Frenchs Forest, Rodborough Rd: Psychology clinic set for business park
A private psychology clinic has been approved for a northern beaches’ business park amid rising rates of local mental illness.
Manly
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A private psychology clinic that will help meet a growing demand for treatment of mental illness on the northern beaches has been given the go-ahead.
Eight consulting rooms will be created in a business park at Frenchs Forest.
Thinkahead Consultant Psychologists will operate the clinic at Rodborough Rd.
Northern Beaches-based Thinkahead states on its website that it “specialises in clinical private practice – supporting children and adolescents, individuals, couples and families”.
The practice, which has existing consultancy rooms at Frenchs Forest Road East and at West Ryde, also offers psychology consulting services, such as occupational therapy, to workplaces and organisations.
Latest figures from Northern Beaches Council’s “State of Wellbeing” report showed that 6.2 per cent of residents on the northern beaches had a “mental heath condition”.
Documents lodged with the council as part of the development application showed that Thinkahead wanted to transform an existing suite of 11 business offices, on the top floor of a three-storey office building, into eight consulting rooms.
There will be a training area for group programs, for up 12 people, to run after business hours and on Saturdays.
It would open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm as well as Saturday 9am to 4pm.
There are no private homes nearby.
The new clinic comes just months after NSW Planning approved a private mental health hospital, just off nearby Aquatic Drive, Frenchs Forest.
Work to build the eight-storey, $54m Northern Beaches Mental Health Hub was expected to begin later this year.
Local mental health groups had been backing the hospital, to be leased out to private operators, which its developer said would meet “high level local unmet demands”.
As well as inpatient rooms and amenities, the hub will offer outpatient and clinical therapy
services and consulting rooms. There will be an ambulance bay and parking for 73 cars.
The plans also include private patient rooms with ensuite, as well as a rooftop garden; ground floor cafe; gym; a “healing garden” and “reflective sitting nooks”.
In its pitch to planning authorities, the developer, CK Group, said the hub would slow local rates of suicide and self-harm, especially among young people.
CK Group managing director Walt Coulston said its focus was on “establishing a much-needed mental health facility specifically for juveniles”.
Local youth preventive mental health support group, Batyr, this year said social isolation and distress were reaching higher rates “than ever”.
Its chief executive Nic Brown said demand for acute mental health services was at a high.
“It’s important that additional resources are invested in a timely manner to address this and prevent any future risks in our community.’’
If this article raises any issues, support is available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.
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