GPM for Working with Complexity and Co-Existing Disorders

General/Good Psychiatric Management for Working with Complexity and Co-Existing Disorders

Monday 29th September 2025

9.00 AM TO 4.30 PM AEDT

This workshop offers training in an empirically validated treatment approach to borderline personality disorder (BPD) known as Good or General Psychiatric Management (GPM) with a specific focus on complex cases involving co-occurring disorders. GPM is “good enough” for most clinicians and most patients, and provides mental health professionals guidelines they need to become skilled providers who can derive satisfaction from treating patients with BPD. This workshop will provide instruction in how to adapt GPM to meet the needs of patients with significant co-occurring disorders along with BPD. Depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse disorder, eating disorders, other personality disorders, and many other disorders frequently co-occur with BPD and can significantly complicate treatment.

Many providers believe that co-occurring disorders must be treated before BPD can be addressed, or that BPD must be addressed before meaningful change can occur in co-occurring disorders. This workshop will equip attendees to consider patients with complex cases as whole people and use GPM to most effectively help them. It will review the common co-occurring disorders, the way they interact with BPD, and strategies for combined treatment.

Learning objectives:

On completion of this workshop participants will be able to:

• Identify strategies to combine treatment for BPD and its common co-occurring disorders such as alcohol use and other personality, trauma, and autism spectrum disorders.

Prerequisite: Previous knowledge & training in GPM or BPD Core Competency workshop.

Presenters:

Cathryn Pilcher is the Associate Director of Spectrum and an Occupational Therapist with more than 18 years’ experience in Mental Health, specialising in working with people with personality disorder. She is comprehensively trained in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and was integrally involved in setting up the first regional DBT program in Western Australia. Along with clinical and strategic leadership, Cathryn provides consultation, supervision and training, translating her experience into skills for people working with those experiencing personality disorder and co-existing conditions. On a broader note, Cathryn has a keen interest in service development in public and private health systems developing models of care, team process, capacity building and workforce development. She is a passionate advocate for embedding access to appropriate and supportive treatment options for people with personality disorder and complex trauma within services.

Associate Professor Sathya Rao is a psychiatrist and the Executive Clinical Director of Spectrum Personality Disorder Service. He is the Vice President of the Australian BPD Foundation. He is the president of Australasian Association for Research & Treatment of Personality Disorders (AART-PD) and also chairs the Committee for Professional Practice of RANZCP. In recognition of his outstanding service to Victorian Psychiatry over many years, the Victorian branch of the college of psychiatrists (RANZCP), in 2020 awarded him the ‘Meritorious Service Award’. In recognition of his contributions to psychiatry he received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) (General Division) in June 2022. He has training and backgrounds in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Mentalization Based Therapy (MBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and psychodynamic therapies. He has been actively involved in teaching and training activities across Australia for psychiatrists, GPs and clinicians of allied health disciplines. He was the head of psychiatry training for Victoria, RANZCP. He has also held the roles of Director of Training, Director of Advanced Training (Psychotherapies and Adult Psychiatry) and a mentor for IMG psychiatrists. He was a member of BPD Guidelines Development Committee of National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC), Australia. Dr Rao has published more than 70 research papers, has contributed chapters and co-authored books on Personality Disorder.

Who should attend?

Clinicians who work with patients with BPD and have received some prior training in GPM.

Cost: (payable by credit card/paypal only)

• In-Person: $250

In-person: Spectrum, Lvl 1, 110 Church Street, Richmond. A light lunch, morning and afternoon tea, including a vegetarian selection is provided.

Getting to Spectrum: Spectrum is located at 110 Church Street, on the corner of Church Street and Tweedie Place. Entrance is via the front of the building, to the right of the Skoda car dealership.

Public transport:

• Tram 78 on Church Street. Alight at Tweedie Pl/Church Street (Stop 63).
• Tram 109 on Victoria Parade (about a 5 min walk to 110 Church Street)
• Tram 75 on Bridge Rd (about a 7 min walk to 110 Church Street)

Car parking:

There is limited 2 & 4 hour street parking available in the area. If you are driving, please allow enough time to find parking.

All day parking is available in:

• 35 Elizabeth Street, Richmond – 11 minute walk (about $16 a day)
• 1 Allowah Terrace, Richmond – 12 minute walk (about $15/day)
• Doonside St, Richmond – 14 minute walk (about $10/day
• 679 Victoria St, Abbotsford, Australia – 20 minute walk (about $10 a day)

General enquiries: (03) 8413 8750 or spectrumtraining@easternhealth.org.au

Cancellation policy: If your circumstances change and you no longer can attend this event please log into your eventbrite account and cancel your ticket and request a refund no later than one (1) week prior to the event. A refund will not be issued if notification has not been received within this time frame and you will be required to pay for the event.

COVID-19 Update: To ensure a COVIDsafe event, please do not attend if you:

• Show symptoms of COVID-19, including cough, fever, runny nose, shortness of breath
• Have been recently diagnosed with COVID-19 and released from self-isolation on day 5 or day 6
• Are a close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case