Starting Therapy

Do I need to see a Clinical Psychologist?

Clinical Psychologists are highly trained in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of psychological problems. Clinical Psychologists are also trained in the delivery of a wide range of therapies with demonstrated effectiveness. Clinical Psychologists are specialists in applying psychological theory and scientific research to resolve clinical mental health problems across the lifespan. Clinical Psychologists do not prescribe medication.

The first appointment

As an experienced Clinical Psychologist, Alicia is sensitive to the difficulties many people experience discussing their private thoughts and feelings. At the first appointment Alicia will ask a range of questions about you, your mental health, your family background, your career and other aspects of your life that may be relevant to the problem(s) you are experiencing.  These questions are tailored to help understand the exact nature of your concerns and help Alicia develop an individualised plan for treatment.

Therapy

Alicia uses a number of well-validated, time limited and individually tailored therapeutic interventions including: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Schema Therapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction techniques.

For some people therapy will be brief and only a few sessions will be required. For longer and more complex mental issues, therapy will take longer. The time frame for therapy will be discussed at your first appointment. Each therapy session will last for approximately 50 minutes.

Referrals

Under the Better Access to Mental Health Care Initiative Medicare rebates are available for treatment by a psychologist. For those who are eligible, Medicare provides a rebate of $128.40 (by a Clinical Psychologist) for up to 10 sessions in a calendar year. In order to receive a Medicare rebate you need to be referred by an appropriate medical practitioner (GP or psychiatrist) and your referring doctor will assess your progress after the first six sessions. You can find more information here.