Psychologist Brunswick

Everyone experiences and interprets life in their own unique way, and the challenges that life presents may affect a person's mental health in a variety of ways.

It may be worth speaking with a psychologist if you are:

• Finding it difficult to cope or feeling overwhelmed
• Distressed by a traumatic experience
• Struggling with low mood
• Experiencing excessive worry or panic attacks
• Struggling with disrupted or poor sleep
• Finding yourself frequently irritable or angry
• Feeling socially isolated or withdrawing from activities
• Struggling with parenting and relationships

Many people are unclear about the role of a clinical psychologist and how it differs from other mental health professionals.

A clinical psychologist is a university-trained professional who is registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. Clinical psychologists require eight years of training.

They require four years of undergraduate university training, a minimum of two years of postgraduate training, and a further two years of supervised practice through a registrar program.

Yes, to practice as a clinical psychologist, your therapist must adhere to strict confidentiality policies in accordance with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency's (AHPRA) Code of Conduct, and the Australian Privacy Guidelines. What is disclosed in therapy sessions, as well as any correspondence relating to your sessions, remains confidential, unless you consent to it being shared with someone.

On rare occasions, a psychologist may be obligated to disclose information to a third party if someone's safety is at risk, they may seek the opinion of a supervisor to assist with treatment planning or if a document is subpoenaed. These details are outlined in the Centre for Clinical Psychology Consent Form.

We also follow strict protocols to maintain the security of all client data. Please request a copy of our Privacy Policy if you require further information.

When required, our clinical psychologists can prepare psychological reports for clients undergoing treatment related to TAC, WorkCover, and court proceedings. Please be aware that such reports are charged separately from our psychological consultations.

During your first session, your psychologist will focus on gaining an understanding of your difficulties and how they may work with you to address them. This will involve an assessment process in which your psychologist will ask a series of questions, and you will have the opportunity to reflect upon your experience.

Your responses will assist your clinical psychologist gain an understanding of your current situation. Similarly, you may be asked to fill out psychometric questionnaires.

Following the assessment, your clinical psychologist will discuss treatment options with you, including evidence-based therapeutic approaches that may be appropriate for the concerns you have described. Subsequent sessions are usually held on a regular basis and tend to become less frequent as your difficulties are addressed.

You always have the choice regarding how many sessions you attend, and there is no obligation to commit to a minimum number. You are also free to determine the frequency of your counselling sessions; however, it is advisable to make these decisions in consultation with your clinical psychologist, who can provide recommendations based on their experience and an understanding of what the evidence suggests.

A Mental Health Care Plan from your GP will entitle you to Medicare rebates for up to 10 sessions. If you use all 10 sessions, you are welcome to continue seeing your psychologist at our private fee rates.

We understand that visiting us during standard business hours may not always be convenient. This is why our psychologists offer a number of 6pm appointments, and our clinic is open on Saturdays from 9am to 5pm.

We also provide telehealth appointments for those who work from home and have the flexibility to see a psychologist within their working hours.

For a complete overview of our fees, please visit our fees page. Click here for details.

You may choose to stop seeing your therapist at any time, and you are equally free to resume sessions whenever you feel ready.

As a professional, your clinical psychologist will be open to your feedback and discuss with you why you may wish to end the therapy. They may discuss ideas with you and discuss why they recommend you continue.

In many cases, this kind of feedback can become a valuable part of the therapeutic process and may lead to meaningful progress. We encourage you to raise these concerns with your psychologist, rather than discontinuing therapy without discussion.

At the Centre for Clinical Psychology, we understand that the relationship between you and your psychologist is important. We are committed to helping you find the right fit, even if this requires transferring you to another psychologist or arranging an external referral. Your care remains our priority.

Attendance frequency varies from person to person and may change over the course of treatment. Some clients attend twice per week, while others attend once per week, fortnightly, or monthly.

Frequency will depend on each person's unique needs and circumstances, but it is also worth considering what the evidence indicates is most likely to support the best possible outcomes.

The evidence suggests that clients who attend more frequently, especially at the beginning of treatment, tend to experience the most significant improvements (Bruijniks et al., 2020; Tiemens et al., 2019). For this reason, we initially recommend attending two sessions per week to support the best therapeutic outcomes.

For clients attending for depression, available research suggests that twice-weekly sessions may be associated with more favourable outcomes than weekly sessions for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT; Bruijniks et al., 2015).

Research by Erekson et al. (2015) found that university students attending therapy for adjustment, anxiety, or depression-related concerns achieved clinically significant gains more rapidly when attending weekly sessions compared with fortnightly sessions.

For those receiving Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for trauma or PTSD, attending twice per week is strongly recommended. Research has found that attending CPT sessions more frequently, with fewer gaps between appointments, may be associated with significantly greater PTSD symptom reduction (Gutner et al., 2016).

Twice-weekly attendance also allows you to complete the full 12 sessions of treatment in less than two months. If attending twice per week is not feasible, CPT requires at least weekly attendance to support the best outcomes.

For personality disorder sessions twice a week have been associated with improvement (Giesen-Bloo, 2006).

Evidence-based therapy differs from counselling in that it draws upon specific techniques, strategies, and processes designed to assist people in addressing issues and concerns that may be affecting them emotionally or mentally. These techniques and strategies have been scientifically evaluated.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health concern that may arise following traumatic experiences, including threatened or actual death, a serious accident, or serious sexual violation.

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Perinatal mental health covers the health and emotional well-being of parents with infants up to one or three years of age, as well as the emotional well-being of infants. There is also a growing recognition of the importance of fathers' emotional health and well-being, which is increasingly receiving the attention it deserves.

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Infant mental health is concerned with the well-being of infants from birth through to three years of age. Those working in infant mental health are interested in understanding the social and emotional worlds of infants, including their ability to form close and secure relationships and their capacity to experience, express, and regulate their emotions.

Infant mental health practitioners are also interested in the infant's ability to relate to the world with curiosity and thus explore and learn.

Relationships sit at the heart of infant mental health, given that infants and young children are heavily dependent upon the support of their caregivers. The quality of these relationships and the care received may shape the infant's capacity for relating, learning, behaviour, and emotional well-being across a lifetime.

From birth, infants have the capacity to communicate their internal states and seek responses from their environment. They are not passive recipients of care but active agents capable of adapting to their environment and influencing those who care for them.

From birth, infants are active participants in their relationships. The caregiving environment extends beyond the immediate family to encompass community and culture.

The significance of infant mental health lies in the fact that the window of opportunity is both powerful and finite. The first 1,000 days of a child's life represent the most rapid period of brain growth they will ever experience.

Nurturing infant mental health may support children in developing resilience, empathy, and the capacity to form healthy relationships. When infant mental health is disrupted by trauma, neglect, parental stress, or inconsistent caregiving, the effects may be long-lasting, potentially increasing the risk of anxiety, developmental delays, and difficulties in school and relationships.

Secure attachment in infancy may set children on a path towards positive mental health in adolescence and into adulthood.

An understanding of infant mental health may help parents appreciate the unique communicative capacities of their babies and infants. This knowledge may enable parents to respond with greater confidence, potentially strengthening the relationship between parents and their baby.

At the Centre for Clinical Psychology, we aim to support families with young children, whether this is mental health treatment, support with concerns of early parenting, or parental relationships. We know that this may benefit everyone, but particularly the baby.

We serve residents across Melbourne suburbs including:

• Clinical Psychologist Abbotsford
• Clinical Psychologist Clifton Hill
• Clinical Psychologist Collingwood
• Clinical Psychologist Docklands
• Clinical Psychologist Fitzroy
• Clinical Psychologist Flemington
• Clinical Psychologist Kensington
• Clinical Psychologist Kew
• Clinical Psychologist North Melbourne
• Clinical Psychologist Northcote
• Clinical Psychologist Parkville
• Clinical Psychologist Princes Hill
• Clinical Psychologist Richmond
• Clinical Psychologist Southbank

And more!