Ramsay Clinic Thirroul

We all want perfect - but life doesn’t often come that way. This place is not perfect.but it’s growing towards a better approach and there are so many people that really care.

I can honestly say that I leave this place a little better, a little less lonely and with a few new friends.

Sure I had a few tricky moments and I needed to be seen and heard. And I was. I had to be brave. I had to reach out. I had to find my voice.

No one can make us better. Sometimes we want that. It’s our life, with all those experiences we bring. No one here will fix those bits. No one can but us - individually and together.

So I am so pleased I came. I never imagined that I would say that. I think it’s the best fit for us, the ones who are a bit tired, a bit lonely a bit self / other love deprived. The ones that want to belong but for whatever reason - we got left behind.

I would suggest bringing a doona, an under blanket and some warm clothes. Perhaps an openness to something. The sunrise is great.
The relationships are healing. The property is comfortable (though the ac is a bit cold)

This is genuine. I’m glad I came

Ramsay Clinic Thirroul is an amazing facility that has helped me understand my trauma and taught me many valuable skills to use in the outside world. The nursing staff, allied health professionals, psychiatrists, group facilitators and even the cleaners and cooks are all so lovely and helpful in every aspect. I have completed 2 stays now and am so grateful to have this wonderful facility to come back to when needed. Thank you RCT

A unique women's only private clinic primarily treating cptsd/ptsd & mood disorders.
The nursing staff were truly exemplary, as is the exercise physiologist, art therapists, wonderful housekeeping team, (super friendly).
The clinic is well appointed and immaculate.
The clinic offers a diverse menu catering to the health conscious, or u can indulge in the most divine morning & afternoon tea.
Warm & friendly receptionists. Management very approachable. I found it difficult not having any social workers or psychologists for regular one on one appointments during my stay. The clinic's therapy relys solely on the groups. The facilitators were extremely caring, however, 90 minute groups were almost always reduced to just 40mins, if our facilitator observed someone displaying any reaction during group, it was swiftly terminated. Given the structure and content was unique to me, I was very keen to garner as much therapeutic value from these groups as possible, i was often left feeling perplexed & at times frustrated. That said, no place is perfect, & from my observations this clinic is striving to improve all the time.
I felt very respected, cared about, & valued by every member of staff regardless of their position.
I don't want to single out staff for individual recognition because collectively they all brought with them valuable skills & immense kindness.
My only other challenge, it is the first private clinic only offering "free to air" local TV. Terrible!
Come on, at least provide Netflix or YouTube- it would also allow for women to kick back & come together at times & enjoy an early movie - at least there would be content worth watching from bedroom TV. The clinic ensured there was always access to a variety of reading material, crafts, board games, puzzles, & basic art supplies at all times.
This clinic is most definitely LBQ friendly (bearing in mind this is a clinic for females only).
It is a challenging role for a clinic to be able to be all things to all people, while I acknowledge all points of view, when clients are under distress everything can easily be magnified.
I look at intent. I believe this clinic & everyone who works there, has a genuine & sincere Intent to nurture all women, by equipping us with essential skills to transcend the incredible damage cptsd/ptsd or mood disorders has from living our best lives. The clinic has developed a unique 3 stage approach (requiring 3 admissions for 3 weeks at a time) however the duration of one's admission can go well beyond that time frame if necessary.
There isn't a clinic in the world that would have me skipping out the door from a one off, 3 week admission after the myriad of sustained abuse starting from at least 2yrs of age. It is important to be realistic, this was my first step (after so many years), & an opportunity to leave equipped with some new skills.
This was always undertaken by the skilled & sensitive professionals at this clinic.
In closing I need to acknowledge the truly wonderful CEO, my lovely specialist, the NUM, & the work of Marylord in developing the program.
If Ramsay were willing to employ both social workers to support clients with important practical matters & psychologists for one on one sessions throughout the duration of their stay (as they do at The Sydney Private Clinic), it would elevate this clinic and go a long way to better meet the needs of their clients.
Consistency amongst the facilitators relating to protocols of running groups is a priority.
I met some truly remarkable, tenacious, strong women & I wish all of them the very best on
their journey of healing.

Sarita is amazing, very trauma informed and such a lovely nurse.the nursing staff are fantastic, the food is amazing.most of the facilitators are lovely and well informed providing very good care.

I’m writing this review on behalf of my Mother.

Being the third admission for my mother in a mental health facility, first time at Ramsey Clinic, Thirroul my mother found her time at the facility very helpful. Though still living with her truama she now has more calm, and strategies she uses to ground herself taught in the group program she participated in. Mum is always going to be a work in progress, but after spending time with other like minded women in the facility, it has taken away the negative opinion she had about herself and feeling that she was alone in her battle.

This place is a blessing for women like my mother, and I thank you.

Some good and dedicated people here, and great boutique amenities. Art therapy and gym also very helpful.
However, I would NOT recommend this clinic to anyone in any kind of distress from a lifetime of developmental trauma. In fact, you will get a lot of psychoeducation and skills training and NO path to any experiential work where you get to focus on your own individual trauma, and life situation. Believe me, I tried. You are told NOT to talk about your trauma. This 'no talk' rule generally translated as people strolling around anonymously not connecting in any real way, which I found isolating and unhealthy. You might as well be attending a conference. Traumatised people get triggered and the clinic was ill prepared to deal with this in any therapeutic way. I was triggered in group and instead of being helped to get to the root of the problem, it was treated more as crisis management, and given a bandaid solution - nothing was addressed, and I was left feeling abandonned and discounted. There were no scheduled sessions with a therapist outside of group, and if you wanted to see the psychologist -line up. Generally the loudest voices got the attention. There is also no individual assessment of your current issues, stage of recovery or stage of change, and everyone is put in together according to your particular 3-week admission. If you are wanting to do deeper work and to truly connect with other patients; go somewhere else.

Ramsay Clinic Thirroul is an exceptional facility that has literally saved my life. The nurturing Mental health team and all staff including kitchen, reception and cleaning make it a place where I found the most beautiful support and nurturing so I can proudly say I am living free from CPTSD instead of being consumed by it. I was at an extremely low place in my mental health and consumed by fear because of CPTSD. By having the privilege of being an inpatient at Ramsay Clinic Thirroul I am now thriving and living the life I was born to live. I could not justify in words how grateful I am to Ramsay and the whole team for providing me with all the love, care, support and education so I have learnt to train my body to know it is safe when it is safe. I have overcome eating disorders which tormented me most of my life and I have learnt to manage the panic attacks by learning skills and strategies from the exceptional program facilitators. Thank you to you all at Ramsay Clinic Thirroul for investing in me and supporting me through the hardest time of my life. I praise God for you all and may you all be truly blessed for the AMAZING support you provide.xxxxxxxx

If I could give this place zero stars I would. What goes on in thirroul is disgusting. The staff are putrid. They are rude and insensitive. Susan will yell at patients and dismiss them. Sarita will break confidentiality, she will yell at you. I have personally witnessed nurses yell at patients for experiences distressing emotions. I witnessed nurses yell at a patient who was having a psychotic episode and I mean yell at her. The nurses don’t do Category checks, in fact they rarely check you at all. They don’t care if you’re struggling or feel unsafe. In fact I’ve even seen nurses try and convince a patient to say they wanted to hurt themselves so they would go to public because they were “tired of dealing with them. ” Group is not run by trained clinic staff. Even psychiatrist break confidentiality. This place is not a safe place and just causes more trauma. Care plans don’t get done and there’s virtually no support provided by staff. So yeah if you want me trauma, then I guess this clinic is for you

I can only speak on my experience & what I whitnessed. I didn’t have any expectations except from what was on the website and it looked perfect for someone who had never experienced being in an any type of Trauma centre. Finally it was safe for me to learn tools, get to the core problem, eat correctly, exercise with a holistic approach.

THIS could not be further from the truth. I seen a Dr (Gp) once! I was told I couldn’t speak about any trauma only with my psychiatrist who if you’re lucky a 20 minute catch up while taking you off medication you had been on for 14 years. Then introducing new medication. Group was called off multiple times, gym was mostly closed, pool open twice. From day one my medication wasn’t charted correctly which is dangerously wrong. I couldn’t use the tools I had learned because I hadn’t learned any.

I told every nurse I seen and because I don’t believe in swearing and screaming to get what I want the answer was always sorry you need to wait until you see your psychiatrist again! That was 8 days later.

I chose this place to feel safe instead I was intimidated, I came to be heard instead I was silenced, I came to heal instead I have been given more trauma than when I went in, I came here to feel supported instead I felt more alone and left more depressed and traumatised than when I arrived.

If it wasn’t for the Art therapists, chefs, some amazing night staff, for eg Thomas and some group teachers AND most importantly the stage 1 other women who were in as patients I would have left the second day I had arrived.

But I pushed through until I witnessed segregation put on individuals it was disgusting behaviour.

I was allowed to be intimidated even with the cards that say I am unsafe I had at my door, Serita took them from my door the head nurse? Even after sending multiple emails to the CEO, from the second day I arrived. Heard nothing until the day I left where I was asked to just trust the intimidation would stop. It didn’t.

I hate that I have to write this, as this centre is needed! I wouldn’t recommend my family, clients ever come to this centre with how it is run currently. Until they can afford more nursing staff who are not needing to do double shifts, psychologist who can have more than 15 min catch ups, social workers etc etc

Actual people the patients can talk to instead of each other, because that is not allowed so we just stay silent? It’s human nature and it’s isolating to stay alone and be treated poorly. Just as It was explained to me “it’s not our fault we are understaffed” understaffed. It’s not our fault you’re understaffed.

Please close this place down until it’s able to run where you are helping women not causing more trauma. I watched so many women discharge early in extreme distress. I haven’t written a quarter of what I experienced or witnessed. I truly hope this will help to get the centre fixed for the vulnerable women who are seeking your help, for some it’s our last hope.

I had the privilege of seeking solace and support at the remarkable Ramsay Clinic Thirroul Mental Health, and words cannot adequately express the profound impact it had on my life. From the moment I entered the doors, I was enveloped by an atmosphere of genuine compassion, understanding and unwavering dedication to healing. The staff at the clinic demonstrated an extraordinary level of professionalism and expertise. Their commitment to providing personalised care and ensuring the well being of each individual was evident in every interaction. The nurses, therapist's, and support staff worked together seamlessly, fostering an environment where one could truly feel seen, heard and validated. What sets this clinic apart is their holistic approach to mental health. Through a combination of evidence based therapies, they offered a comprehensive treatment plan. The integration of various therapeutic modalities, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, reprocessing, art therapy, and mindfulness techniques, provided me with a well rounded healing experience. Group therapy sessions allowed me to connect with individuals who had experienced similar traumas creating a powerful of understanding and encouragement. In conclusion Ramsay Clinic Thirroul Mental Health Trauma is a beacon of hope and healing. Their compassionate staff, holistic approach serene environment and unwavering commitment to lasting recovery make it the epitome of excellence in Mental Health Care. I am eternally grateful for the transformative experience I had at this centre. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone seeking genuine healing and restoration.

If you are looking to be retraumatised, go here. They provide no information prior to coming about what to expect, they discharge patients at $uicide risk, they are far from being trauma informed and only care about the money they get from the patients, they provide no one-to-one care aside a brusque 5 minutes with a psychiatrist once a week and Susan the head of health is homophobic and will accuse queer patients who have experienced complex sexual trauma of "preying on vulnerable people" (an extremely triggering and discriminatory comment) because they gave each other a mutually consensual hug in comfort. Most of the nursing staff are lovely, as are Jean the somatic therapist, Pat the art therapist, Nelly the social worker and Jen the clinical psychologist - all deserve a pay rise, but management are DISGUSTING and have zero care for the patients. At the end of admission where I expressed endlessly for a week I am deeply not safe to go home, I was told that it is "not a facility aimed at people in crisis"! As a literal psychiatric facility with at least 80% of patients in crisis, this is truly pathetic. Ramsay Clinic in Thirroul needs to have a complete change in upper management and I look forward to myself and numerous other patients making formal reports.

As an inpatient regarding ongoing programs at the Ramsay Clinic Thirroul, I honestly have no complaints, only praise for this wonderful facility. It amazes me that this is the only trauma center for women in Australia, what a disgrace on behalf of the Australian health sector.
The programs have been well thought out and minimize the grief and past trauma relating to the clients. The staff are very professional in their roles and go above and beyond to accommodate situations if/as they arise.
From maintenance, kitchen, and domestic, facilitators, front desk, and nursing staff are all very polite and approachable. The psychiatrists within the clinic are professional, amazing, and have only the client's interest at heart.
Sleep hygiene, diet, and exercise are priorities within the clinic, and so is creative art therapy.
I highly recommend this facility/clinic for women struggling with trauma/mental health.