Psychologist Richmond

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.

You may benefit from seeing a psychologist if you are:

• Experiencing difficulty coping or feeling overwhelmed
• Struggling with the impact of a traumatic experience
• Experiencing persistent low mood
• Worrying excessively or experiencing panic attacks
• Having difficulty sleeping
• Frequently irritable or angry
• Feeling isolated and avoiding social activities
• Struggling with parenting and 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-trained professional registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, requiring eight years of training.

This training consists of four years of undergraduate university education, a minimum of two years of postgraduate study, and a further two years of supervised practice completed through a registrar program.

Yes, clinical psychologists are required to adhere to strict confidentiality policies in accordance with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency's (AHPRA) Code of Conduct and the Australian Privacy Guidelines. All information disclosed in therapy sessions, as well as any correspondence relating to your sessions, remains confidential unless you provide consent for it to be 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.

Our practice also adheres to strict data security protocols. Should you require further details, please ask for a copy of our Privacy Policy.

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.

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 hold a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP, you will be entitled to Medicare rebates for up to 10 sessions. Should you utilise all 10 sessions, you may continue to see your psychologist at 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 offer telehealth services for those who are working from home and have some flexibility to attend a session within their working hours.

You can find an outline of our fees on our fees page. Click here.

You are free to stop seeing your therapist at any time, just as you are free to start seeing your therapist again 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 an ideal situation, this feedback can also become part of the therapeutic work and may lead to important progress. We encourage you to have these discussions with your psychologist, rather than just dropping out of 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.

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 clients receiving Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for trauma or PTSD, attending twice per week is highly recommended. Research has indicated that more frequent attendance with fewer gaps between CPT sessions 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.

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

Evidence-based therapy is distinct from counselling in that it employs specific techniques, strategies, and processes designed to assist people in addressing issues and concerns that may be affecting their emotional or mental well-being. These techniques and strategies have undergone scientific evaluation.

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 refers to 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 themselves. Increasingly, the emotional health and well-being of fathers is also 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.

Practitioners in this field are also interested in the infant's capacity to engage with the world with curiosity, and in doing so, to explore and learn.

Relationships are central to infant mental health, as infants and young children are heavily reliant upon support from their caregivers. The quality of these relationships and the experience of receiving care may shape the infant's capacity for relating, learning, behaviour, and emotional health throughout their lifetime.

Infants are born with an innate capacity to communicate their internal states and seek responses from their environment. They are not passive recipients of care; rather, they are active agents capable of adapting to and influencing their environment and caregivers.

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 nurtured and supported, children are more likely to develop resilience, empathy, and the capacity to form healthy relationships. Disruptions to infant mental health, such as trauma, neglect, parental stress, or inconsistent caregiving, may have long-lasting effects, including an increased 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.

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 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:

• Clinical Psychologist Abbotsford
• Clinical Psychologist Brunswick
• 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 Southbank

And more!