Frequently Asked Questions

Counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists all work with mental health. But what’s the difference!?

A counsellor typically works with short-term, problem-solving approaches to dealing with particular issues or life occurrences. Counsellors provide a secure space for clients to express their feelings, as well as helping to guide them towards finding solutions for their difficulties. Since the title "counsellor" is unregulated in Australia, you should make sure that anyone offering counselling or claiming to be a counsellor has the necessary education and registration.

A psychotherapist works at a deeper level to help people understand themselves and work towards change. The goal of psychotherapy is to help the client develop a logical and clear understanding of their underlying attitudes, beliefs, recurring emotions, thinking patterns, behavioural tendencies, and personality traits that may have contributed to certain difficulties, an unsatisfying quality of life, and problematic interpersonal relationships. We may have more freedom to choose how to spend our life if we have this awareness. The title "psychotherapist" is not regulated in Australia, therefore you should ensure that anyone offering psychotherapy holds the necessary education and registration.

A psychologist is interested in human thought, emotion, behaviour, and learning. Psychologists typically complete at least six years of academic study, including supervised practice. They must follow a strong code of ethics and participate in continual education to keep their knowledge and skills current. Psychologists can work in research, assessment, testing, consultation in organisations, policy change, or counselling/psychotherapy.

A psychiatrists is a medical doctor who has received further training in the identification, prevention, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioural disorders. While they may offer counselling or psychotherapy, they can also prescribe medication for more severe mental health issues. Psychiatrists may work privately or assist with patient care in hospitals.

The short answer is: no, not at the moment.

Why?

Unfortunately, psychotherapy and counselling are still under-recognised as mental health treatments, compared to psychology, social work and psychiatry. There are a number of systemic, political and historic reasons for this. There are constant efforts to lobby for the inclusion of psychotherapy in the medicare model, as it provides critical assistance to those in need. Until such time that these services become recognised, most psychotherapists and counsellors offer lower rates that reflect the lack of rebate available. Often you will be able to access a psychotherapy session for a similar amount to that which you would pay as a ‘gap’ fee from a psychologist.

Some private health insurance policies include counselling services. The rebate amount varies depending on your insurer and specific policy. You should check your policy inclusions with your health insurance provider to determine whether they will provide rebates for the services offered.

I offer a warm, non-judgemental space where I aim to ensure you feel safe to share yourself in a way that helps you heal and embrace life.

Typically, to begin we will have a brief chat over the phone to check what kind of support you need, whether I feel I can help, and whether you feel you’d like to work with me. If I don’t feel I am the right person to assist, I may refer you to another professional.

If you decide to continue, the first few sessions (usually 1-3) will be about getting to know your reasons for seeking therapy, what’s happening in your life now and what has happened in the past. This doesn’t always mean talking in depth about trauma etc. straight away - in fact, we need to move slowly and safely if trauma is present. We will work together to develop a shared understanding of your lifestyle, relationships, challenges and resources so that I can get to know you and understand how I might help.

We will then work together to develop a ‘treatment plan’ - which is a clinical way of saying, how we are going to work together to support you to reach your goals. We will review this as we continue to see each other regularly.

I was trained in Integrative Psychotherapy, which means that I work with a number of different psychotherapy models. The main premise of Integrative Psychotherapy is that each individual is unique, and no one model of understanding or treatment will suit everybody. Therefore, my treatment approach is dependent on your needs, experience, personality, symptoms, and other factors. These things are explored in the first few sessions, and when I have an idea of who you are and how you experience life, we will develop a plan based on this.

Models I use to help understand a person include:

· Psychodynamic theory

· Attachment theory

· Systems theory

· Polyvagal theory

I like to work by using elements of the following modalities:

· Person-centred/humanistic therapy

· Somatic therapy

· Narrative therapy

· Mentalising-based therapy

· Trauma-informed therapy

· Positive psychology

· Expressive/art modalities

Click here for more detail about these models and modalities.

Sessions cost $170 for 50 minutes during business hours, or $180 after-hours.

Limited concession places are available. These places are reserved for full-time students, unemployed, or those otherwise experiencing financial hardship.

A number of health funds offer rebates for psychotherapy sessions.

This will vary based on what your concerns are - there is a ‘right dose’, but it’s different for everyone.

That said, it is evident through research and practice that more regular sessions are more effective. My preference is to work weekly, as I have seen firsthand the benefit of weekly therapy for my clients. Weekly sessions (and in some cases, twice weekly) are best for people experiencing longstanding concerns such as depression, anxiety, trauma-related issues, self-esteem or relationship concerns, or anything that feels pervasive. These challenges are often related to early-life adaptations to living which run deep, so any less than 1 session per week can be ineffective.

Fortnightly is the maximum space recommended between sessions, and is more suited to those wishing to receive counselling for less pervasive concerns, like making difficult decisions or focusing on a particular behaviour to change.

In terms of treatment length, this too will vary. For some people, shorter-term therapy is useful and enough - this might be 10-20 sessions. For others, particularly those wanting to shift deep patterns of being or work with longstanding and complex issues, 30-50 sessions may be more realistic.

Finding the right frequency and length of therapy is something that you will explore in the first few sessions, and ongoing, with your therapist. It can be helpful to think about what you imagine feeling, or doing, when you are ready to end treatment, so that you and your therapist know when this is likely to occur.