The Hills Clinic Mood and Anxiety In-Program
This Mood and Anxiety In-Program consists of 15 Modules delivered over 21 days. Each module is delivered over a 90min-120min group therapy program by experienced psychologists and Psychiatrists. The program is interactive and stimulating and is designed to challenge negative thinking. The modules are Cognitive behaviour therapy based. The Program is delivered in conjunction with a group of supplementary modules. Below is a list of some modules. Patient are provided with a workbook that contains information about each module and is an essential reference book after discharge.
" ABC model - Identifying thoughts
" Healthy thinking (Cognitive Challenging)
" Exposure 1 - Rationale for exposure, conducting exposure
" Coping Strategies (to replace Triggers, the difference is emphasis
is on what can be done)
" Change - Building motivation to change
" Core Beliefs
" Behavioural Strategies to combat Depression and Anxiety
" Snakes and Ladders (dealing with relapse)
Supplementary Programs
Everyone is individual and has individual needs. Sometimes material needs to be presented differently or a different modality of treatment is needed to break through difficult and persistent problems. The Hills Clinic supplementary programs offer an alternative to the CBT approach and help patients see things from a different prospective. Some of the programs are more behavioural and can offer a welcomed break. While there are several programs on offer, you and your treating psychiatrists will develop an individualised program of supplementary programs based on your needs.
Horticulture Therapy
It is a known fact that gardening is good for the body and therapeutic
for the soul. The garden setting for therapeutic purposes is believed to
have originated in the nineteenth century with Dr Benjamin Rush. otherwise
known as the "The Father of American Psychiatry," Throughout the
ages, gardens have been revered as a place of tranquillity and peace where
one can escape to rejuvenate. This has given rise to the concept of horticultural
therapy that is growing in popularity today.
There are many benefits to horticultural therapy, and its non-invasive application
is suitable for everyone. Therapeutic garden allow individuals the opportunity
to connect to the natural world. The Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine
in New York, initiated the first horticultural therapy program in 1958 and
currently offers various speciality horticultural therapy programs geared
to specific groups. "Horticultural therapy is becoming widely accepted
in our community.
The Hills Clinic Horticulture program is a partnership with NSW Cultivate and has been a very popular addition to the programs offered at the Hospital. If you are being admitted to the inpatient program, make sure you bring a garden shirt and hat to get involved in the fun. The Hills Clinic is set on two acres of semi rural land and sits adjacent to fields of market gardens in Sydney northwest. This is an ideal location to enjoy the outdoors and reconnect with nature.
Art Therapy
In Art Therapy the individual does not make an art object for visually appealing
aesthetics instead the individual is encouraged to engage with the art making
process in order to express the self. The extent of self-expression through
the process of art making enables the individual to communicate their inner
thoughts and feelings in a manner which is not restricted by the individual's
vocabulary. The individual cannot excuse themselves from the art making
process by stating that they are not creative as the individual is encouraged
to engage with the art making experience solely to express the self and
it really does not matter what the final art object looks like.
The Art Therapist will steer away from any form of artistic direction and
instead chooses to encourage the individual to enter into an art making
process that is playful, spontaneous and most of all enjoyable. The individuals
are encouraged to engage with their process of playful and spontaneous art
making in order to generate a level of self-expression. The individuals
involved with this process of expressive art making are able to safely explore
and rediscover their own personal sense of playfulness and spontaneity in
the security of the Art therapy environment and adapt these elements into
their life.
Once the art making process has come to an end the Art Therapist will encourage
the individual to enter into a dialogue around their own art object. This
dialogue often reflects how the art making process felt, any meaning attributed
to the art object and what the art object may be reflecting back to the
individual. This discussion process within Art therapy enables the individual
to differentiate between their own needs and desires and the needs and desires
of the other group members. Through recognising the differences and similarities
between themselves and the other group members the individual is supported
towards becoming aware of their own sense of self-worth and identity and
calls for the individual to take ownership over and responsibility to their
own self-care and life.
Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, known as ‘ACT’ (pronounced as the word
‘act’) is a mindfulness based behavioural therapy that challenges the ground
rules of most Western psychology. It utilizes an mixture of metaphor, paradox,
and mindfulness skills, along with a wide range of experiential exercises
and values-guided behavioural interventions. ACT has proven effective with
a diverse range of clinical conditions; depression, OCD, workplace stress,
chronic pain, the stress of terminal cancer, anxiety, PTSD, anorexia, addictions
and even schizophrenia. A studies have shown that even with only four hours
of ACT, hospital re-admission rates for schizophrenic patients dropped by
50% over the next six months.
The goal of ACT is to create a rich and meaningful life, while accepting the
pain that inevitably goes with it. ‘ACT’ is a good abbreviation, because this
therapy is about taking effective action guided by our deepest values and
in which we are fully present and engaged. It is only through mindful action
that we can create a meaningful life. ACT teaches mindfulness skills as an
effective way to handle these private experiences. Mindfulness is consciously
bringing awareness to your here-and-now experience with openness, interest
and receptiveness.
Process Therapy
A process group is expected to increase emotional awareness and relational understanding between self and others. The work of putting emotional experiences into words can give an individual the cognitive and emotional tools that lend to self-learning, insight and the potential to function with an increased sense of freedom, and with increased sophistication. Process groups draw from a psychodynamic perspective and is based upon developmental theory. By engaging with one another on different emotional levels, individuals will hopefully gain wider perspectives about the various ways they relate to their inner world and understand how this becomes reflected in their relationships with others.