Segar House is the only publicly-funded intensive psychotherapy day programme of its kind in New Zealand. Photo: 123rf
For decades Segar House has helped people in Auckland experiencing self-harm, early life trauma, long-standing depression or chronic suicidality.
It offers a publicly-funded, intensive psychotherapy day programme - the only one of its kind in the country.
But under a change proposal from Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand the programme is set to be disestablished; its resources and staff "re-invested" elsewhere.
The proposal cites low participant numbers, transport barriers to access and Covid having an impact on a revamp of the day programme.
But Kyle MacDonald, a psychotherapist who worked at Segar House for a number of years, says the closure is short-sighted - the programme was always designed to be resource-intensive up front, to prevent people needing further therapy down the line.
He joins Kathryn, along with a former patient who says the Segar House programme helped save her life.
