Do you accept referrals/self-referrals?
Yes.
I am the partner/family member/friend of an adult who is struggling. Can I make an appointment for them?
Because your partner/family member/friend is 18 years of age or older, and it is an ethical requirement that psychologists communicate with adult clients directly, I request that they get in touch with me to schedule an appointment. (If you are a guardian, please contact me for more information.)
Do I need to send you anything before my first session?
Prior to your first session, I will send you a consent and registration form, outlining relevant processes and procedures related to treatment and asking for general information about yourself.
If you agree to the conditions outlined in the consent form, I will ask you to provide a Mental Health Treatment Plan referral (if you have one) and any relevant supporting documentation: e.g., previous assessment/treatment reports. These documents will help me tailor treatment to your needs.
What can I expect from treatment?
How long is treatment?
The length of treatment, from the first to the last session, can vary depending on different factors (e.g., intensity of treatment needs, motivation). Generally, treatment requires around 15-20 sessions. Note that this is an estimate: some clients require fewer sessions, others more. To start, fortnightly sessions are recommended for most clients. This optimal frequency helps clients become comfortable with therapy and build momentum towards their goals. Once clients start to see positive changes in their life, sessions begin to be spaced out until the end of treatment.
If you are unable to commit to ongoing and regular treatment, this may affect the quality of your treatment. That said, I am happy to help you problem-solve barriers to you accessing ongoing and regular treatment, or explore alternative options available to you.
After the end of treatment, clients can return for occasional “booster” sessions (i.e., sessions to help maintain gains).
Do I have to also see a GP or psychiatrist?
Depending on the nature of your presenting problem, I may recommend you meet regularly with a GP or psychiatrist (if you are not already linked with one) alongside treatment with me.
Are there any reasons why you wouldn’t be able to see me?
If it would not be safe to provide you with psychological services in a Telehealth private practice context, I will (if possible) refer you to a more appropriate service.
I will discuss with you conditions of treatment and exclusion criteria at the start of treatment.
I’m anxious about therapy. This isn’t so much a question as something I want you to know.
It is perfectly natural to have anxiety about therapy. Take a moment to offer yourself a bit of compassion: there is nothing wrong with you, most clients have anxiety about therapy.
Now, ask yourself: if your anxiety had a voice, what would it say? If you’ll allow me to venture a guess, I wonder if it would say something like “I’m afraid therapy will hurt” and “I’m worried I won’t be in good hands”.
I want you to know I hear your anxiety, and what it has to say. Therapy can, in fact, feel like a rollercoaster, with ups and downs. Change is rarely easy. Full disclosure: I can’t promise you a flat ride. But I can promise you a safe ride. To achieve this, I offer clients a calm, non-judgmental, supportive, and informative space at all times, from the very first to the very last session.
I’m attending therapy because I’m expected to (by a partner/family member/friend). How can therapy possibly be helpful to me?
That’s a fair question. Even though you’re coming to therapy because others expect you to, I wonder if we can still find a way to make therapy a helpful space for you. Perhaps therapy can be both compulsory and helpful at the same time.
Your website says you’re a sex positive therapist. Does that mean it’s ok for me to do anything I want sexually?
Sex positivity, in therapy, does not mean allowing clients to do anything they want sexually. Quite the opposite: sex positivity means providing clients with a safe therapeutic space, where they can (a) talk openly about their problems with sex (e.g., excessive sexual desire), so they can (b) develop insight into these problems and learn to live their sexuality in constructive ways.
What are your treatment approaches?
Motivational interviewing
This approach helps clients stay connected with the reasons why they want to change or might benefit from change, to help them make change happen.
Cognitive behavioural therapy
This approach focuses on thoughts and behaviours, and the connection between them, to help clients make positive choices and actions.
Acceptance & commitment therapy
This form of cognitive behavioural therapy helps clients re-imagine their relationship with their thoughts and feelings, so thoughts and feelings have less of an impact on them, and so they feel freer to live kind and personally meaningful lives.
Mindfulness
This approach helps clients “step back” from their unhelpful thoughts and feelings, observing them from a safe position instead of getting entangled in them.
Client-centred therapy
This approach makes the client—and their unique identities, values, and goals—the focus of therapy, with the therapist acting as a guide.
Humanistic therapy
This approach treats clients and their problems through a non-medical lens of personal responsibility. Through this lens, clients and their problems are complex entities and experiences that cannot be reduced to “diseases” and “symptoms”. In the same vein, clients are not defined by their problems, and are capable of responding to problems in constructive ways.
Strengths-based approach
This approach highlights the strengths clients bring to and develop in therapy, and supports clients in using these strengths to make positive changes in their lives.
Compassion-based approach
This approach encourages clients to hold themselves gently during times of personal difficulty—instead of getting “stuck” in shame, self-judgments, etc.—to help them become more resilient and, thus, better able to treat others with kindness and live with purpose.
If you have another question about clinical treatment, feel free to contact me. Keep in mind, however, that depending on the nature of your question, I may be unable to answer it over email and request we schedule a session instead to discuss your question.