Psychologists have studied human behavior and the brain (including how people think, feel, learn and behave) and have been trained to assist people who are having challenges coping with emotions, thoughts and actions. This can include those experiencing mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, addictive behaviours and childhood behaviour disorders. Psychologists use evidence-based approaches that are tailored to suit each client and circumstance and they assess, diagnose and treat a wide range of clients and areas of concern.

The best way to identify if your child needs to visit a psychologist is by checking if their troubled emotional state is affecting their daily lifestyle, their relationship with you or their friends, etc. Considerable decline in academic performance, failing to regulate their emotions are other vital signs that you must watch out for and indicate that they need help. Neglecting any of these signs can be drastic for your kid, so if you think your child can benefit from therapy, consult a psychologist today.

The child psychologist first meets with the parents. From understanding your family, the history of the problem, what has worked or not worked so far in order to combat the issue to learning about your child’s strengths and pitfalls. They would establish rapport with the child, assess the problem and tailor make a treatment specifically for the child.

Ideally, there isn’t any fixed time or count of sessions that can guarantee a 100% success rate. It all depends on the severity of the problem and how comfortable the kid is with the therapist. If the situation is severe and has impacted different areas of your child’s life, the sessions can continue for months/year, however, in the other case, a few sessions should be enough to diagnose the issue and resolve it.

The child psychologist in their training and knowledge is equipped to work with a vast array of child related issues. They would help your child learn useful strategies for coping in areas where they struggle.
Some psychologists rely on historical background and explore your kid's past, while some believe in changing your kid’s current routine to bring in desirable changes in their emotional and mental state.
The therapists can help you find answers to all child psychology questions and help your kids communicate better, train their minds to think of situations from a different perspective, to learn to manage anger, frustration, and other negative emotions, etc.
Some psychologists rely on historical background and explore your kid's past, while some believe in changing your kid’s current routine to bring in desirable changes in their emotional and mental state.
The therapists can help you find answers to all child psychology questions and help your kids communicate better, train their minds to think of situations from a different perspective, to learn to manage anger, frustration, and other negative emotions, etc.
From communicating better, to be able think of situations from different perspective, to learn to manage anger, frustration and other negative emotions, etc. Along with working with the child they would also work with parents, to help them effectively support their child and even help them with parenting their children in difficult situations.

Ideally yes, child psychologists collaboratively work with parents. Working in collaboration with the child psychologists helps coming up with ideas best suited in order to help your child. With young children parents end up being more actively involved where as with older children parent’s input is vital. It also helps with keeping the parent’s in loop about the progress and the areas of development. There could even be family sessions depending on the problem.

Yes, it surely is. Children up to the age of 8 – 10 years often look up to their parents for help and keeping in mind the same aspect, all major psychologists prefer making parents a part of the entire therapy session. Your mutual collaboration with the therapist and physical presence can also bring comfort to your child during the process, keeps you notified about the progress report., and allows you to support your child in these testing moments.

Not every kid is people-friendly and if your kid is one, he/she might get nervous about the prospect of meeting a psychologist. However, you can try encouraging your child to be friends with them, and share their thoughts/feelings with them freely even if you aren’t there. In case, your child is a teen, you can try convincing them to try out 1-2 sessions and if they feel it’s working for them, to continue and if not, feel free to step out. You can also state how sharing the problem with the therapist can lessen their mental stress alongside helping them deal with life situations such as school pressure, bullying, self image and more. Seeking therapy or counselling for your child does not mean that you are not a bad parent but in fact you are a parent that recognizes that your child requires help to reduce their suffering and improve their overall wellbeing. A child psychologist knows the right questions to ask a child in therapy and portrays himself not as a parent but a guide to help your child cope and do better.

Psychologists provide counselling and therapy to clients, but not all counsellors or therapists are Psychologists or Social Workers. In Australia, practicing psychologists are legally required to be registered with the national registration board, the Psychology Board of Australia and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. The term ‘counsellor’ is not protected in Australia, so anyone can use this title.
Clinical and Registered Psychologists must have a minimum of six years of university training and supervised experience and take part in ongoing education to keep their skills and knowledge up to date. Seeing someone who is registered ensures you receive high quality ethical treatment from a competent practitioner who follows a strict Code of Conduct.

Psychologists are university trained and registered practitioners who assist people with challenges they are facing in their life including depression, anxiety, stress and relationship difficulties, as well as mental health issues. Their focus is on tailoring plans to help their clients develop skills and techniques to cope with difficulties and to prevent on-going issues and they often use a combination of therapies appropriate to the situation.
Psychiatrists are specialist medical doctors who have obtained additional qualifications to practice in the specialty of psychiatry. They specialise in the diagnosis and medical treatment of mental illness and can prescribe medication as well as using other therapies.

No – you can make an appointment with our psychologists without a referral from your GP or a psychiatrist. If you have private health insurance that includes psychological counselling as extras cover, you may be eligible for a partial rebate on the cost of your appointment.