Our intake process
Eligibility for our DBT program
Although DBT helps people with life-threatening behaviours, The Glow Centre is private practice and unable to provide crisis support, so we have specific eligibility criteria.
​​Age: 18 years or older.
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​Risk Level: clients must be at low to moderate risk of harm to themselves. High-risk individuals are not suitable for management within a private practice setting, and should be engaged with or case-managed by a psychiatrist or public mental health team, who can manage medications and arrange for crisis support/admissions when required.
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​Commitment: to ensure optimal treatment outcomes, clients must be willing to engage fully in the DBT process. This includes being committed to and motivated for treatment, agreement to the DBT Participant Agreements, and agreement to The Glow Centre client consent. Clients must be able to attend The Glow Centre in person for skills groups and individual sessions. We do not offer online skills groups due to the duty of care to all participants by skills group co-ordinators.
Exclusion criteria
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​DBT is not an appropriate treatment for all clients, even if eligibility criteria are met.
​Experience has shown that DBT is unlikely to meet the needs of clients who demonstrate the following:
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intellectual functioning that impairs the ability to understand elements of treatment
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acute psychosis
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behaviours that endanger the safety or wellbeing of other DBT participants, including but not limited to:
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actual or threatened violence
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bullying
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intimidation
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harassment
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severe substance abuse
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disabling organic conditions
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florid antisocial behaviour
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severe dissociation
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medical instability (e.g. due to an Eating Disorder).
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Persons under the age of 18: adolescent DBT is a different program, which we do not offer at The Glow Centre.
DBT ASSESSMENT
Ready to Begin? DBT offers life-changing skills - but it only works if you’re ready to actively participate. If you're considering DBT, we’ll work together to make sure it’s the right fit and that you have the support you need.
The first step in accessing DBT at The Glow Centre is to attend a DBT intake assessment.
All prospective clients are required to complete this assessment to help us determine whether our DBT program is the right fit for your needs and circumstances.
The DBT intake process serves as a crucial foundation for successful therapy. By engaging in a thorough assessment, collaborating on goal-setting and treatment planning, and preparing for ongoing DBT sessions, clients can set the stage for a transformative and empowering therapeutic experience.
What to expect in the DBT assessment
​​The assessment is a 50–60 minute session with one of our DBT therapists.
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During this session, we will:
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Explore your current concerns, history, and treatment goals.
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Learn more about you as a person—your strengths, challenges, and motivations for change.
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Collaboratively develop a proposed treatment plan, tailored to your needs.
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Please note: Completing a DBT assessment does not guarantee admission into the program. Admission is based on several clinical and logistical factors, which will be discussed with you during or after the assessment.
Preparing for your DBT assessment
Starting DBT is a significant step toward healing and growth. Knowing what to expect can help ease any uncertainty.
During your assessment, we will ask about:
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Your mental health history (e.g., past diagnoses, treatments, hospitalisations).
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Current symptoms, such as emotional dysregulation, self-harming behaviours, or difficulties in relationships.
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Your support systems, including family, friends, or other resources.
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Your personal goals and what you hope to gain from DBT.
Together, we’ll identify your treatment priorities - whether that’s reducing self-destructive behaviours, improving emotional regulation, or building more effective interpersonal skills.
How we determine suitability
We consider the following factors when assessing suitability for our DBT program:
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Your ability to commit to all parts of The Glow Centre’s DBT program.
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The absence of current high-risk or life-threatening behaviours.
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Whether your needs can be safely and effectively addressed within a private practice setting.
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The availability of places in the program.
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Your ability to meet the financial and time commitments involved.
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The outcome of a team-based case review by our DBT consult team.
Your case will be presented to the DBT consultation team following your assessment. If further information is needed, we may request permission to contact other professionals involved in your care. This process can take some time, and we appreciate your patience during this thorough and careful review.
Please note: Occasionally, a second assessment appointment may be required if further information or discussion is needed. If this is the case, we will contact you to advise and arrange a suitable time. An additional fee applies for any subsequent assessment session, charged at our standard session rate.
What happens next?
After the consultation team has reviewed your assessment:
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A DBT team member will contact you to advise whether you've been accepted into the program.
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If accepted, we’ll guide you through the next steps, including:
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arranging pre-commitment sessions with your allocated individual therapist;
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Information on when you can begin your DBT skills group.
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We aim to notify you of the outcome within approximately 1-2 weeks of your assessment.
Your assigned DBT therapist will be matched based on:
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Your specific clinical needs;
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Your availability for appointments;
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Therapist caseload and scheduling.
PRE-COMMITMENT: getting ready for DBT
​​Before DBT formally begins, there's a pre-treatment phase focused on building motivation, clarifying goals, and ensuring DBT is the right fit.
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Pre-commitment consists of a minimum of 3 individual sessions with your allocated DBT therapist.
In some cases, pre-commitment may be delivered over a longer period (i.e. more than 3 sessions).
Reasons for extending pre-commitment may include (but are not limited to): non-completion of homework, non-completion of other pre-commitment tasks, or difficulty demonstrating commitment to DBT agreements.
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During this phase, the therapist will:
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Explore your treatment history and current challenges
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Explain how DBT works, including time and emotional commitments
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Help you identify specific goals for therapy
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Discuss the structure of DBT (individual therapy, skills group, homework, etc.)
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Invite you to commit to the full program if it feels like the right path
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Goal: Establish readiness, commitment, and mutual understanding between client and therapist before beginning intensive work.
SKILLS GROUP STRUCTURE AND DURATION
Skills group modules run one at a time, with a break of approximately 2 - 4 weeks between each module (pending staff schedules and participant numbers). Currently, we run the skills group on Mondays from 4:30pm.
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New DBT participants will begin attending the skills group at the start of the next module, once the
pre-commitment phase has been completed and pending group capacity.
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Approximate skills group start dates are listed below, however, the start dates depend on sufficient participant numbers. Dates may be delayed if participant numbers are low.
Future dates may not be listed yet if timetabling has not been finalized.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is considered the first skill to learn in DBT and is therefore incorporated into the first
2 weeks of each module
Interpersonal Effectiveness
7 x weekly group sessions
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​Next module:
February 2026
Distress
Tolerance
8 x weekly group sessions
Next module:
July 2025 (intake closed)
April 2026
Emotion
Regulation
9 x weekly group sessions
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Next module:
October 2025
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