Psychotherapist - Adam Szmerling, Melbourne Counselling & Psychotherapy Specialist.

Born and bred in Melbourne, I’m a fully qualified clinical psychotherapist, counsellor, hypnotherapist and Mindfulness therapist (Buddhist Psychotherapy). 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 Hypnotherapy
• Clinical Membership of the Australian Hypnotherapists Association (AHA)
• Clinical Member of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA)
• Buddhist psychotherapy, dream analysis 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.

Unearthing and addressing the root cause

In fact, unconditional acceptance on my part is integral to the success of my methods. In order to unearth and address the root cause of your struggles, I combine two surprisingly compatible methods: one from the West (psychoanalytic psychotherapy) and one from the East (mindfulness therapy).

Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

Psychoanalysis is an intriguing method, developed by Sigmund Freud, involving free association. I invite you to speak freely and to attend to thoughts, fantasies and dreams, and I listen carefully for slips of the tongue, dreams, jokes, mistakes and other clues that might start to form a pattern. (I call this ‘illuminating the trail of the repressed’, or 'deciphering the unconscious'.)

My goal here is to help improve your self-understanding, not to directly reduce your symptoms. When you come to know how you really tick, how your inner world — your ‘psyche’ — really operates, your symptoms will generally dissipate of their own accord.

Mindfulness Therapy

Psychoanalytic psychotherapy inevitably digs up painful thoughts and feelings. In fact, that’s the point. The idea is to confront and address these feelings, rather than letting them continue to harm your relationships and undermine your happiness. (Unresolved relationship patterns and ingrained thoughts often get enacted in your current relationships, as well as with your psychotherapist. This is called ‘transference’.)

Mindfulness therapy helps address the emergence of these painful memories, thoughts, feelings and patterns. Otherwise known as mindfulness meditation, mindfulness therapy is an Eastern method that has been in use for thousands of years, with astounding results. It has many benefits, including self-management of painful thoughts, feelings and behaviours, stability of mind, decreased reactivity and enhanced insight.

A unique combination

I don’t know of any other therapists who combine these two methods. Which is quite surprising, really. They both involve purposeful, non-judgemental observation and introspection, and their outcomes go hand-in-hand.

Dwelling on symptom reduction is like trying to sleep

I mention above that I focus more on your self-understanding than on direct symptom reduction. In part, that’s because psychoanalysis tends to lead to symptom reduction by default. But it’s also because dwelling on symptoms can cause anxiety, which can actually increase symptoms. It’s natural for you to want your symptoms to vanish quickly, but dwelling on them - obsessing about symptom reduction - can be like trying to go to sleep!

I take on only clients who are suited to me and my methods

I don’t take on every client who contacts me. Rather, I assess people, during initial sessions, to determine their suitability. They need to be adequately committed to the journey (and be likely to persist with therapy when it feels difficult), and they must be psychologically minded — able to self-reflect on their past and how it informs the present, able to identify patterns and links, and so on.

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:

• Psychotherapy for depression, anxiety and personality disorders and irritable bowel syndrome;
• Lacanian Psychoanalysis (current studies) and dream analysis;
• The effectiveness of mindfulness therapy on complex trauma and major depression and anxiety; and
• Buddhist psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

Call me on (03) 9530 6353 to find out if I can help

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