Information for clients/consumers

If you are contemplating whether to see me for an appointment, I hope this information will help you decide.

problems or issues i may be able to help with

I specialise in psychological therapy for adult (18yo+) mental health problems.

Whether I can assist or not mainly depends on whether psychological factors significantly contribute to your problem or issue. Psychological factors include:

  • what you pay attention to

  • the way you evaluate yourself or your circumstances

  • what you know and what you believe

  • the plans you make (or fail to make)

  • what you do

To the extent that these factors make your problem(s) worse or frustrate you from living the life you want, I may be able to help. Of course, it’s hard for anyone to tell whether they already have all the information they need, or whether they are seeing their circumstances clearly and doing everything they can to manage life well. In this case, it can be helpful to get a psychologist’s feedback from an assessment.

I have experience in helping people with these kinds of problems and issues in adults:

  • Anxiety Disorders (e.g., Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder) or anxiety with some other focus

  • Mood Disorders (e.g., Major Depressive Disorder, Dysthymia)

  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

  • Posttraumatic stress disorder and trauma-related concerns

  • Drug, alcohol and gambling addiction

  • Relationship concerns

  • Bulimia Nervosa and eating problems (but I have no experience with Anorexia Nervosa)

  • Academic and work productivity concerns

  • Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

  • Anger

  • Grief

If you have a concern or issue that isn’t on this list but think that psychological factors may be contributing, you are welcome to book a free 15-minute zoom screening appointment and we can decide together whether I am the best person available to work with you.

THERAPEUTIC APPROACH

What I don’t do

I don’t provide psychological services other than therapy for adults. I do not conduct independent medicolegal assessments or perform IQ or other cognitive testing.

Also, if it is important to you that your therapist offer a specific “brand” of psychological therapy (e.g., DBT, EFT etc), then I am probably not the right therapist for you. I haven’t trained in EMDR, or hypnosis, and in fact, I have no certificates in any “brands”.

I try to discourage therapists and clients from giving too much importance to therapy ‘brands’ because:

  • Generally, the most helpful parts of psychological therapy are incorporated into all of the effective ‘brands’

  • Overall, the scientific evidence for the unique parts of specific brands being necessary to get better results for most problems, is weak

  • “Branded” therapies are useful in part because they focus the therapist’s and client’s attention on some causal factors rather than others. If the client has had a good quality assessment and the branded therapy has been chosen because it’s a good fit for the client, then they should get good results. However, if either the therapist or client get attached to the kind of therapy they want to do before they have done a good assessment, then we can’t expect the results to be as good. Sometimes clients (or therapists) hear about a new ‘brand’ that they haven’t tried, which (falsely) raises their hopes. It’s like going to the hardware store and buying a saw before you’ve really thought through what tool you need for the job (what if the job requires glue?!)

What I do

Having said that I would rather not talk about brands, I realise that many clients would still like some idea of what to expect and using a branded approach should help clients do their own independent research to see if it appeals. In this spirit, my approach is best described as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). I hesitate to say this because some people have an aversion to CBT, usually because of misunderstandings about what CBT has to involve. The cornerstone of CBT is that the client and therapist work together collaboratively and the client is active in their therapy, contributing ideas, testing them out, learning new skills and giving feedback. It’s true that if you want to take a passive role in therapy and have a therapist do something to you, CBT is probably not for you. It’s also true that if you mainly want to talk and have someone listen sympathetically without discussing with you how you might change something in your life, then CBT is not for you. You may have heard that CBT means always challenging your thinking, or always trying to think rationally or positively but that is too simplistic. The best way to deal with your thoughts, emotions and behaviour is something you and your CBT therapist work out together, after you’ve assessed your unique circumstances.

I choose to align with CBT because it is a flexible framework with relatively simple language which can integrate virtually any helpful psychological therapy activity. I have spent many years working within motivational interviewing, acceptance and commitment therapy, metacognitive therapy, behavioural activation, compassion-focused therapy, and schema therapy frameworks, and these all inform the way I practice CBT.

FEES

Standard 50-min consult rate: $201.85 (For individuals without an Australian Government Health Care Card)

Concession 50-min consult rate: $171.85 (For individuals with an Australian Government Health Care Card)

90-min consult: $299.90

Information about Medicare Rebates

If you are referred by your General Practitioner (GP) or a psychiatrist then Medicare will reimburse $141.85 of the fee, meaning there will be a gap of $60 for the client to pay (unless the client is eligible for the concession rate, in which case the gap is $30). This gap cannot be claimed on private health cover. This rebate is available for 10 sessions within a calendar year and the referral needs to be provided prior to the first in-person consultation.

Clients are required to pay the full fee following each session. Medicare will deposit the rebate into the client’s bank account within 6-48 hours.

Consulting suites & times

Thursdays and Fridays 1:30 - 5:30pm

Unit 3/16 Bartley Crescent Wayville SA 5034

Please present to downstairs reception waiting area.