The old Hawkesbury Hospital was built to heal people and now it’s been leased with the same purpose in mind.
After being mostly vacant since the hospital moved to its new premises across the road in 1996, the whole building has a 10-year lease from October 1 to Quovus Pty Ltd, operating as Hawkesbury House, a therapy and counselling service for individuals and families affected by traumatic circumstances.
Hawkesbury House is run by Sackville resident and psychologist Lisa Fahey, who learned of the hospital’s availability for lease from stories published in the Gazette in May.
Ms Fahey said she had been consulting to other services but felt a physical therapy hub was needed in the Hawkesbury.
‘‘There are so many layers to intervention [for traumatised individuals and families],’’ she said. ‘‘This will be a one-stop shop for different forms of therapy to address whole-family problems.
‘‘Some of the most long-lasting therapies are where you heal the whole family.’’
She said group therapies had not been used so much in recent times, but ‘‘learning from watching other people go through healing is very powerful’’.
‘‘Kids or adults can become part of a group and routine — groups are not as much pressure and not as expensive [as one on one therapy]. It’s often helpful to just sit and listen if you’re not ready to discuss your own problems.’’ She said she hoped to help RAAF families who had experienced trauma as well.
No referral is required for the fee-based services, but HICAPS Medicare subsidies are available with a referral from a GP. Ms Fahey also hopes for referrals from psychologists, school counsellors and early intervention workers.