Counselling Services
We offers counselling and support for a range of issues.
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Anxiety and related disorders
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Bullying and harassment
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Couples Counselling
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Depression and mood disorders
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Grief and Loss
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Pregnancy Counselling
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Parenting Support and Programs
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Self esteem
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Online and TeleHealth Counselling
Anxiety and related disorders
A mental health disorder characterised by feelings of worry, anxiety or fear that are strong enough to interfere with one's daily activities. It is usually triggered by anticipation of future events, for example sitting an exam.
Symptoms can include:
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concentration difficulties
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restlessness
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trembling, shaking, feeling faint
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stress that's out of proportion to the impact of the event
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inability to set aside a worry
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unable to relax
Types of anxiety disorders include:
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Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
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Panic Disorder
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Specific Phobias
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Agoraphobia
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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
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Social Anxiety Disorder
Depression
Depression is a mental health disorder characterised by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life. Mental health difficulties can impact behaviour, emotions, thoughts and physical state.
Behaviour:
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not getting things done at work/school
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withdrawing from close family and friends
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relying on alcohol and sedatives
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not doing usual enjoyable activities
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unable to concentrate
Feelings:
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overwhelmed
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guilty
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irritable and frustrated
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lacking in confidence
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unhappy/sad
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disappointed
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miserable
Thoughts:
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'I’m a failure.'
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'It’s my fault.'
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'Nothing good ever happens to me.'
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'I’m worthless.'
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'Life’s not worth living.'
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'People would be better off without me.'
Physical:
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tired all the time
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sick and run down
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headaches and muscle pains
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churning gut
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sleep problems
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loss or change of appetite
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significant weight loss or gain
It is important that you seek professional support and help when struggling to manage your mental health.
Couples Counselling
There are times when some couples encounter difficulties within their relationship and need additional support to address these issues. Some of the areas that couples counselling can address are:
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communication breakdown
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lack of intimacy
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changing relationship needs
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parenting differences
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life transitions and stress
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betrayals, lying and cheating
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imbalance of power within the relationship
Grief and Loss
Whilst it is a fact of life, the pain of "loss" can be overwhelming for many of us. The end of a long term relationship, divorce, serious illness or death of someone we know, are all aspects of grief and loss experienced over a life time. We all have our own individual way of responding to this pain, however sometimes it can become too difficult to process alone.
This is where a psychologist can assist with processing these strong emotions, developing better thinking patterns and assisting with implementing more functional behaviours in response to the loss.
Pregnancy Counselling
Many women often find themselves requiring counselling and support during the course of pregnancy or within 12 months of pregnancy.
Some of the issues that may arise include:
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decision making related to the pregnancy
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managing unexpected outcomes (e.g stillbirth, miscarriage, problems at birth)
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dealing with mixed feelings during or post pregnancy
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conflict with relationships due to the pregnancy (e.g partner, children, parents, religious)
If this is something you are seeking please contact to discuss making an appointment.
Parenting Programs
There are a number of accredited parenting programs offered on a one to one, group and/or online format which include:
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Circle of Security - an attachment based parenting program
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123 Magic & Emotion Coaching - a positive parenting program for parents of children aged 2-12 years
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Engaging your Adolescent - a positive parenting program for parents of teens aged 13-17 yrs
Self Esteem and Confidence issues
We all have problems with our confidence and self esteem from time to time, however when this becomes persistent it can result in harmful effects on mental health.
What is Self Esteem? This is the opinion we have of ourselves, therefore when we are feeling happy, we tend to have a positive outlook about life and oneself. However when we have a negative, low, depressed mood state, it has a direct impact on self esteem.
There are many factors that contribute to a low self esteem and confidence issues such as;
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negative thoughts and feelings
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relationship issues with parents, partners, friends
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issues at school or work causing significant stress and feelings of low self worth.