Sometimes the best tools for supporting and looking after ourselves are therapeutic, whether that be working with a mental health professional or doing work on our own or with a group. It can be difficult to know where to begin though, or what these different tools mean and do, so we worked with ACON’s Support Services team to develop the summary below.

Why do these tools exist?

Therapeutic tools are used to help give you the necessary skills to deal with something that’s causing you distress. Many times these are used in collaboration with a mental health professional, though there are ways of engaging with them yourself too.

It’s important to remember that they are tools — no one tool is better than any other, or more helpful, and if they’re not useful, that’s okay.

CBT

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an intervention that was originally designed to treat depression. It focuses on challenging the unfounded beliefs that lead to thoughts, feelings and behaviours that might be unhelpful or distressing.

CBT can be delivered by a therapist across multiple sessions, though there are also self-directed activities you can do based on CBT techniques, such as This Way Up.

DBT

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a modified form of CBT developed by Marsha Lineham for treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. The tools and techniques within DBT have been found to be effective in managing suicidal ideation, self-harm, mood disorders and substance use. That said, you don’t need to relate to or be diagnosed with those issues to find DBT’s focus on mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal relationships useful.

DBT can be delivered by a therapist across multiple sessions, and there are also self-directed activities you can do based on DBT techniques. You can find materials that you can use by yourself or with a therapist at dialecticalbehaviortherapy.com.

Narrative Therapy

Narrative therapy is a therapeutic framework that emphasises patient-led therapy and social justice. In narrative therapy, the therapist and the patient work together to create new narratives that emphasise the patient’s strengths and help them to challenge future problems in a way that aligns with their values. Narrative therapy seeks to help in a way that is collaborative and non-pathologising, recognising the role that power structures have in our beliefs and behaviours.

Narrative therapy is delivered by a therapist, across multiple sessions, though there is no set time-frame, as it is client-driven.

Schema Therapy

Schema therapy is a form of integrative therapy that can be useful for managing long-held beliefs that are resistant to other forms of therapy.

Schema therapy is delivered by a therapist across multiple sessions.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) teaches acceptance of what is beyond our control, and commitment to actions that enrich or improve our lives by actively focusing on our values and what is important to us.

ACT is delivered by a therapist across multiple sessions.

Mental health care in Australia

Mental healthcare in Australia can be expensive, and the cost varies greatly depending on the mental health professional you’re seeing.

ACON offers free inclusive Care Coordination and Counselling services. We prioritise trans people:

- Living with or affected by HIV
- In suicidal crisis or needing help after a suicide attempt
- Needing help with alcohol or drug use
- Experiencing sexual, domestic or family violence

Counselling services may charge a small fee for other presenting issues. This fee is re-invested back into the service to enable us to see more clients.

To access the service or find out more, check out our Community Care and Pride Counselling services here.

You can also find links to other mental health care services on our Mental Health page here.