Psychotherapy & Counselling Melbourne

Counselling, psychotherapy & mindfulness therapy

You can change. The things that are holding you back now, don’t have to hold you back forever. You’ve already taken the hardest, most important and most daunting step: deciding you need to change. Now all you need to do is unearth the ingrained inner conflicts and issues that are stopping you from living life to the full.

We can help. With grief and loss, depression, phobias, addictions, anxiety, relationships, confidence, communication, and countless other troubles. Firstly, you and your counsellor decide on the most suitable treatment — counselling, psychotherapy or mindfulness therapy — then, together, we identify and eliminate the underlying cause.

What are counselling, psychotherapy & mindfulness therapy?

• Counselling is a private, confidential discussion (or, more usually, series of discussions) where a professional counsellor helps you explore a particular difficulty you’re experiencing in your life. Your counsellor’s role is to listen carefully and without judgement. To help you see things more clearly, and maybe from a different perspective. To help you choose an appropriate course of action to overcome your troubles. And to support you as you pursue that remedy.

• Psychotherapy is a non-medical form of therapy, similar to counselling, but with a focus on more deeply ingrained patterns of behaviour, thoughts and emotions. Where counselling might be used to adjust to general life stresses, psychoanalytic psychotherapy deals with longstanding problems that have lingered for many months, or even years.

• Mindfulness Therapy is an evidence based meditation system of mind training that teaches you how to attend to your thoughts, feelings and body sensations intentionally and without self-criticism. You'll learn to experience yourself with acceptance and respond appropriately, rather than just react. In fact, psychoanalytic psychotherapy can be combined with mindfulness therapy, often rendering deep improvements in self esteem.

Is talking to a friend as effective as counselling?

A good friend provides invaluable support when you need it most. Sometimes even effective advice. But there’s a big difference between a friend and an experienced, qualified counsellor.

Friends are less likely to tell the truth. That’s just human nature. Your friendship is important to them, and they don’t want to hurt you, so if the truth might not be what you want to hear, a friend may not offer it. Friends are also biased. Their natural inclination is to see things from your point of view. And, of course, friends are rarely qualified professional psychotherapists. Their advice, while valuable, isn’t founded on years of personal study and centuries of psychological science.

And that’s not all. Their friendship is important to you too, so you’re more likely to be worried about how they’ll respond to what you say, and how you think and feel.

University-qualified, professional counsellors and psychotherapists

We're university-qualified, professional counsellors and psychotherapists. We have degrees in counselling and postgraduate qualifications in psychotherapy. We are Members of PACFA and other respective counselling associations, which mandates a strict code of ethics and skills for practice. We are also extensively trained in Buddhist psychotherapy methods, hypnotherapy and NLP, and dream analysis. In other words, we have the counselling experience and understanding required to gain a deep understanding of your internal issues, and our treatment is governed entirely by your needs, not by our relationship.

And it all happens in a completely confidential, caring, non-judgmental environment. (In our Melbourne clinic, or by Skype if you can’t get to Melbourne or would prefer to work remotely.)

More about our Melbourne counsellors, hypnotherapists & psychotherapists.

We all need help every now and then

Most adults experience psychological troubles at some point in their lives. In fact, it’s far more common than you think. 1 in every 4 people you meet on the street have had — or are having — troubles with anxiety, and 1 in 5 with depression.

If only more of them sought help!

Proof that counselling, psychotherapy and mindfulness therapy work

Professional counselling, psychotherapy and mindfulness therapy are among the most effective treatments for the majority of common psychological disorders. Research shows that even average therapy is more effective than GP care. And with a very good therapist who measures effectiveness, the results are astounding: At least 65% of clients show significant improvement by the end of their therapy.

Even if you’ve already tried counselling…

Even if you’ve tried counselling, psychotherapy or mindfulness therapy, and found it unsuccessful, please don’t give up on the method itself. One of the most important considerations in therapy is the therapist-patient fit. With a therapist who makes you feel heard, understood and unconditionally accepted, you’ll soon find yourself feeling truly recovered.

Call us on (03) 9530 6353 to find out if we can help

Please call us in Melbourne on (03) 9530 6353 to see if we can help. Your call is completely confidential, and there’s absolutely no obligation.