Adam Szmerling - Melbourne Counselling, Hypnotherapy & Psychotherapy Specialist
Born and bred in Melbourne, I’m a fully qualified clinical psychotherapist, counsellor, hypnotherapist and Master Practitioner of NLP (neuro-linguistic programming). I’ve been practicing in the Bayside area for 13 years.
My counselling qualifications include:
• Bachelor of Applied Social Science (Counselling)
• Graduate Diploma in Psychotherapy
• Advanced Diploma in Clinical Hypnosis
• Clinical Membership of the Australian Hypnotherapists Association (AHA)
• Buddhist psychotherapy, dream interpretation and mindfulness therapy
But counselling, hypnotherapy & psychotherapy go far beyond qualifications...
You should only ever seek treatment from a qualified counsellor, hypnotherapist or psychotherapist. But it’s important to remember that qualifications, alone, don’t make a great therapist. Experience, compassion, empathy, communication skills and open-mindedness are equally as — if not more — important.
Only when you work with a therapist who is all of those things, will you feel comfortable enough to unearth and resolve your deeply ingrained inner conflicts.
That’s why I work from a position of non-judgemental acceptance, combining a variety of Eastern and Western treatment methods to tailor the one that is most effective for you — regardless of cultural origin.
As a result, my clients often report feeling heard and understood, and unconditionally accepted as they are.
Measuring outcomes
Importantly, I know this because I actually allocate time to gathering and analysing client feedback. It’s a core part of my counselling framework. I provide my clients with performance surveys, which we work on collaboratively. They measure the therapy relationship as well as outcomes. (It's rare to have one without the other.) I then use this feedback to measure against the official Outcome Rating Scale (ORS).
My confidential surveys are not anonymous from me, but they’re offered in a completely trusting and secure environment, and I urge all my clients to provide completely open and honest feedback. I take all feedback seriously — but never personally. Note that every survey is digitally encrypted and securely archived.
Importantly, only around 3% of independent psychotherapists have the necessary processes in place to measure the outcomes of their work in this way. Which is a shame, because, although such measurement can’t capture the unique progress you make as an individual, it can illustrate your progress relative to some generic benchmarks. This can have a very positive impact on your treatment, partly because I can adapt my approach to your progress, and partly because you see your own progress. It proves you’re on the right path, and provides positive reinforcement for you to continue (which, in turn, improves your outcomes).
Ongoing professional development
The field of counselling, hypnotherapy and psychotherapy is dynamic, and rapidly advancing. New research findings are continually emerging, and even the most seasoned of counsellors need to constantly update their knowledge.
I participate in this change on both sides of the fence. I believe strongly in ongoing practitioner development and actively pursue additional professional training. And at the same time, I provide clinical supervision to other hypnotherapists and counsellors.
My research and training areas include:
• Therapy for depression, anxiety and personality disorders and irritable bowel syndrome;
• Psychoanalytic dream work;
• The effectiveness of mindfulness therapy on complex trauma and major depression; and
• Buddhist psychotherapy and Mindfulness therapy.
Call me on (03) 9530 6353 to find out if I can help
Please call me in Brighton, Melbourne on (03) 9530 6353 to see if I can help. Your call is completely confidential, and there’s absolutely no obligation.
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