Psychologists can help in many ways, depending on your needs and goals. Whether you are dealing with a specific problem, facing life changes, or seeking personal growth, a psychologist offers a supportive, confidential space to explore your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Here are some of the ways a psychologist can assist:

• Managing mental health conditions: Psychologists can help you address mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, or mood disorders. Through therapy, you’ll gain insights and coping strategies to manage and reduce symptoms.

• Improve emotional wellbeing: If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure of yourself, a psychologist can help you navigate emotional challenges and develop healthier ways to handle difficult feelings.

• Coping with life transitions: Major life changes, such as a move, career shift, loss, or any significant event, can be overwhelming. A psychologist can guide you through the emotional and mental challenges these transitions may bring.

• Building resilience: Psychologists help clients develop resilience and coping skills to handle stress and setbacks in a healthy, balanced way, which can improve overall life satisfaction.

Standard sessions run for approximately 50-minutes, and the remainder of the hour is used by the psychologist for case notes, maintaining your file, and communicating with others on your care team including GP correspondence.

Longer sessions are sometimes necessary, and can be discussed at a case-by-case basis.

Testing and assessment sessions run longer (approx. 90 mins) to ensure sufficient time is allocated to complete testing.

In the first session, the focus is on getting to know each other and understanding your unique situation. This is a time for you to share your concerns, goals, and any challenges you're facing, while the psychologist gathers important background information about your mental health history, current circumstances, and any previous therapy experiences. We’ll discuss what you hope to achieve through therapy, and the psychologist will explain how you can work together to make that happen. The session is also an opportunity for you to ask any questions about the process and feel comfortable with the approach moving forward. It’s all about building a trusting, collaborative foundation for our work together.

A GP referral is not mandatory for booking with a psychologist. However, your GP can prepare a Mental Health Treatment Plan for you, which enables you to access up to ten rebated sessions per calendar year.