Private Psychiatric Hospital for Mental Health and Addiction Recovery
Ashburn Clinic operates a structured Democratic Therapeutic Community model, facilitating psychodynamic group and individual therapy, fostering a culture of peer support and reflective personal development.
When you or a loved one needs specialised mental health care, choosing the right facility can make all the difference in your recovery journey. Ashburn Clinic offers a full spectrum of care, from inpatient treatment to our structured day programme, plus on-site accommodation for those transitioning to independent living. Ashburn Clinic works in partnership with people with mental health and addiction difficulties to improve their wellbeing and quality of life. Our team of experienced clinical professionals has a long history of successfully treating mental health challenges and continues to provide expert care.
Not-for-profit Treatment for Mental Illness and Addictions
Established in 1882 as an alternative to state hospital care, Ashburn now operates as a Democratic Therapeutic Community, providing funded and private residential services in a professional and supportive environment for diagnosis, treatment and recovery from mental illness and addictions. People come from all over New Zealand to access care here; patients must be at least 17 years of age to join us.
We’re a Democratic Therapeutic Community
The Democratic Therapeutic Community is the core of Ashburn Clinic, providing a unique service. It is an inpatient group-based programme for people with conditions such as:
- Personality disorders
- Anxiety disorders
- Post-traumatic stress, including sexual abuse and trauma
- Depression and other mood disorders
- Eating disorders
- Addictions and substance use
- Life crises and adjustment difficulties.
The main therapeutic programme utilises a structured day, with an emphasis on group meetings of various kinds. Within the Ashburn Clinic community, patients enact their familiar ways of relating to other people, which is then explored through processes such as group work. Through being able to understand and communicate to others the reasons for the development of their own difficulties, patients will be better able to cope with the necessary effort and pain which characterises major personal change.
The Ashburn Clinic community concentrates on the meaning of each person’s feelings, actions and relationships, so changes in understanding and behaviour can be made. Staff’s own participation in the community will ensure that, as far as possible, the community is an environment which enables open, honest and effective communication. An effort is made in the assessment process to understand a person’s underlying developmental strengths and difficulties and to formulate these psychodynamically.
What Makes Ashburn Different?
A Supportive Community-Based Recovery Model
At Ashburn, residents are active participants in their recovery journey. Through shared responsibility, peer engagement, and professional guidance, patients build confidence and resilience in a supportive community environment.
Specialist Care for Complex Needs
Ashburn provides structured, therapeutic care for individuals who may not thrive in traditional hospital or community settings but still require intensive, professional mental health support.
Our specialised team includes:
- Registered and Enrolled Nurses, and Mental Health Workers
- Addiction specialists
- Dietitian
- Clinical Pharmacist
- General Practitioners
- Occupational Therapists
- Psychotherapists
- Psychiatrists
Focus on Lasting Recovery
Our commitment goes beyond short-term stabilisation. Ashburn focuses on lasting recovery by equipping patients with sustainable tools for wellbeing and mental health that serve them long after they leave our care.
Reinvesting in People, Not Profits
As a not-for-profit organisation, Ashburn operates under the Ashburn Hall Charitable Trust, established in 2001 to ensure the Clinic’s mission of providing accessible mental health care continues in perpetuity. This charitable structure enables Ashburn to reinvest all proceeds back into patient care, facility improvements, and advancing mental health treatment rather than generating profits for shareholders.
Leading-Edge Care Through Education
As a dedicated teaching hospital, Ashburn provides clinical placements and training for medical, nursing, and occupational therapy students, as well as psychiatrists and psychotherapists. This commitment to education ensures we remain at the forefront of clinical practice, integrating the latest therapeutic insights into patient care.
For patients and families, this means benefiting from a dynamic environment where continuous learning and collaboration among professionals contribute to high-quality, evidence-based treatment.
Please reach out to us today to learn more about how Ashburn Clinic can support your recovery journey or how to help a loved one.
Ashburn’s Goals & Values
Our Goals
- To enable patients to learn more about their problems and difficulties, thereby increasing their ability to affect change.
- To encourage personal responsibility for the patient’s own behaviour and situation.
- To assist patients to live successfully in the outside world without resorting to unhelpful and unhealthy behaviour patterns, particularly when faced with stressful or difficult situations.
Our Values
- We provide a comprehensive treatment approach to enable patients to achieve a better quality of life.
- We recognise the individuality of all, taking into account the whole person and their significant others.
- We respect cultural and spiritual dimensions and acknowledge the partnership with tangata whenua by honouring the spirit and the articles of the Treaty of Waitangi.
- We accept into our care those people we believe can be helped within our services.
Waiata
Taku Whakaruru – Nā Paulette Tamati-Ellife i tito mō (2009)
The Ashburn Clinic waiata, Taku Whakaruru (My Sanctuary), was written by Paulette Tamati-Ellife in 2009 at the request of Ashburn Clinic. It is sung weekly at Forum by staff and patients and at special community events, often accompanied by staff and patients playing the guitar.
The song represents the journey that patients may make in coming to Ashburn. The writer addresses the ‘weary bird’, directly acknowledging the difficulties it has experienced and the emotional and physical exhaustion it feels. The weary bird is encouraged to seek shelter and refuge in a place of healing and safety.
E te manu maninohea
Horotete ana i te piere nuku
Taupua mai kia mahuru ai
Ki taku whakaruru e
Ko te wao nui a Tane
Hai pirika
Hai punaka
Ka whakahauora
Ki taku whakaruru e
Pūawhe ana te hau
Ka ua te āwhā
Taupua mai kia mahuru ai
Ki taku whakaruru e
Ko te wao nui a Tane
Hai pirika
Hai punaka
Ka whakahauora
Ki taku whakaruru e
Weary bird
Exhausted by life’s extreme difficulties
Rest here to gather yourself
In this sanctuary
The great forest of Tane
Provides a safe haven
A place of refuge
To refresh and revive yourself
In this sanctuary
The blustery winds will continue to blow
The storms will continue to torrent
Rest here to gather yourself
In this sanctuary
The great forest of Tane
Provides a safe haven
A place of refuge
To refresh and revive yourself
In this sanctuary