Psychological Therapy.

What is a psychologist?

The Mindstate Psychology team are qualified clinical psychologists and registered psychologists. Clinical psychologists are university-trained professionals, specialising in the scientific study of human behaviour, mental processes, and emotional problems. Clinical psychologists are required to complete two years of supervised practise to be registered with the Psychology Board of Australia. Learn more about our team.

Note:  Clinical psychologists should not be confused with psychiatrists. Psychiatrists are medical doctors who have completed specialist training in mental illness. They can prescribe medications and usually work with people with more severe mental illnesses. We may recommend the support of a psychiatrist.

What issues can be treated by psychology?

The psychologists at Mindstate Psychology can work with people with a variety of issues including:

• Stress
• Anxiety
• Relationship issues
• Depression
• Grief
• Sexual problems
• Trauma (e.g. assault, abuse)
• Unhealthy habits (e.g. overeating, smoking, addiction).

Please contact us to find out more about how our psychologists can help you.

How does therapy work?

Exploring the issue

We need to gain a good understanding of the issues you are facing and the possible causes so we can determine the most effective treatment. We will meet to discuss the nature of your issue and explore possible causes. Issues are often caused by unresolved emotional trauma from past experiences. These may need to be resolved before the current behaviour will change. We may conduct some psychological tests (usually questionnaires or puzzles).

Identifying and understanding dysfunctional thoughts and behaviour

Now we understand your issue and its possible causes, we can begin the change process. The change process involves:

• Identifying patterns of dysfunctional thoughts or behaviour.
• Understanding the consequences of the dysfunctional thoughts or behaviour.
• Implementing treatments and techniques to change the dysfunctional thoughts or behaviour. 

Treatment types

Mindstate Pyschology's clinical psychologists can implement a variety of treatments to help you change dysfunctional thoughts or behaviour including:

• Counselling
  Talking about things that are worrying you can bring a great sense of relief. Our clinical psychologists can listen and offer support, insight and new perspectives on your issues. They can also suggest steps you can take to help you make progress.
• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
  CBT helps you change unhelpful thoughts, beliefs and attitudes. You will also learn strategies to help you cope.
• Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
  EMDR helps you reprocess emotions associated with traumatic incidents.
• Hypnotherapy
  Therapeutic hypnosis uses relaxation and imagination to change the emotions or reactions that are associated with certain experiences.
• Neurofeedback therapy
  Neurofeedback uses real-time displays of brain activity to help you learn to regulate your brain function. Learn more about neurofeedback.
  
  

It is important that you understand and are comfortable with any treatment you try. We will explain recommended treatments and address any questions you may have before treatment begins.

Are there side effects?

Therapy with an experienced and qualified clinical psychologist is generally a safe and interesting process. Talking about painful memories or examining issues can be challenging, and some people feel a bit worse before they start to improve. Be sure to talk to us about how you feel so we can address unpleasant feelings as they arise. Also let us know if any major life events are coming up so we can structure your therapy to minimise interference with your life.  Our team will take care to ensure that your therapy progresses at a pace that suits you.