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Psychmatters provides a range of psychological services for children, adolescents and adults. These include: 



Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is a method of treatment used for a wide range of conditions including depression, anxiety, phobias, perfectionism, post-traumatic stress, eating disorders, self-esteem issues, relationship problems and many more.


Cognitive therapies and behavioural therapies both focus on treating mental health challenges. However, the former focuses on changing beliefs and thoughts, while the later on behaviours. Cognitive therapists believe that irrational beliefs or distorted thinking patterns often cause a variety of problems, including depression and anxiety. Cognitive therapists teach how to think in more rational, constructive ways.

CBT is a combination of cognitive therapy and behaviour therapy. The combination of the two therapies forms a powerful and effective way to solve problems. Cognitive behaviour therapy gives clients the ability to observe their thought patterns and processes, allowing them to work on any negative thought habits and subsequent behaviours that are having a negative effect on their life.

Medicare requires registered psychologists to be competent in CBT.  


ACT is a therapy that is based philosophically in clinical behavior analysis. Functional contextualism is the world view that underlies ACT.


Theoretically ACT is based on RFT, which offers an account of how language creates pain and useless methods of dealing with it, and which suggests alternative contextual approaches to these domains. ACT uses metaphors, experiential exercises, and logical paradox to get around the literal content of language and to produce more contact with the ongoing flow of experience in the moment. The primary ACT components are challenging the control agenda, cognitive defusion, willingness, self as context, values, and commitment. ACT is part of the CBT tradition, although it has notable differences from traditional CBT. The main purpose of ACT is to relieve human suffering through helping clients live a vital, valued life. (Psychology Today)


Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an information processing therapy. During EMDR the client attends to past and present experiences in brief sequential doses while simultaneously focusing on an external stimulus.

 

People who suffer from disturbing life experiences can heal from their symptoms and emotional distress through EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). It has been shown repeatedly that EMDR therapy can provide the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to achieve.


Many people believe that severe emotional pain takes a long time to heal. In fact, EMDR therapy shows that the mind can heal from psychological trauma just as the body does from physical trauma. When you break a bone, your body works to heal the wound. If the broken bone is not set properly, it will not mend healthily and may cause pain and dysfunction. Once the bone is properly set, healing resumes and the bone grow stronger.


EMDR shows that mental processes follow a similar pattern. It is natural for the brain's information processing system to move toward mental health. 

If the mental processes are hindered due to a challenging event, the emotional wound does not reset and heal. But once the blockage is removed, healing can occur.  


EMDR therapy activates the brain natural healing processes using the evidence-based protocols and procedures.

 


Reality therapy is based on the premise that all human behaviour is motivated by fundamental needs and specific wants.


The reality therapist first seeks to establish a friendly, trusting relationship with clients in which they can express their needs and wants. Then the therapist helps clients explore the behaviours that created problems for them.


Clients are encouraged to examine the consequences of their behaviour and to evaluate how well their behavior helped them fulfill their wants. The therapist does not accept excuses from clients.
Finally, the therapist helps the client formulate a concrete plan of action to change certain behaviours, based on the client's own goals and ability to make choices.

 

What is hypnosis?

Hypnosis creates a very deep state of relaxation where the mind is more focused and the connection between the client’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviours is more accessible.

Hypnosis does not make the client unconscious. Rather, the client allows the hypnotherapist to place them in deep relaxation where access to the subconscious is less restricted, which allows to guide the client with more ease and less resistance. There the client learns more constructive and positive ways of thinking, feeling and being.

 

What the research says…

Research over the past 40 years has found that hypnotic techniques are both safe and effective, and that hypnotisability is related to concentration, intelligence, and focus.

Hypnotherapy has been found effective in the treatment of 

  • chronic pain, 
  • easing tension headaches, 
  • treating addictive behaviours (e.g., smoking, alcohol, and drugs), 
  • improving concentration
  • and relieving phobias and anxieties


What can you expect?

While many conditions are resolved after 6 sessions, the actual number of sessions required depends on the complexity of the problem and the client’s history.

One cannot be hypnotised against their will, and one will not perform actions against their personal values or ethics. 

Many factors influence the ability to be hypnotised including:

  • the belief in hypnosis,
  • the trust for the therapist,
  • the sense of safety, 
  • the ability to concentrate and focus your mind, 
  • and the absence of external distractors such as noise, uncomfortable temperature, and physical comfort.

The key to successful hypnosis is one’s ability to focus on your body and mind and to want to change and be willing to do the relaxation in between sessions.

 

What is hypnosis used for?

Improved thinking by:

  • sharpening your concentration, 
  • thinking more clearly, 
  • making decisions more easily 
  • and boost your memory.  
  • Strengthen self-confidence is  
  • Manage pain levels.

Memories you wish to recall can easily be brought into your mind, whilst other memories not presently needed or wanted are stored away.

Mood can be improved so that:

  • levels of tension, stress and depression can be removed or reduced 
  • level of wellbeing is enhanced.  
     

Behaviour can also be changed and people can use hypnosis to 

  • assist with giving up smoking, 
  • control eating patterns, 
  • stop nail-biting 
  • and to control many other habits or addictions.  
     

Uses also include 

  • phobias, 
  • stress management, 
  • worry, 
  • low self-esteem, 
  • performance enhancement, 
  • relationship and family problems, 
  • insomnia, 
  • tension headaches 
  • and a wide range of conditions.
 

 

Couples therapy, also called marital therapy or marriage counselling.


It is designed to help intimate partners improve their relationship. Therapists treat married couples as well as unmarried couples of the opposite or same sex. Therapists normally hold sessions with both partners present. At certain times during therapy, however, the therapist may choose to see the partners individually.


Couples may seek therapy for a variety of problems, many of which concern a breakdown of communication or trust between the partners. For example, an extramarital affair by one partner may cause the other partner to feel emotional pain, anger, and distrust. Some partners may feel distant from one another or experience sexual problems. In other cases, one or both partners may have psychological problems or alcohol or drug problems that negatively affect their relationship.

The techniques used in therapy vary depending on the theoretical orientation of the therapist and the nature of the couple's problem. Most often, therapists focus on improving communication between partners and on helping them learn to manage conflict. By observing the partners as they talk to each other, the therapist can learn about their communication patterns and the roles they assume in their relationship. The therapist may then teach the partners new ways of expressing their feelings verbally, how to listen to each other, and how to work together to solve problems. The therapist may also suggest that they try out new roles. For example, if one partner makes all of the decisions in the relationship, the therapist may encourage the couple to try sharing decision-making power.

Because most couples therapists also have training in family therapy, they often examine the influence of the couple's relationships with parents, children, and siblings. Psychoanalytically oriented therapists may focus on how the partners' childhood experiences affect their current relationship with each other.

For couples who cannot work through their differences or reestablish trust and intimacy, separation or divorce may be the best choice. Therapists can help such partners separate in constructive ways.

Assessing children provides an insight into both their abilities and those issues that may be impacting upon their behaviour and learning.  Assessments help you to plan your for child’s education needs and ensure they have the happiest experiences possible at school.

Dr Rose Cantali has considerable experience in the area of Child and Educational psychometric assessments, and the issues that impact learning. Dr Cantali has extensive teaching experience both with children with learning difficulties and those with higher cognitive abilities, so is able to make both appropriate and effective recommendations for your child.

To help you and your child achieve the most from their education, increasing their academic performance and enjoyment of school and learning, Dr Rose Cantali is able to provide assessments for your child within the following areas (some of which require more than one test for a diagnosis):
 
·    Current level of cognitive functioning for funding
·    Current level of achievement
·    Emotional difficulties
·    Behavioural difficulties
·    Memory difficulties
·    Learning difficulties
·    Executive functioning issues
·    School readiness
·    Autism Spectrum diagnosis
·    ADHD
·    Career decisions

Please contact PSYCHmatters for a quote as pricing is dependent upon the number of tests required for comprehensive understanding of your child's individual needs. 
Forensic assessment is a part of the broader category of psychological assessment, which is all the techniques used to evaluate an individual’s past, present, and future psychological status.  The purpose of forensic assessment is distinct from that of traditional therapeutic assessment.

Forensic assessment includes many traditional psychological assessments as well as specially designed forensic measures.  A forensic assessment is conducted either at the request of the court or at the request of your lawyer.  Either way, the purpose of a forensic assessment is to determine the facts under question in a legal matter such as a lawsuit or a criminal case.

PSYCHmatters psychologists can assess in:
·      Worker’s Compensation cases
·      Motor Vehicle Accidents
·      Chronic Pain Disorders
·      Violence Risk Assessments
·      Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
·      Victims of Crime
·      Competency Issues
·      Employee Assistance Program cases
·      Family Assessments

Typically, an assessment will consist of a diagnostic interview, psychosocial history, and a comprehensive battery of standardised tests to address the question posed by the court or the lawyer.  During the diagnostic interview, which includes a mental status examination, your psychologist will seek to understand your current level of overall functioning.  Your psychosocial history provides a detailed description of the individual’s life story covering family of origin, childhood experiences, socialisation, marriage, divorce, educational and occupational history; drug and alcohol involvement, past and current medical and psychological functioning, and past legal difficulties.  Interview data provides a context in which current issues can be positioned and understood.
Neuropsychological assessment is a performance-based method to assess cognitive functioning. This method is used to examine the cognitive consequences of brain damage, brain disease, and severe mental illness.

There are several specific uses of neuropsychological assessment, including collection of diagnostic information, differential diagnostic information, assessment of treatment response, and prediction of functional potential and functional recovery.


PSYCHmattters Plus is a registered provider of the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) who provide therapeutic and behavioural support services including various therapies and assessments. To learn more about PSYCHmatters Plus and the services we provide, Click Here.