Services
Depression
Depression can happen to anyone, in fact 1 in 16 people in Australia are affected by depression1 in any given year.
Every now and then it’s normal to feel sad or “down in the dumps”. Life is full of uncertainty and this can contribute to low mood. Depression occurs when we are not only sad but have a loss of interest in most activities in our life. Other symptoms may include: insomnia or more sleep than usual, weight loss or gain, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fatigue, poor concentration, indecision, agitation or a slowing of thoughts and movements. People may also experience recurrent thoughts of death or suicide. These symptoms usually last for more than a few days and have an impact on our everyday life such as work, relationships and general enjoyment of life.
The good news is that with help you can recover from depression. Evidenced based therapies such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ( ACT), for example are helpful. The best place to start is with your GP.
Anxiety, worry and stress
Anxiety is a normal human emotion which is important and adaptive. Everyone worries or gets anxious at some time in their lives. When worry becomes a problem is when it is out of proportion, pervasive and difficult to control. It is very likely that you may have been struggling with anxiety for a long time, possibly for months or years. Some of the symptoms of feeling anxious include: feeling restless, keyed up or on edge; being easily tired; difficulty concentrating or mind going blank; irritability, muscle tension; difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep; feeling overwhelmed or unable to cope, feeling demoralised and depressed. As a result the anxiety may be interfering with the normal functioning of your life, at work, at home, and in the community. You can learn to manage and control it.
Similarly with depression, therapies such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy are helpful.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is characterised by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development. You may have always thought that you were ‘lazy or ‘not smart enough’ when in fact you may be affected by ADHD.
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition. ADHD is the most common neurodevelopmental condition in children and adolescents. However, ADHD can be diagnosed for the first time in adulthood. ADHD often runs in families. It is recognised that difficulty with emotional regulation and what we call ‘executive functioning’ skills are also common features of ADHD.
I am able to make a clinical diagnosis of ADHD and I offer Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as a treatment for the symptoms of ADHD.
Personality Disorders
A personality disorder is a mental disorder in which the person has a rigid and unhealthy pattern of thinking, functioning and behaving3. A person with a personality disorder has trouble perceiving and relating to situations and people. This causes significant problems and limitations in relationships, social activities, work and school. There are several types of personality disorders and many people with one personality disorder also have signs and symptoms of at least one additional personality disorder.
I diagnose and treat the several types of personality disorders, including Borderline Personality Disorder.
Individual therapy such as Schema Therapy and Dialectical behaviour Therapy are the primary treatments for Personality Disorder.
Other Psychological Issues
I also treat Panic disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Social Anxiety, Assertiveness, Stress, Problem Solving, Perfectionism, Interpersonal Skills, and Substance Abuse.
I use evidenced based therapies such as the following:
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Mindfulness
- Dialectical behaviour Therapy (DBT)
- Schema Therapy
- Solution Focussed Therapy