Our Services

Our Services

How can we help?

Totally Psyched is a multi-disciplinary group practice of passionate and experienced child and adolescent mental health specialists including psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors, creative arts therapists and psychotherapists. We work with a range of mental health, neurodevelopmental, cognitive and educational presentations and offer a wide variety of services to best understand and support your child and family. You can be assured – every care will be taken with you and your family.

 

We offer a range of services including mental health, neurodevelopmental and cognitive/academic assessment; individual, group and family therapies, medication consultation, and much more!

 

We do accept self-referrals, and you can also refer via your GP or other professional sources.

 

See below for more information about the variety of supports on offer at Totally Psyched.

 

Please note: We are not a crisis or urgent service, and we cannot work with high or acute levels of risk. If you are concerned about the safety of a young person, please contact emergency services on 111, or click here for the details of your local mental health crisis team.

 

​You can be assured – every care will be taken with you and your family.

What can you expect?

 

Step 1: Contact

Please complete our online Contact Form to start your referral process.

 

Step 2: Referral

After you have completed our online Contact Form, our Referrals Team will send you the appropriate Referral Forms including consent, developmental and information forms. 

Please note, if your child is under 16 years old, we are bound by law to request formal consent from both legal guardians.

 

If you aren’t quite sure what you need, or what service/professional would be best – don’t worry! Our team will help you. Just simply express your concerns, and we will do the rest. If you do want a specific service or clinician, however, please clearly state this in your form and we will take all of this into consideration.

 

Step 3: Triage and Recommendations

Once you have completed these forms, each referral is personally triaged by our Clinical Manager, an experienced Senior Clinical Psychologist, to provide you with tailored recommendations through our services, based on the needs of your child. 

If we have some further questions, or require additional information to best advise you, one of our Clinical Team will contact you to do so.

Once triaged to ensure that we are the most appropriate service for you and your child, recommendations for next steps are sent through to you via email.

We aim to have this process completed within 2 weeks of receiving all of your completed forms.

 

Step 4: Welcome to Totally Psyched!

Depending on which part of the service you have been recommended, appointments are arranged, and our team look forward to welcoming you to one of our warm and friendly clinics. 

You may be asked to pay a deposit and complete pre-assessment questionnaires for certain services within Totally Psyched. This will all be explained to you in your triage recommendations.

 

 

Make a Referral

Our Services

All therapies start with an assessment, to develop a joint understanding of the concerns, including how they have developed, what triggers and maintains them, and what is helping. If appropriate, a mental health diagnosis is made based on the latest DSM-V international diagnostic criteria (American Psychiatric Association (2014). This assessment might also include the use of psychometric assessment (questionnaires) using international standard assessment systems with local normative samples.

Our standard initial mental health assessment is up to 90 minutes. Some clinicians conduct these with the parents and child together; others conduct these with the parents alone. You will be advised of this depending on the clinician you are working with.

The first appointment usually includes a comprehensive discussion about both the concerns the young person’s earlier development leading up to them. Exactly what is asked will depend on what the presenting concerns are, and what your goals are for coming to Totally Psyched. and goals for coming are.

If there are any safety concerns, these will be assessed and a plan developed to address them in the first appointment – please be sure to bring any safety concerns up immediately so support can be put in place.

When the assessment is complete, a plan for further formal assessment or therapy will be discussed and agreed upon collaboratively with you and your therapist.

This often means weekly or fortnightly appointments (or ‘sessions’ as they are called), and the frequency and duration of these sessions varies for everyone. Your clinician will guide you. How long it takes generally depends on the severity and complexity of the disorder/difficulties and the motivation of the person or people in therapy. As you can imagine, if there are multiple challenges and an unmotivated individual, then more time will likely be needed.

Initial Assessment – up to 90mins (inclusive of gst)

– Psychologist $395.00

– Senior Clinical Psychologist $450.00

– Counsellor $350.00

 

Therapy Fees – up to 50 mins (inclusive of gst)

– Psychologist $225.00

– Senior Clinical Psychologist $250.00

– Counsellor or Psychotherapy $200.00

Individual Mental Health Assessment | Totally Psyched
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Specific therapies are recommended or selected based on whether we are working with a child, adolescent, young adult or family system; the kind of difficulty they are facing, and what research evidence shows is the most effective.

Our clinicians are widely trained and skilled in a range of therapies including:

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
  • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
  • Behavioural Therapy (including Applied Behavioural Analysis – ABA)
  • Psychoanalytic & Gestalt Therapy
  • Schema Therapy
  • EMDR
  • Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
  • Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (please see below section for more information about this approach)
  • Play Therapy
  • Sand Tray Therapy
  • Creative Arts Therapy
  • Narrative Therapy & Counselling
Individual Mental Health Assessment | Totally Psyched
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Child psychotherapy is predominantly about relationships, meaning that challenges are most effectively understood within the relationships one has with oneself, one’s family and the greater context of a young person’s life.

It aims to help children, and their families make meaningful change through a greater understanding of what lies beneath and informs behaviours.

A psychotherapeutic approach recognises that the child’s language is often play and acknowledges this medium to be expressive of their worries and difficulties from an unconscious level. For this reason of achieving depth, child psychotherapy can be longer term, given the pace and development of trust in the therapeutic relationship.

 

An initial assessment is needed to form a comprehensive picture of your child and how they view themselves and the world they live in. This is done over a course of four sessions.

 

Session 1: Assessment with Parents (90 mins) where first the therapist meets with you, the parents, alone (90min), to build a picture of your child’s development thus far as well as the presenting difficulties.

 

Session 2 & 3: Two child-only sessions (50min), where the therapist observes your child in play closely.

 

Session 4: Finally, this is completed by a meeting with the parents (child not present) where a shared understanding of the child’s needs is discussed and a path forward is collaboratively agreed upon (50-90min).

 

Indication of Costs:
Psychotherapy Initial Assessment (up to 90 mins) $300.00
Psychotherapy Session (50 mins) $200.00

Specialist Autism Spectrum (ASD) Assessment | Totally Psyched
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In New Zealand, ADHD assessment and diagnosis is a specialist service that can be conducted by psychologists, psychiatrists and paediatricians.

At Totally Psyched Ltd, we do not offer a psychiatry only pathway. Our psychologists lead the assessment and diagnosis process, with our psychiatric team providing a medical consultation for those who wish to pursue it in a separate following appointment.

 

This assessment is for children aged 6 – 18 years and uses a combination of information and observations from parents, teachers and our clinical team. 

 

As part of our internationally gold-standard process, an ADHD assessment at Totally Psyched is conducted by our experienced psychologists as part of a multidisciplinary team of practitioners and involves pre-assessment questionnaires completed by parents, a teacher, and the young person if they are old enough to do so, as well as a clinical interview and neuropsychological testing on the day.

 

The assessment usually takes 2 hours, followed by a break for our clinicians to discuss their findings with the team, and up to 60 minutes for feedback afterwards. This assessment type does screen for other common childhood mental health/neurodevelopmental conditions such as anxiety, depression or autism, but does not formally assess these.

 

This assessment does not cover learning and cognition or diagnostic testing for dyslexia and other learning conditions.

This is another service that we offer called Cognitive and Academic assessment.

From our ADHD assessment, you can expect to leave with a better understanding of your child, whether a diagnosis is reached or not, as well as a plan and recommendations for further follow up and support if required, a formal report will also be provided.

 

Following this assessment, a medication consultation with a member of our medical/psychiatric team will be available for you to book if you would like to explore medication options. Your clinician will discuss this with you at the end of your assessment.

 

Our ADHD assessment assesses for inattentive, hyperactive or combined type and usually includes:

 

  • Full clinical interview with a specialist trained psychologist: gaining an understanding of the child’s development from birth to the present, identifying any potential ADHD diagnostic criteria and discussing any other concerns

 

  • ADHD assessment questionnaires completed by parents, teacher(s) and adolescents (for themselves) prior to the day

 

  • School report and observations completed by teachers

 

  • General psychological and psychiatric screener assessment questionnaires completed by parents and adolescents (for themselves): to rule in or out other mental health conditions potentially affecting functioning such as anxiety and depression

 

  •  Specialist neuropsychological assessment (CATA & CPT3 or K-CPT3) of how the child or adolescent’s attentional system is currently functioning compared to their same-aged peers. Using computer-based testing, the team can get an accurate understanding of how well a person is able to focus, maintain their concentration over time, manage distractors, remain vigilant, control their automatic impulses – both visually and audibly (through sound). This is then analysed and statistically compared to other (from a very large sample) boys or girls their age to see which parts of their attentional system are affected beyond that which is typical for their age, if any.

 

  •  You will be provided with a formal diagnostic report on diagnoses, the testing completed & recommendations for school and home.

 

General cost (can vary):
$2,000.00 Psychologist lead
$2,500.00 Senior Psychologist lead

Make a Referral

In New Zealand, ASD assessment and diagnosis is a specialist service that can be conducted by psychologists, psychiatrists and paediatricians. At Totally Psyched, we do not offer a psychiatry only pathway. Our psychologists lead the assessment and diagnosis process, with our psychiatric team providing a medical consultation for those who wish to pursue it.

 

As part of our internationally gold-standard assessment, an ASD assessment at Totally Psyched is conducted by our experienced psychologists as part of a multidisciplinary team of practitioners and involves pre-assessment questionnaires completed by parents, a teacher, and the young person if they are old enough to do so, as well as a clinical interview and neuropsychological testing on the day.

 

The assessment usually takes 2 hours, followed by a break for our clinicians to discuss their findings with the team, and up to 60 minutes for feedback afterwards.

This assessment type does screen for other common childhood mental health/neurodevelopmental conditions such as anxiety, depression or autism, but does not formally assess these.

 

This assessment does not cover learning and cognition or diagnostic testing for dyslexia and other learning conditions, this is another service that we offer called Cognitive and Academic assessment.

 

From our ASD assessment, you can expect to leave with a better understanding of your child, whether a diagnosis is reached or not, as well as a plan and recommendations for further follow up and support if required, a formal report will also be provided.

 

Following this assessment, a medication consultation with a member of our medical/psychiatric team will be available for you to book if you would like to explore medication options. Your clinician will discuss this with you at the end of your assessment.

– You will be provided with a Diagnostic Report on diagnoses, the testing completed & Recommendations for school and home.

Usual Cost (this can vary): $2000.00 (incl gst)

Specialist Autism Spectrum (ASD) Assessment | Totally Psyched
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Educational & Academic Assessment is usually helpful if/when:
– an underlying learning/intellectual disability or difficulty is suspected, providing a clearer picture of what areas are affected and recommendations for what will help
– a school needs to make an application for Special Assessment Conditions for exams

The usual process
Educational Assessment is carried out by our Senior Specialist Educational Psychologists
– Brief Initial Consult (15-30 mins)
– Intellectual (cognitive) assessment (60-90 mins)
– Academic assessment (120 mins)
– Full verbal feedback about the results and recommendations with parents and with child/adolescent if preferred (60 mins)
– Comprehensive report with assessment findings, diagnoses (if relevant), Special Assessment Conditions application & recommendations for school &/or home
– Internal referral to multidisciplinary team for further support where needed (with shorter/no wait times and team discussion in support)
TOTAL COST: $2,130 (incl gst)

Educational Cognitive & Academic Assessment | Totally Psyched
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EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a specialist form of therapy that helps individuals process and heal from traumatic memories and other distressing life experiences.

It involves using bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, sounds or tactile experiences such as tapping, while focusing on a specific memory, allowing the brain to naturally reprocess and integrate the experience, reducing its emotional intensity.

 We have a fantastic team of trained clinicians at Totally Psyched who can work with children, adolescents and young adults using this specialist modality of therapy.

 

What can EMDR be used for? 

In addition to its use for the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, EMDR has been successfully used to treat anxiety and panic attacks, phobias, sleep problems, anger, grief and loss, addictions, chronic pain, and feelings of worthlessness/low self-esteem.

 

How long does treatment take? 

EMDR can be brief focused treatment or part of a longer psychotherapy treatment plan. EMDR can be easily integrated with other approaches in which your therapist might be trained, such as Psychodynamic psychotherapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or Cognitive Behavior Therapy. For best effects, EMDR sessions during the actual reprocessing phases of treatment usually last from 60 to 90 minutes. Positive effects have been seen after one session of EMDR. 

 

How do I know if EMDR is right for me?

Your referral will be triaged by our Clinical Manager/Senior Clinical Psychologist to ensure that EMDR is the right approach for you. It may be that you are recommended an EMDR clinician straight away, or this may be something that is suggested after another piece of therapeutic work is done first. Safety and stability are key pre-requisites to EMDR therapy, so please get in touch if you think EMDR would be right for your child.

Parenting Support | Totally Psyched
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Psychiatry/Medication consultation is available for Totally Psyched clients after specialist assessment/consultation from a Totally Psyched psychologist or therapist.

 

Our Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrists are available to discuss diagnoses and medication options, review your current medication and/or make medication adjustments as part of your child’s treatment plan. They are also available for specialist diagnostic support if there are complex needs.

 

We are unable to offer stand-alone Psychiatry Appointments 

This can include for:

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Depression and other Mood Concerns
  • Anxiety
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Tourette’s & Tics
  • Autistic Spectrum (ASD) related anxiety/anger/agitation
  • Emotional or Behavioural Regulation difficulties
  • Sleep difficulties

 

Medication Consultation Costs with Specialist Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist:

– Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Initial Assessment Consult (up to 45mins) $570.00


– Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Consult (up to 30mins) $282.00


– Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment Consult (Complex) (up to 90 mins): $862.50

Family Therapy | Totally Psyched

Group Therapies

Totally Psyched run a range of different groups throughout the year, depending on demand. Regular groups held at Totally Psyched are:

  • Wise Minds
  • Mind over Matter
  • Parenting the ADHD Brain
  • Creative Connections

 

For more information email groups@psyched.org.nz 

Parenting the ADHD Brain:


A 6-week ADHD Workshop Series for parents providing friendly support, information and strategies for understanding of your child’s ADHD diagnosis, and how to support and manage their needs.

 

This group is run by our neurodevelopmental specialist/Senior Clinical Psychologist Dr Midori Lumsden and Intern Psychologist Britt Wallace.

COST: $695 per person. If a second/parent guardian also wishes to attend, they can do so for a 50% discount.
TERM 3 DATES: TBC 
CAPACITY: 16 attendees

Mind Over Matter:


Mind Over Matter is a group about overcoming adversity on the journey toward the life we want to live. This 10-week group will provide young people with tools to take on challenges and opportunities, as well as the emotions that go with them.

Mind Over Matter is a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) group for Young People. ‘Cognitive’ meaning the way we think about our self, the world, and the future. ‘Behavioural’ meaning the things we do or don’t do in response to the world around us and the experiences inside us.

Low mood and high anxiety will be specifically targeted with skills focussing on emotion education, relaxation, mindfulness, thought strategies, interpersonal skills, graded exposure plans, problem solving, and reducing vulnerabilities.

Mind over Matter has been developed by our Clinical Psychologist, Dr Aramis Dennan

 

COST: $895 per person
TERM 3 DATES: TBC
AGE RANGE: 13+
CAPACITY: 8-10 attendees

Express Interest In a Group

Family based approaches are available to support individuals and the entire whanau, as required:

– Narrative Family Therapy
– Systemic Family Therapy

Family Therapy | Totally Psyched

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