Development and implementation of the Ironbark Program: A cross-sector collaboration for supporting people with borderline personality disorder

Australas Psychiatry. 2026 Jun 24:10398562261455816. doi: 10.1177/10398562261455816. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

IntroductionThis paper describes the development, implementation, and preliminary findings of the Ironbark Program, a group-based intervention delivered in a residential psychiatry facility. The Ironbark Program uses a common treatment factor approach to support people with a range of mental health challenges, including borderline personality disorder (BPD), BPD traits, or emotion dysregulation.MethodThe rationale, development, goals, and session outline of the Ironbark Program are described. The preliminary evaluation of the program examined feasibility and acceptability from a staff perspective using pre- and post-training implementation surveys, and from a consumer perspective, using session ratings collected after each Ironbark module.ResultsThe Ironbark Program has been an effective way to utilise existing resources despite initial implementation challenges. The Ironbark Program has resulted in greater cohesiveness, confidence, and a broad improvement in staff attitudes regarding consumers diagnosed with BPD. Consumers consistently rated Ironbark modules as ‘very good’ and ‘excellent’.ConclusionsPreliminary findings suggest Ironbark represents an effective collaboration between a non-government organisation and mainstream public psychiatry. The program can be delivered cost-effectively by non-clinical and support staff. Ironbark was designed to be specific enough to be effective for consumers with BPD or BPD traits, while being sufficiently generic to benefit all PARC consumers.

PMID:42339591 | DOI:10.1177/10398562261455816