Collingwood Psychologists

Each of us experiences and makes sense of life in our own unique way. The challenges that life presents may affect a person's mental health in a variety of ways.

You may benefit from seeing a psychologist if you are:

• Experiencing difficulty coping or feeling overwhelmed
• Distressed by a traumatic experience
• Struggling with low mood
• Troubled by excessive worry or panic attacks
• Experiencing difficulty sleeping
• Frequently irritable or angry
• Withdrawing from social activities and feeling isolated
• Struggling to navigate the challenges of parenting and relationships

Many people are unsure about what a clinical psychologist does and how their role differs from other mental health professionals.

A clinical psychologist is a university-trained professional registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, requiring eight years of training.

This comprises 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, as part of their professional obligations, clinical psychologists 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 discussed in therapy sessions, along with any related correspondence, remains confidential unless you consent to it being shared.

In rare circumstances, a psychologist may be obligated to disclose information to a third party, such as when someone's safety is at risk, when seeking a supervisor's opinion 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 adhere to strict protocols around maintaining the security of our data. Please ask for a copy of our Privacy Policy if you require any further details.

If needed, we are able to write psychological reports for clients receiving treatment for matters including TAC, WorkCover, and court proceedings. These reports are billed separately, in addition to our standard 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.

The information you share will assist your clinical psychologist in gaining a thorough understanding of your current situation. You may also be asked to complete psychometric questionnaires as part of this process.

Your clinical psychologist will then discuss appropriate treatment options with you, including the types of evidence-based therapy that may be suited to the concerns you have described. Subsequent sessions are generally scheduled on a regular basis and typically become less frequent as your difficulties are resolved.

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 not everyone can come to see us during business hours. This is why our professional psychologists offer a number of 6pm appointments and we are also open Saturday, 9am to 5pm.

We also provide telehealth services if people are working from home and have some 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 are always free to stop seeing your therapist, just as you are free to recommence seeing them at any time.

As a professional, your clinical psychologist will be open to receiving your feedback and will discuss with you any reasons you may have for considering ending therapy. They may also share their thoughts and explain why they may recommend that you continue.

Ideally, this feedback may become an integral part of the therapeutic process and could lead to meaningful progress. We encourage you to have these conversations with your psychologist, rather than simply withdrawing from therapy.

The team at the Centre for Clinical Psychology understands the importance of finding the right fit between you and your psychologist. We are willing to support you in this, whether that involves a transfer to another psychologist within our practice or an external referral. Your well-being is our priority.

The frequency with which someone attends psychology sessions varies from person to person and may change throughout the course of treatment. Some clients attend twice per week, others once per week, fortnightly, or monthly.

This will depend on each individual's needs and circumstances; however, it is also important to take into account what the evidence suggests is most likely to lead to the best 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).

Erekson et al. (2015) found that among university students attending therapy for adjustment, anxiety, or depression-related concerns, those who attended weekly sessions achieved clinically significant gains more quickly than those attending fortnightly.

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).

Attending twice per week also means you may be able to complete all 12 sessions of treatment in under two months. If twice-weekly attendance is not possible, CPT requires a minimum of once-weekly attendance to support the best possible outcomes.

Research suggests that for personality disorders, attending twice per week has 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 condition that may develop as a result of traumatic experiences, such as 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 focuses on the well-being of infants from birth to three years of age. Practitioners in this area are interested in understanding the social and emotional worlds of infants, particularly their ability to form close and secure relationships, as well as 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 actively participate in their relationships, and the caregiving environment that shapes their development includes not only family, but also 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.

When infant mental health is supported and nurtured, children are more likely to develop resilience, empathy, and the capacity to form healthy relationships. When it 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 may set infants upon a path towards good mental health in adolescence and into adulthood.

Insights from infant mental health may assist parents in understanding the unique ways in which their babies and infants communicate. This understanding may enable parents to respond to their baby with greater confidence, which may in turn strengthen 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:

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

And more!