Flexible Therapeutic Approach in Melbourne

Patricia’s approach to treatment is respectful and supportive; collaboratively establishing direction, limits, pace and short- and long-term goals while taking into account that each person brings to sessions unique stories, needs, values and beliefs. Her education, training and professional experience, first as a counsellor and then as a psychologist, allow her to draw on knowledge and skills from a number of disciplines and from a wide range of evidence-based therapies to implement treatment that fits with each client’s needs and goals.

Psychological treatment can help if you experience or have experienced any of the following:

Disciplines and evidence-based therapies are used to formulate and implement treatments.

An evidence-based treatment that yields positive psychological, emotional and behavioural change. Explores mental and behavioural responses to painful feelings and thoughts. The therapeutic relationship is used as a source of insight into old patterns while gradually safely implementing new ways of relating. Early attachments inform the therapeutic work in the present while simultaneously focusing on the mind and emotions at a deeper level beyond cognition. This repetitive focus creates meaningful internal change.

CBT helps change the way people think about their lives, themselves and other people. Implementing and practising specific strategies and skills on a daily basis leads to altering negative thinking and maladaptive behaviour, leading to more adaptive, flexible and positive ways of thinking, behaving and relating to yourself and others.

This focuses on understanding a client’s existential experience, recognising human capacity in areas of creativity, personal growth and choice. Humans have an innate ability to develop to their full potential, so we focus on the client’s self-worth/esteem.

This is an empirically-supported, humanistic therapy developed to help people become more aware of their emotions and more adaptive. It helps reduce depression and interpersonal problems and increase self-awareness, self-compassion, assertiveness, and accessing and healing painful, trauma-related emotional memories.

IPT focuses on interpersonal conflicts, role transitions, stressful situations that require sudden and necessary change like grief and loss and other interpersonal deficits. Clients learn to interact more effectively in their everyday function.

This is a mindfulness-based, values-directed therapy. There are two important components: acceptance of the uncontrollable thoughts and feelings experienced and commitment and action towards living a life that you value. The aim is to create a full and vital life while accepting pain and distress.