other health providers as part of a shared-care arrangement
- Linking to other services as required, e.g. drug and alcohol, personal support, physical health
- Provision of health literacy and education to individuals, families and carers
- Medication management
- Managing clinical deterioration and facilitating specialist consultation/care
A key aspect of this service is working collaboratively with all related service providers to integrate GP-led care. This includes development of a recovery focussed multi-agency care plan.
A referral from a GP, Psychiatrist or Paediatrician is required to access this service.
To find out more about our WAPHA funded IPMHC Program, please get in touch:
- Phone: (08) 9960 6800
- Email: mail.admin@360.org.au
