Services Available
Individual Sessions
Individual therapy can help when you are concerned about:
down and sad feelings that you can’t seem to ‘snap out of’
nervousness, fear and anxiety
general worries about life
losing a sense of fun and enjoyment in life
ongoing difficulties with sleep
work stresses that are lowering your overall sense of well being
finding direction and purpose in life
relationships with others: ending, beginning or just being complicated
achieving goals and accomplishingwhat you want in life
your weight, appearance and eating habits
just generally feeling stuck
Depression
Am I actually depressed?
People can be suffering from depression and not realise it, if you have been feeling sad and down, it is worth considering if you are experiencing depression. Occasional down and sad feelings are totally normal, but when you are feeling that way most days for more than a couple of weeks, it is possible that you have become depressed.
The signs and symptoms:
Feelings: Sadness, tearfulness, emptiness, hopelessness, boredom, angry outbursts, irritability or frustration. Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all activities that you previously enjoyed.
Physiological signs: Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much. Tiredness and lack of energy, so everything starts to feel like a huge effort. Appetite loss and weight loss or increased cravings for food (usually sweet foods) and weight gain. A sense of agitation and physical restlessness. Slowed rate of speech and slower body movements. Pain, headaches, muscle tension, gastrointestinal disturbances.
Cognitive: slower thinking processes, preoccupation with negative thoughts about yourself, your past, the world or the future. Blaming yourself for things and ruminating on things that make you feel guilty. Difficulties with concentrating, making decisions, or memory. Thoughts about death, ending your life, or wishing you would just disappear.
You don’t need to be experiencing all of these symptoms to meet criteria for depression, but if you are depressed, many of these will be familiar.
So what do I do if I am depressed?
The good news is effective treatments are available and talking therapy can really help with depression. If you are feeling really down, you might be feeling so negative that you think ‘what is the point in getting treatment? It’s not going to help’ This is an example of how the pessimistic thinking inherent to depression can stop you from doing a lot of things including getting help. This kind of negative thinking can create a barrier in so many areas of your life. Depression is not permanent, and it is likely that reality is much brighter than you think right now. You don’t have to navigate this alone, you can reach out for help to break free from this negative way of thinking that is taking the joy out of life.
Anxiety
What types of anxiety can psychological therapy improve?
Psychological therapy can be effective for: social anxiety, fears and phobias, excessive worries about life in general, feelings of panic and panic attacks, concerns about illness and health, anxiety about past traumas and anxieties about performance at work, in your personal life or in sporting activities. Psychological therapy can also help when obsessive thoughts or actions start to overwhelm and dominate your life.
How do I know if anxiety has become a problem?
You may be experiencing physical problems because of your anxiety, muscle tension and gastrointestinal symptoms could be posing difficulties for you. Your relationships might be limited, your fear could be getting in the way of you maintaining existing relationships or building new ones. You may also find that significant others are getting frustrated with the way in which anxieties are limiting your life. You could be held back in your career and might resist taking on challenges or new experiences that could help you grow, develop and progress in your career. In general anxiety has a way of making your life small, as you restrict your activities to stay within what might feel safe for you. A small life can contribute to feelings of depression, as life can become more dull and less vital and dynamic.
Does therapy really help with anxiety?
Psychological therapy can be very helpful for people with anxiety, you can learn to overcome your fears through changing the way you think and how you typically respond to your fears. For many people this can liberating and can really set you free from the fears that have been holding you back from living a more fulfilling life.
Couple Sessions
Couples seek counselling for a variety of reasons, often when they face challenges in their relationship that feel too overwhelming to resolve on their own. Individual and couple counselling is available for:
Coping with the aftermath of an affair
Major life transitions
Communication difficulties
Conflict
Managing the effect of past traumas
Emotional distance or disconnect
Intimacy issues
Financial stress
Premarital counselling
Same sex couples
Blended family co-parenting issues
Difficulties with trust
Addictions and substance use
Adjusting to parenthood
Clinical Supervision
Supervision is available for emerging and experienced clinicians and clinical psychology registrars. I have more than 15 years of experience providing clinical supervision in both individual and group settings. I am a board approved supervisor with clinical endorsement and have worked as a professional advisor with the Australian Psychological Society providing professional and ethical guidance to clinicians practicing in a wide range of settings. I currently the Lead training coordinator at the Australian Psychological Society and contribute to training psychologists to become board approved supervisors.
