Psychology & Counselling
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
Telehealth Services
About Essentia Health Clinics
Established in 1999 by our Clinical Director, Dr. Peter L. King, Essentia Health Clinics have been providing high-quality psychology, counselling, and mental health services to individuals, couples, and families for over two decades.
Our clinics are staffed by a team of highly trained and experienced independent professionals, including psychologists, social workers, counsellors, and psychotherapists. Collectively, our clinicians bring extensive experience from diverse settings such as private practice, crisis assessment teams, public mental health services, schools, universities, and behavioural management programs.
Whether you are seeking support for a short-term concern or require ongoing, long-term care, our compassionate team will carefully assess your needs and provide evidence-based treatment tailored to you.
Essentia Health Clinics are owned by Dr. Peter L. King, and our clinicians offer a broad range of therapeutic approaches—including but not limited to Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). Through our partnership with the DBT Institute, we deliver accredited DBT programs encompassing individual therapy, group sessions, and telephone coaching.
Our clinical leadership has been trained and supervised by international experts, including Professor Marsha Linehan (developer of DBT and founder of Behavioral Tech LLC) and Babette Rothschild (developer of Somatic Trauma Therapy). This depth of expertise ensures that our services are grounded in the highest professional and ethical standards.
Essentia Health Clinics currently operate from Melbourne (Head Office), Sydney, and Phuket, with our national intake service and management team based in Melbourne VIC Australia and Phuket Thailand at the Asia Pacific DBT Institute.
Mission & History
Essentia Health Clinics, established in 1999 in Bendigo Victoria, are privately owned psychology practices founded and directed by Dr. Peter L. King.
Essentia Health takes a unique, collaborative approach by bringing together a diverse group of independent mental health professionals who share a commitment to teamwork rather than isolated practice. Our clinicians come from a wide range of professional settings and backgrounds, creating a rich and supportive environment for both clients and practitioners.
Our mission is to provide inclusive, trauma-informed, and eclectic mental health services that integrate lived experience with evidence-informed clinical practice.
In developing Essentia Health Clinics, Dr. King has drawn upon extensive mentorship and training with international leaders, including Professor Marsha Linehan (founder of Behavioral Tech, 2003–2008) and Babette Rothschild (developer of Somatic Trauma Therapy and author of The Body Remembers, 2014–2018). Their influence continues to shape the compassionate, integrative, and evidence-based philosophy that defines Essentia Health today.
What We Offer
Essentia Health offers access to a range of mental health professionals through private fee for service mental health care. Some of our clinicians will also receive referrals for NDIS, Mental Health Plans, Private Health Funds, TAC, WorkCover, and Veterans & Families Counselling!
Counselling
Counselling seeks to help you or someone you know with concerns or problems such as anxiety, depression, grief or relationship difficulties. Counselling aims to individuals resolve problems in a positive way by helping to clarify the issues, explore options, develop strategies and increase self-awareness. Sessions are generally held one-on-one or with a partner, family or children. Group counselling is also available. More info
Telehealth
Through Zoom or our electronic medical records system our therapists can provide a range of Telehealth services including private counselling and group therapy. Some of our telehealth services can be provided under Medicare or private health insurance. A number of studies have demonstrated that telehealth can be as effective as face-to-face consultations in achieving improved health outcomes. More info
NDIS – Capacity Building Support
Capacity-building support is one of the three types of support budgets that an NDIS plan might include. Essentia Health’s Capacity Building Support Team offers support to individuals who have been diagnosed with a range of mental health diagnoses including Borderline Personality Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Complex PTSD with the aim to help individuals to be more independent and live their best life.
There are nine Capacity Building support categories we work under. You won’t automatically receive funding for all nine. An individual’s NDIS funding for these categories will be based on each individual’s NDIS plan goals. For example, if one of your goals is to be more active in your community, you may receive Capacity Building support in the form of learning skills to manage behaviour, or having a support worker attend social activities with you until you are confident and have the skills to attend on your own.
To speak to our Capacity Building team please contact Erick via email at erick@essentiahealth.com.au or call him at our Gold Coast Clinic on 07 5647 3438 (Tuesday til Friday) to arrange a time to discuss your NDIS support coordination needs. For more information please refer to our NDIS Capacity Building Clinic information!
………….
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Through our affiliation with the Asia Pacific DBT Institute, our clinicians are credentialed providers of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). DBT is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on behavioural change for individuals with extreme emotions and distress. The “D” means “dialectical.” A dialectic is a synthesis or integration of opposites. In DBT, dialectical strategies help both the therapist and the client get unstuck from extreme positions. Dialectical strategies keep the therapy in balance and help clients reach their ultimate goals as quickly as possible. The “B” stands for “behavioural.” DBT requires a behavioural approach. This means that we assess the situations and target behaviours that are relevant to our clients’ goals in order to figure out how to solve the problems in their lives. The “T” stands for “therapy” which DBT is.
Cost of Services
Each mental health professional at Essentia Health sets their own fees in accordance with the recommendations from their professional body.
A range of rebates are available for our private mental health services including:
Medicare: A mental health treatment plan can let you claim up to 20 sessions with a mental health professional each calendar year. Our clinicians set their own fees, so there will be an out-of-pocket cost.
Private Health: If you have private health insurance, you may be able to get some money back. You can check with your insurer.
NDIS: We accept referrals for individuals with Self-Managed & Plan Managed NDIS plans.
Other Funding Schemes: Some of our clinicians will also receive referrals from TAC, WorkCover, and Veterans & Families Counselling!
Our Team
Our clinicians are independent practitioners who provide leadership in a range of areas including trauma therapy, behavioural management, dialectical behaviour therapy and addiction-based mental health care.
National Management Team
- Dr. Peter King (Clinics Director)
- Kelly Allen (DBT Lead)
- Stuart Langley (RO DBT Lead)
Brighton Clinic Clinicians
- Dr. Julie King, Clinical Psychologist & Credentialed DBT Practitioner
- Dr. Natasha Doulgeridis, Clinical Psychologist
- Dr. Lilian Nejad, Clinical Psychologist & Credentialed DBT Practitioner
- Joanne Tweed, Mental Health Nurse & RO-DBT Accredited Therapist
- Aoife McCann, Child Psychologist
- Annabelle Waldron, Psychologist
- Caitlyn King, Provisional Psychologist
Sydney Clinic Clinicians
- Stuart Langley, Psychologist (Telehealth)
- Kelly Allen, Psychologist, Credentialed DBT Practitioner & RO DBT Accredited Therapist (Telehealth & Mona Vale)
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does your service cost?
Each mental health professional at Essentia Health sets their own fees in accordance with the recommendations from their professional body.
A range of rebates are available for our private mental health services including:
NDIS: Essentia Health Clinics and our Telehealth Service accept referrals for individuals with Self-Managed & Plan Managed NDIS plans. We are a specialist service supporting individuals with emotion regulation difficulties and other mental health concerns. We do not offer plan development services as our focus is on psychology, mental health, behavioural skills development, and specialist plan coordination services.
Medicare: A mental health treatment plan can let you claim up to 20 sessions with a mental health professional each calendar year. Our clinicians set their own fees, so there will be an out-of-pocket cost.
Private Health: If you have private health insurance, you may be able to get some money back. You can check with your insurer.
Other Funding Schemes: Some of our clinicians will also receive referrals from TAC, WorkCover, and Veterans & Families Counselling!
Do I need a mental health plan or referral from a doctor?
The quick response to this question is no. There are advantages to seeing a doctor including an assessment of your physical wellbeing. Many times a mental health concern or change in mental state can be caused by an underlying medical condition although this is not always the case! Your doctor or psychiatrist are the only health professionals who can refer you to our services through a mental health plan. A mental health plan lets you claim up to 20 sessions with a mental health professional each calendar year.
Do you guarantee I will get better?
No mental health professional can guarantee specific benefits or outcomes through therapy. In fact, there is legislation in place in Australia to ensure that such claims are not made by mental health professionals. What mental health professionals do is use the evidence of effective outcomes from research, clinical experience, and clinical supervision to increase the likelihood of delivering effective interventions. All mental health professionals at Essentia Health have a range of clinical experiences, receive supervision from peers, integrate evidence-informed approaches to mental health care, and seek post-registration training and development in Psychology and/or mental health.
Referrals & Intake
Essentia Health Brighton (VIC)
Clinicians at our Brighton Clinic manage their own appointments and billing directly with clients.
For new referrals, please contact our intake team at (03) 9586 8411 or email info@essentiahealth.com.au, and we will assist in connecting you with the right clinician.
NDIS Capacity Building Clinic
For all NDIS-related inquiries, please contact Peter at our Melbourne Clinic:
📧 intake@essentiahealth.com.au
📞 (03) 9586 8411 (Tuesday to Friday, 9am–5pm)
You can also submit an NDIS referral directly through our NDIS Referral Form, located at the bottom of our NDIS information page.
Our National Intake Team, based at Essentia Health Clinics in Melbourne and Phuket Thailand, will assist in identifying the most suitable mental health professional to meet your individual needs.
You can reach our intake team by calling (03) 9586 8411 or emailing info@essentiahealth.com.au. We’ll guide you toward the most appropriate clinician and ensure a smooth referral process.
Health professionals— Referrals sent to this number are automatically uploaded to our secure electronic medical record system. We also receive secure referrals via Medical Objects (Dr. Peter King provider number: 5949971K). Once received, our intake team will contact the individual being referred to match them with the most appropriate clinician from our team.
Alternatively, you can submit a referral directly through one of our online referral forms:
Essentia Health Brighton (VIC)
Clinicians at our Brighton Clinic manage their own appointments and billing directly with clients.
For new referrals, please contact our intake team at (03) 9586 8411 or email info@essentiahealth.com.au, and we will assist in connecting you with the right clinician.
NDIS Capacity Building Clinic
For all NDIS-related inquiries, please contact Peter at our Melbourne Clinic:
📧 intake@essentiahealth.com.au
📞 (03) 9586 8411 (Tuesday to Friday, 9am–5pm)
You can also submit an NDIS referral directly through our NDIS Referral Form, located at the bottom of our NDIS information page.