When you attend Psychological treatment, there are a number of treatment types that may be provided. These may depend on the issues you are presenting with. The below information discusses the different reasons why someone might see a psychologist, and further below you can read the different types of therapy that may be offered.

Presenting Issues

Reasons you may seek treatment include (but are not limited to):

  • DepressionStruggling with mental health issues is like being trapped in a dark tunnel, trying to find the light at the end. Psychology can help you navigate to that light
  • Anxiety and Panic
  • Phobias
  • Stress
  • Grief & Loss
  • Traumatic experiences
  • Adjustment issues
  • Pregnancy/Postnatal related stress, anxiety and depression
  • Relationship problems
  • Behaviour problems
  • Anger management
  • Sleep problems
  • Social isolation
  • Workers Compensation and Motor Vehicle Accident claims
  • Court referrals

Treatment

There are many excellent treatment methods which our psychologists can use to help you reach your goals. You may have an idea of the therapy you do or don’t want, and this is important to raise with us. Our psychologists may use one method, or bring in many parts of different therapies, based on your presentation and needs. All therapy types we use are evidence-based, meaning there is a substantial body of research reporting the benefits of the therapy types for treating mental health difficulties. The below list offers a description of the most common therapy types our psychologists use.

  • Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) – explores how unhelpful thought processes and behaviours can keep you stuck feeling depressed and anxious, and gives you skills to change your manner of thinking and behaving. CBT is considered gold standard for treating depression and different types of anxiety. iStock_000055251608Medium
  • Trauma-focused Cognitive Behaviour Therapy – as per standard CBT with a specific focus on treating traumatic experiences and memories.
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy – assisting people to co-exist and thrive alongside stress and distress, by accepting the existence and experience of unpleasant thoughts and feelings, and commit to living by your values despite the presence of symptoms. This treatment type is especially helpful for chronic pain.
  • Mindfulness and relaxation techniques – reducing stress and anxiety is critical for improving wellbeing.
  • Schema Therapy – an emotion-focused therapy, identifying patterns in which we view and respond to the world that originated from maladaptive childhood experiences. Schema therapy focuses on healing these experiences and creating meaningful change in adulthood. This method of therapy is particularly helpful for people who have found themselves battling the same problems over and over again in different situations (e.g. difficulty trusting people, performing at perfectionistic standards despite impact on family, finding yourself in yet another toxic relationship, and many other “this is all too familiar” experiences).
  • EMDR – Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing – a type of therapy helping people resolve and feel less emotionally effected by traumatic memories by helping the brain move ‘stuck’ distressing memories into vague recollections of the event.
  • Systemic Family Therapy – a therapy that considers the dynamics, and interactions between, and patterns of, couples or families in order to facilitate positive change. Sessions are available for couples or entire families to focus on improving relationships, and reducing the impact of other life stressors. Please note that relationship conflict is not an eligible referral reason for a GP Mental Health Care Plan and must be billed privately.
  • Narrative Therapy – a collaborative approach between the therapist and you, exploring how the language you use to describe your life story shapes your perspective, and empowering you to ‘re-author’ some of these narratives.
  • Attachment-based Therapy –   emphasises the importance of human connection for our development of self, and how our early relationships can continue to influence our relationships in adulthood. Attachment based interventions can be utilised in therapy with children, adolescents, couples, families or adults in order to enhance relationships and individual development.
  • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) – a structured focus on skills training including Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation, Distress Tolerance, and Interpersonal Effectiveness. DBT is a preferred choice of treatment for difficulties regulating emotions (e.g. mood swings, easily triggered), understanding emotions and coping, and persistent personality-based difficulties.

After a thorough clinical assessment, your psychologist will discuss with you best treatment options and what you can expect from the recommended types of treatment.