"I just dont want to be burdening my friends and family with this stuff anymore"
Often life's challenges are manageable with the support of family, friends and work colleagues. However, if these are the cause of issues in the first place, or if you want some independent objective professional support, seeing a professional counsellor can be helpful.
What do you specialize in?
Whilst we assist you with the issues listed below, it is often true that the initial presenting "problem" may evolve into focusing on other underlying concerns as therapy proceeds. So we avoid "specialising" and prefer to be holistic, open-minded and focus on whatever is important to you as the client in each particular session.
Areas we are very experienced and comfortable working with include:
What techniques and modalities of therapy are used?
"...the beauty of the very practical and experiential learning that I have gained with JNI, Lifeline and the Emotional Violence Program is that I have been trained and can practice in many different modalities..." Tessa Marshall, 2009
A relationship problem can sometimes reflect childhood issues, anxiety may lead to working through grief and loss issues and what presents as depression may lead to working on self-confidence and assertiveness skills.
For those presenting with stress, trauma, depression, grief/loss issues and anxiety, often the "talking therapies", Narrative, CBT and/or Transactional Analysis work best. For childhood, marital or parenting issues we find techniques on communication/life-skills training, self-parenting, gestalt and hypnotherapy are appropriate.
For psychosomatic ailments, anxiety disorders, addictions and chronic pain management, approaches include Narrative, Cognitive, Gestalt, and Hypnotherapy. The best approach is to draw upon the most appropriate techniques tailored to your needs & style, always supported by respectful, confidential and non-judgmental listening: a non-judgmental focus where a respectful trusting relationship is built far supercedes technique.
How are psychologists, psychiatrists psychotherapists and different?
The training and philosophy varies: Psychologists attain a three year undergraduate science-based degree covering empirical evidence, brain function, cognitive behaviour. They study diverse psychological settings encompassing research, hospitals, managed care, organizational psych., psych. testing, diagnosis and acute mental health. Clinical face-to-face hours with counselling clients are not part of the undergraduate degree but are one option for post-graduates in completing their fourth year internship for APS registration.
Psychotherapists trained through the accredited institutions, and registered with the main professional bodyies CAPA & PACFA, undergo a three year degree or two-year graduate diploma, depending on prior learning. Generally mature age students with some prior work history and life experience qualify as counsellors. Whilst theory and research are key course components, the focus is experiential, applying diverse counselling modalities (CBT, hypnotherapy, narrative, gestalt, transactional analysis, couples, families,) in a practical setting. Between 50 to 100 hours of face-to-face counselling under supervision comprise the practicum component as well as extensive self-development and, at some colleges, group work.
Psychiatrists are medically qualified doctors who have pursued a specialization in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are the only ones of the three who can prescribe and monitor medication. They are highly trained in working with people diagnosed with mental disorders.
How Many Sessions Are Needed?
For some it can be as few as one or two, for others it may be regularly for a year. Most clients see improvements relatively quickly and can resolve their main issues within 6 to 8 sessions over a few months. Deeply entrenched issues and psychoanalytic personal growth work tend to take longer.
How Much Does It Cost?*
Individual Session $140 from 1/6/2011
Couples/Families $170 from 1/6/2011
Lifeline (Welfare Clients) $0-50, no gst
*Sessions starting later than 5.30pm or weekends are $155 individual or $190 couples including GST
Is It Medicare/Private Cover Rebatable?
There is no Medicare rebate and unfortunately only a very few of the private health insurers offer rebates so far. Check with your fund particularly regarding rebates for stress management, hypnotherapy and coaching.
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