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Individual Therapy - Adult

Counselling can be a helpful tool to address a broad range of mental health and wellbeing concerns. There are many different kinds of strategies that can be developed to assist clients in counselling sessions. Some strategies might be aimed at managing negative patterns of thinking, or negative reactions and by reducing either of these responses, clients may start to feel more optimistic and positive about life. Other strategies might be aimed at helping clients establish new goals or identifying new directions in life, such work can be especially helpful during times of adjustment or life transitions.

 

Dianne can assist clients to identify and clarify their goals in counselling sessions by providing an opportunity and space to fully discuss what is important to the client. Counselling should also be flexible and if new issues emerge in counselling sessions that are important to the client, then new goals can be developed to address the new issues. 

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The whole purpose of counselling is for clients to leave having a greater sense of wellbeing.

 

Psychological support for adults might address issues such as:

  • Stress

  • Anxiety

  • Low mood or depression

  • Motivation 

  • Irritability

  • Relationship difficulties  

  • Interpersonal conflict 

  • Workplace challenges 

  • Family issues

  • Parenting  

  • Adjustment and life transition challenges

  • Trauma

  • Self-esteem and self confidence 

  • Disordered eating 

  • Sleep 

  • Identity issues

  • Grief or loss

Individual Therapy - Child & Adolescent

Dianne is an experienced psychologist and is also a trained teacher. She has worked extensively with schools supporting students and their families to make plans to assist the child or adolescent with issues such as school refusal, bullying, workload, friendships, and/or classroom adjustments. She understands the importance of helping the child or adolescent be at the centre of the counselling session and as such, she has a strong focus on building rapport with the child or adolescent.

 

Counselling can be helpful for children or adolescents to address a broad range of mental health or wellbeing concerns. Often working with children and adolescents involves working  with the parent/s as well.

 

For primary school aged children, the initial counselling session will be with the parent/s on their own. This allows a developmental history to be taken as well as a chance for the parent/s to identify their current concerns or issues for their child.

 

For adolescents, the initial counselling session can be with the young person. Parents are still an important part of working with adolescents.

 

Schools have an important role in the social, emotional, and academic life of the young person and Dianne will liaise with the school wellbeing team as required. Meetings can take place with school wellbeing staff and reports can be written for schools about social, emotional or workload adjustments for the child or adolescent at school if required.

 

Psychological support for children and adolescents might address issues such as: 

  • General worries

  • School issues, including school refusal and bullying  

  • Learning and studying issues

  • Social, peer relationships and friendships

  • Stress

  • Anxiety

  • Fears

  • Low mood or depression 

  • Motivation

  • Irritability  

  • Anger

  • Body image 

  • Identity issues 

  • Behavioural traits  

  • Disordered eating 

  • Sleep 

  • Adjustment and life transition challenges

  • Self Esteem

  • Self-harm and suicidal ideation

  • Family stress, separation and divorce

  • Grief and loss

Family, Parenting & Couples Therapy

What is this therapy?

 

Counselling can be helpful for families, parents, and couples to address a broad range of communication or other specific concerns related to mental health or wellbeing. Dianne is an experienced family and couples therapist and can conduct sessions in flexible ways that best suit the particular clients. In family or parent therapy, it might be that the whole family attend the counselling sessions, or just specific family members, or just the parents. In couples therapy, both partners would attend the counselling session.    

 

How is this therapy conducted? 

 

When working with families, Dianne works with a family systems approach. Each individual is involved in clarifying issues that they would like to see addressed in sessions and in the setting of goals. Even small changes and shifts in the family system can increase family harmony and improve communication.   

 

When might you seek help? 

 

Sometimes counselling is sought when there is added stress or change within the family or couple unit, such as conflict, changes, separation, or grief. Dianne can assist clients by collaboratively developing strategies to help restore or establish communication pathways that can help cope with stress or change. 

 

For parents: 

 

Dianne can work with parents to help identify a broad range of psychological strategies and interventions that address the child/children’s or adolescent’s needs. These strategies might tackle issues such as, communication and family dynamics, sibling rivalry, school and learning concerns, social, emotional and/or behavioural issues.  

 

For Couples: 

 

Dianne works with couples who may feel stuck or who may be seeking new ways to communicate. Several strategies might be utilised in couples counselling such as the Gottman method, interpersonal processing, solution focused work, strength approaches or specific strategies that are more tailored to the couple’s needs.  

 

There is sometimes an overlap between family work, parent work and couple work. A phone consultation can be arranged to determine the best method of psychological support to suit the client ahead of an initial appointment. 

 

There is not currently a Medicare rebate for Family, Couples or Parenting counselling sessions, however, clients who have private heath may be able to check with their fund if they are eligible for private health rebates. 

 

The whole purpose of counselling is to leave the sessions having a greater sense of wellbeing for the family, the parent/s, or the couple.   

 

Psychological support for families, parents and couples might address issues such as: 

  • Conflict resolution

  • Family stress, separation, and divorce

  • Mixed and blended families

  • Relationship and social Issues

  • Parent-child relationships

  • Parenting strategies

  • Learning and motivation issues

  • Low mood and mood disturbance

  • Low self-esteem

  • Separation and adjustment concerns

  • School refusal

  • Sibling rivalry

  • Boundary settings 

  • Grief and loss

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