Psychologist Northcote

We all navigate and make sense of life differently. The challenges that life presents may have a negative impact on a person's mental health in a number of ways.

It may be helpful to see a psychologist if you are:

• Having difficulty coping or feeling overwhelmed
• Troubled by a traumatic experience
• Finding it difficult to manage low mood
• Worrying excessively or experiencing panic attacks
• Finding it hard to get adequate sleep
• Experiencing frequent irritability or anger
• Withdrawing from social activities and feeling isolated
• Experiencing difficulties with parenting or your relationships

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

A clinical psychologist is a university-educated professional who is registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and is required to complete 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, practising clinical psychologists are required to follow strict confidentiality policies in accordance with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency's (AHPRA) Code of Conduct and the Australian Privacy Guidelines. Information shared in therapy sessions, as well as any correspondence relating to your sessions, remains confidential unless you have given consent for it to be shared.

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.

Where required, our clinical psychologists are able to prepare psychological reports for clients undergoing treatment for matters such as TAC, WorkCover, and court proceedings. Please note that these reports are charged separately, in addition to our psychological consultations.

Your first session will focus on your psychologist gaining an understanding of your difficulties and how they may best support you in addressing them. This will involve an assessment process in which a series of questions will be asked, and you will have the opportunity to reflect upon your experience.

Your responses will help your clinical psychologist build a clearer picture of your current situation. In addition, you may be asked to complete psychometric questionnaires.

Your clinical psychologist will then talk through treatment options with you, including evidence-based therapeutic approaches that may be appropriate for the difficulties you have described. Sessions that follow are typically scheduled on a regular basis and generally become less frequent as your concerns are resolved.

You retain the choice at all times regarding how many sessions you attend, and there is no obligation to attend a minimum number. You are also free to determine the frequency of your sessions; however, it is advisable to make these decisions together with your clinical psychologist, who can offer recommendations informed by their experience and the available evidence.

If you have a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP, this will entitle you to Medicare rebates for up to 10 sessions. If you use all 10 sessions, you may continue to see your psychologist at the 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.

Our telehealth services are also available for those working from home who have some flexibility to attend a psychology session during their working hours.

Details of our fees can be found on our fees page. Click here to view a full outline.

You are under no obligation to continue seeing your therapist, and you are always welcome to return to therapy 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.

In the best of circumstances, such feedback can become a constructive part of the therapeutic work and may contribute to meaningful progress. We encourage you to discuss these concerns openly with your psychologist, rather than discontinuing therapy without notice.

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.

How frequently someone works with their psychologist varies from person to person and may change over the course of treatment. Some clients attend twice per week, some once per week, some fortnightly, and some 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.

Research indicates that clients who attend more regularly, particularly at the commencement of treatment, tend to experience the greatest improvements (Bruijniks et al., 2020; Tiemens et al., 2019). We initially recommend booking two sessions per week to support the best possible therapeutic outcomes.

If you are attending for depression, the research shows that twice-weekly sessions are more effective 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 allows you to complete the entire 12 sessions of treatment in less than two months. If you cannot attend twice a week, CPT requires at least once a week attendance for the best outcomes.

For clients attending for personality disorders, twice-weekly sessions have been associated with positive improvement (Giesen-Bloo, 2006).

Unlike counselling, evidence-based therapy utilises specific techniques, strategies, and processes that are designed to assist people in addressing issues and concerns that may be affecting them emotionally or mentally. These approaches have been evaluated through scientific research.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health problem that may develop following 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 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.

Those working in infant mental health are also interested in the infant's ability to engage with the world with a sense of curiosity, enabling them to 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.

Infant mental health matters because the window of opportunity is both powerful and finite. The first 1,000 days represent the most rapid period of brain growth in a person's lifetime.

When infant mental health is 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 can be long-lasting, increasing the risk of anxiety, developmental delays, and difficulties in school and relationships.

Secure attachment in the early years may support infants in developing a foundation for good mental health that extends through adolescence and into adulthood.

Insights drawn from infant mental health research may assist parents in better understanding the unique ways their babies and infants communicate. Such understanding may enable parents to respond with greater confidence, which may in turn help to strengthen the bond between parents and their baby.

At the Centre for Clinical Psychology, we aim to support families with young children, whether through evidence-based mental health treatment, support with early parenting concerns, or assistance with parental relationships. We recognise that this support may benefit everyone involved, but particularly the baby.

We serve residents across Melbourne suburbs including:

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

And more!