Te Haika is the central point for all referrals to Capital & Coast DHB Adult Mental Health Services.
Our Service books appointments throughout the Wellington region (Kapiti, Porirua, Wellington). We hope to be able to offer you an appointment in a location that is most suitable to you. For most people this is in their residential location as this has been shown to enhance the relationship with your community.
If you have any special needs, for example, if you have any sight or hearing problems, could you please advise us when you call.
We would also be grateful if you would advise us if you or your family/whanau wish to speak with a Maori Mental Health Worker, or other cultural specialist.
What are Choice Appointments?
The focus of the Choice appointment (initial appointment) will be to clarify your needs and see if a mental health team is the most appropriate service to meet your requirements.
The Choice appointment has many purposes and is solution-focused. Firstly, we will identify the concerns you and others have about your current situation and discuss your thoughts about what might help with these concerns. Secondly, we will develop a short-term plan of action steps aimed at reducing the concerns. Thirdly, we will discuss options available for continuing treatment that may include services from mental health organisations that specialise in particular types of help, and may also include services available in the community.
If ongoing support from mental health is most appropriate for you, you will be allocated a clinician who has the best skills to support your needs. This is unlikely to be the person who has seen you at your Choice appointment.
Typically, a Choice appointment will last up to one hour. However, we can decide at the initial appointment if we need to meet another time. If you cannot attend the appointment, kindly give 24 hours notice by ringing Te Haika on (04) 918 2267 or text 027 500 1569. Text messages will be responded to within business hours(8.30am - 5pm).
Feel free to bring a support person(s) to your Choice appointment. If you are choosing to bring more than one person can you please let us know so that we can ensure the room we book is adequate.
Crisis Assessment and Treatment Team
The Crisis Assessment and Treatment Team is available 24 hours a day for acute and crisis situations. If the situation becomes more urgent prior to your Choice appointment they can be contacted on (04) 494 9169.
What is Mental Illness?
Mental illness is a clinically significant behaviour or psychological (to do with the mind) disorder that is associated with distress or disability. It is not just the way someone responds to a particular event nor is it limited to the way a person interacts with society.
A mental illness can continuously or intermittently (occasionally) affect our capacity for speech, language, mood, affect, thoughts, perceptions, insight, judgement, cognition (understanding) and volition (ability to make choices). It can limit our ability to function as society would normally expect of us and can put us and others at risk.
Mental illness is therefore, a broad term that covers problems ranging from minor to severe disorders.
Who is a Psychiatrist?
A ‘psychiatrist’ is a doctor who, after basic medical qualifications, receives further training and develops the expertise to become a ‘specialist’ in identifying symptoms of, and diagnosing and treating, mental illnesses. You may have been referred to a psychiatrist if your doctor feels you need specialist help.
You may be referred to a mental health service by your GP or primary care provider if your symptoms are moderate - severe and you are not able to function well. Sometimes there may be a short waiting period before you can be seen by a mental health professional in the Community Mental Health Team covering the geographic area where you live.
At Capital & Coast DHB, referrals to community mental health teams which meet access criteria are booked into Choice appointments. Te Haika clinicians will arrange these appointments with you over the phone.
A Choice appointment is a one-off session, which may last 45-90 minutes, concluding with an initial shared formulation and agreed summary and plan, including things that the client, family and others can do to assist. It is not a comprehensive psychiatric assessment but may consider risk and diagnostic frameworks as required. Choice appointments are not intended to replace requests for very urgent psychiatric assessments. These will continue to occur as at present with the CATT service.
Following completion of the Choice appointment, you may be accepted into the Community Mental Health Team for further assessment and treatment. This may include being assigned a Case Manager (CM) to provide for your ongoing care and support in the community. Your CM will be part of the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) which is a group of experienced mental health professionals including your psychiatrist, Community Mental Health Nurses (CMHNs), trainee psychiatrist (if any), psychologists, Social Workers (SWs), and Occupational Therapists (OTs).
After a period of assessment, treatment and rehabilitation under the CMHT, you may become well and safe enough to be discharged into the care of your GP. The CMHT will discharge you only after consultation with yourself, your family (whanau) or other significant person (if involved in your care and treatment) and your GP. These decisions are very important and are only taken after further discussion in the weekly MDT meeting. Once discharged, you may be re-referred to the CMHT via Te Haika by your GP.
Usually all referrals, assessments and treatments will be done with your consent but if you are so mentally unwell that you have no awareness of your health and are consequently unable to agree to treatment, then your treatment and care may be compulsory under the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992. This Act is designed to provide assessment and safe treatment without causing you further harm of any sort. As soon as you are well and safe enough, you will be discharged from under the MH Act.
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Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that affects about 1% of the general population...
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Bipolar Disorder/Manic Depression
This is a mood disorder in which both depressive (persistent low mood) and manic (elevated or high mood) episodes are experienced...
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Depression
Depression is a mood disorder. Emotional states like sadness, ‘feeling blue’ or tearfulness are part of normal human experience...
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Anxiety Disorders
We all feel some anxiety at some time or other...
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If you are a New Zealand citizen or have residency in New Zealand or hold a work permit valid for the next 2 years, access to Community Mental Health Services is funded by the DHB.
For those who do not meet the eligibility criteria for DHB funding, services can be accessed through the public system (DHB) or you can choose to access private assessment and treatment. Your treatment will be billed to you on discharge from the service.
Those who are under the Mental Health Act will receive care funded by the DHB.
When you are booked into a Choice appointment you will receive a confirmation letter. The letter will give details of when and where you will be seen and who you will be meeting. A map and/or directions to the community team's office will also be included.
