How can we help?
When you or one of your family members are suffering from an unexpected change in mood, or when you simply require a better understanding of why someone seems so different or things seem so stuck, a compassionate professional service is what you need. Clinical Psychologists and Child & Adolescent Psychiatrists are equipped to handle a comprehensive range of psychological challenges and our therapists will support you and your family to reach your goals.
You can be assured – every care will be taken with you and your family.
What can you expect?
The first appointment usually includes a comprehensive discussion about both the concerns and the child and youth’s earlier development leading up to them. Exactly what is asked will depend on what the presenting concerns and goals for coming are. Usually, this first appointment takes an hour and a half. 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.
Sometimes psychometric assessment tools, such as international standard questionnaires, are used to provide additional objective information that can be compared to other children the same age and gender from the population sample. If you agree it will be useful, information may also be collected from teachers in the form of both psychometrics and written forms. Initial forms are included in the cost of the appointment but consequent ones are charged extra (they are usually under $10 each).
When the assessment is complete, a plan for therapy will be discussed and agreed upon. This often means weekly or fortnightly appointments (or ‘sessions’ as they are called) for anything from 4 – 12 sessions. 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.