Strong Foundations. Clear Direction. Recovery from PTSD.

The Compass  

The Compass is a dedicated 14-bed mental health trauma unit providing a guided pathway to recovery for people experiencing PTSD. 

The Compass offers a supportive and compassionate space, designed for individuals whose trauma may arise from a range of life experiences. The Compass provides a supportive therapeutic environment where patients can develop practical skills to manage symptoms and reconnect with daily life.  

Inpatient program  

Our inpatient program is offered in two stages:  

The Foundation  

Foundation programs provide you with essential base skills and psychometric assessment to make sure you are well prepared to start the PTSD program. Foundation programs are based on psychoeducation, incorporating Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) principles to support managing distress, overcoming and addressing symptoms of mood and addiction.

Our admissions and assessment team will work with you to explore your options and ensure you are in placed in the most suitable foundation program.

The Foundation program is a minimum three‑week inpatient stay and is required prior to commencing the next stage, Phase One.  

Phase One

After completing The Foundation program, our Phase One program focuses on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) recovery. Phase One is a three-week evidence-based closed inpatient program, that blends trauma focused therapy and psychoeducation to equip you with skills to aid in your recovery. During your three-week stay with us, you will gain skills to help you:

• Understand trauma and PTSD:  Learn what trauma and PTSD are, how overwhelming experiences affect the mind and body and why certain reactions can continue long after the event has passed.
• Feel safe and regain control:  Discover practical ways to cope during moments of distress, calm the nervous system and manage strong emotions when things feel overwhelming.
• Manage emotions and everyday challenges:  Get support to handle emotions like anger, reduce unhelpful coping habits (such as substance use) and gently work through avoidance that can limit daily life.
• Reduce trauma symptoms:  Learn strategies to manage intrusive thoughts, memories and heightened reactions, helping you feel more present, settled and in control.
• Support ongoing recovery:  Build healthy self‑care routines and create an aftercare plan to support long‑term wellbeing, resilience and continued recovery.

All our programs integrate the latest evidence-based, trauma-informed treatment with complementary therapies such as martial arts, Tai-Chi, creative therapies, horticulture and more.  

Recovery is not one and done. So, once you have completed your inpatient stay with us, we develop a plan for your ongoing support and healing.  

Day programs

Our day programs are designed to work on the skills and knowledge you need to recover and stay well. 

Trauma Skills

Our Trauma Skills day program runs one day per week, for 12 weeks and incorporates Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) to help develop and improve the skills you require to manage symptoms associated with trauma. The program is offered as an in-person attendance or if you live regionally or are unable to attend in person, we offer a virtual based program.  

The day program is suitable:

• Following an inpatient admission to help you to transition from your hospital stay back to daily life whilst still providing you with support and the opportunity to connect with others in a group setting.  
• If you have experienced trauma, are grappling with PTSD and seeking practical strategies and support, and where an inpatient admission is not clinically required.