Frequently Asked Questions |
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What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?
Clinical psychologists complete a minimum of six or seven years
of university-level study, and have expertise in the area of
human behaviour. Although clinical psychologists frequently have
doctoral degrees and are referred to as “doctor”, they do not
have medical degrees, and are not able to prescribe medications.
Rather, psychologists assess clients and then use scientifically
supported therapies (for example, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)
in working with clients to achieve their goals, improve their
quality of life, and function more healthily and effectively on
a day-to-day basis. Psychologists, therefore, help clients with
a wide range of problems, including changing behaviours (e.g.,
smoking, problems with eating or motivation), managing stress,
and clinical diagnoses, such as depression and anxiety.
CBT or “Cognitive Behavioural Therapy” is a form of therapy that
helps clients to identify and change unhelpful actions (behaviours)
and thinking patterns (cognitions). CBT focuses on your present
thoughts and behaviours and how they affect how you feel. What types of problems can be addressed with CBT?
Numerous research studies over many years have supported the
effectiveness of CBT, and for some problems (e.g.,depression),
CBT has been shown to be as effective as anti-depressant
medications in minimising and treating symptoms. This type of
therapy is helpful for people experiencing a wide range of
difficulties and with all age groups (children, adolescents,
adults, and older adults). The types of problems CBT addresses
include anxiety (including panic, phobias, generalised anxiety
and obsessive compulsive disorder), depression, stress, anger
management, low self-esteem, adjustment difficulties, managing
and coping with the effects of health problems (e.g., fatigue,
pain), eating disorders (e.g., bulimia), post-traumatic stress
disorder, and bipolar disorder.
What will the treatment process be like with CBT?
CBT requires a comprehensive assessment where a psychologist
will find out what is going on for you and what is contributing
to and maintaining those issues. Your psychologist will develop
a treatment plan for you, which will require you to work with
your therapist as an active participant in your therapy. You
will also be required to practice strategies provided by your
therapist between sessions (“homework”). This may include
completing forms, practising strategies that you have learned in
sessions (e.g., breathing and relaxation techniques), and
performing actions (for example, doing things that increase or
decrease behaviours). Your therapist will work with you to
identify unhelpful thoughts and behaviours that may be
contributing to your difficulties, and to replace these with
more realistic, effective thoughts and behaviours.
Schema Therapy is essentially a combination of specific aspects of a range of therapies, including cognitive, behavioural, experiential, interpersonal and psychoanalytic therapies. The aim of Schema Therapy is to examine a client’s history so that core unmet needs from childhood can be identified. Identification of these unmet needs helps to determine unhealthy beliefs (schemas) that are impacting on a client’s present life. What types of problems can be addressed with Schema Therapy? Research shows that Schema Therapy is most effective for people who have had lifelong patterns of difficulties, or for whom standard therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, do not result in sufficient improvement. This type of therapy has been shown to be helpful for both individuals and couples experiencing chronic depression, interpersonal difficulties, and other long-standing psychological issues. What will the treatment process be like with Schema Therapy? Schema Therapy comprises three stages. In the first stage of therapy, your therapist will conduct a thorough assessment aimed at identifying your schemas. You may be requested to complete questionnaires and to engage in experiential techniques (for example, imagery). In the second stage of therapy, the emotional awareness and experiential phase, your therapist will help you to get in touch with these schemas and learn how to become more aware of them when they are impacting on your everyday life. In the third and final stage of therapy, the behavioural change stage, your therapist will guide you in replacing negative, habitual thoughts and behaviours with alternative thoughts and behaviours that are more likely to work better for you and improve your day-to-day life.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a mindfulness-based
form of Cognitive Behavioural therapy. The overarching aim of
ACT is to help you to achieve two main goals: (1) to effectively
handle painful thoughts and feelings, and (2) to create a rich,
full and meaningful life. The ACT approach suggests that our
attempts to control, limit, or push away inner experiences cause
emotional suffering, by way of constricting our lives and
disconnecting us from what we value most. What types of problems can be addressed with ACT?
Research evidence to date has shown that ACT can assist people
with a range of psychological problems, including depression,
anxiety (including obsessive compulsive disorder and
posttraumatic stress disorder), stress, pain, eating disorders,
addictions, and psychosis. ACT has been shown to be effective
for individuals and couples, as well as in group therapy. What will the treatment process be like with ACT?
ACT requires a comprehensive assessment where a psychologist
will find out what is going on for you and what is contributing
to and maintaining those issues. Your psychologist will develop
a treatment plan for you, which could involve you working with
your therapist as an active participant in your therapy. You
might practice techniques between sessions (“homework”),
involving, for example, mindfulness strategies that improve your
present moment awareness, and/or complete work sheets to clarify
your personal life values. The Triple P- Positive Parenting Program is about teaching parents a range of parenting techniques that increase parental competence and are helpful in managing child behavioural problems. The program increases the knowledge, skills and confidence of parents, and may not only assist parents with current difficulties, but also prevent children from developing some problems, such as severe behavioural, emotional and developmental problems. The design of the Triple P program allows treatment to be tailored to the needs of individual families. What types of problems can be addressed with Triple P?
Triple P has been shown to be effective in helping parents to
manage a wide range of problems experienced by preschool, and
primary school children, including aggression, fears,
nightmares, bed-wetting, bullying, and low self-esteem. This
type of therapy has also assisted parents of teenagers with
issues such as dating, peer relationships, depression, and
anxiety. Parents managing difficulties associated with Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome and Downs
Syndrome, have also found strategies provided within the Triple
P framework to be helpful for themselves and their children. What will the treatment process be like with Triple P?
At the commencement of the program, your therapist will conduct
a thorough assessment of aspects of your child’s functioning,
which may require you to complete forms between sessions. Your
therapist will also consider aspects of your functioning and
parenting style that may impact on your parenting, which may
require you to complete questionnaires. Your therapist will then
formulate a treatment plan, and work with you on strategies to
appropriately address difficulties that you are experiencing
with parenting your child. Your therapist will help you tailor
these strategies to your fmily and may role-play these
strategies with you in sessions. You will be required to use
these techniques with your child in between sessions. Your
therapist will also work with you at each session to address any
difficulties you have in successfully implementing strategies
with your child.
Emotion-Focused Therapy is a type of therapy aimed at promoting healthy emotion regulation. Emotions are a valuable information system, however with traumatic experiences this system can become altered. Many people who enter therapy experience either heightened emotions (e.g., excessive anxiety, guilt, or shame) and/or suppression of others (e.g., healthy assertion, joy).
Emotion-focused therapy is based on emotion theory and attachment theory, and can help clients to:
Psychodynamic psychotherapy encompasses a range of different therapy approaches where the focus is on understanding and becoming aware of thoughts and feelings that were previously outside the person’s conscious, in order to provide relief from emotional pain. Much of the work is focused on how childhood experiences affect us as adults, in particular the development of self esteem, coping skills and patterns of interpersonal relating. It is generally a longer-term therapy approach which focuses on character and personality change as well as symptom relief. Psychodynamic psychotherapy may provide clients with: |
