01 Sep Why is it important to look around in Melbourne for the best-suited psychologist for my individual needs?
How to Find the Best Suited Psychologist for Me?
What is a Psychologist?
A psychologist has studied:
- The human mind and behaviours
- How situations affect people
- The relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviours
A psychologist practising within Australia is required to be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Agency (AHPRA) and to have undergone a minimum of six years of approved psychological study. Research has shown the importance of finding a psychologist in Melbourne in your local area that is best suited to your individual needs, whilst also feeling that you ‘click’ within your initial few appointments. In this blog, we discuss what we mean by ‘click’ and refer to this term as ‘therapeutic alliance’.
What is a Therapeutic Alliance?
The therapeutic relationship refers to the professional working relationship between the psychologist and the client. The therapeutic alliance is considered one of the most important aspects of the therapeutic process and can play a significant part in treatment outcomes.
What Factors Help in Establishing Therapeutic Alliance?
- understanding and able to ‘connect’
- a good listener
- empathic
- trustworthy
- experienced and skilled
- warm (or the right level of warmth for you)
When to Start Exploring the Best-Suited Psychologist for my Individual Struggles or Needs?
It often takes a little bit of time before commencing therapy, therefore we’d recommend starting to look early on. At some private practice clinics, or most, you’ll mind a waitlist before commencing – which does allow you time to consider if you would like to discuss eligibility for a mental health treatment plan with your GP to claiming a Medicare rebate. However, it does mean you generally do not start therapy the day after you decide to start your therapy journey.
If you are unhappy, stressed, confused, or finding it difficult to cope, then seeing a psychologist can certainly help you. Knowing what psychologists do and how to find the right psychologist for you is a good initial step on the road to improvement. This can be overwhelming and pretty confusing to start with so we recommend reading some of the psychology clinic blogs or posts to see if you feel you relate. They will also usually write about topics that are of special interest to their clinical team.
As a rule of thumb, we recommend to reach out should you be reading this blog today. The why you this is because research suggests that people who receive psychotherapy from a psychologist are better off than 80% of those who have not received therapy.
How to Find the Best Psychologist for My Needs?
Interestingly, research has found that selecting a prospective psychologist often comes down to your emotional impression more so than their practised treatment approach. Integrative and client-centred approaches to therapy individualise psychotherapeutic treatment by integrating diverse theories and techniques in response to each client’s unique worldview, experiences, and theory of change. This approach helps strengthen the therapeutic alliance and the likelihood of positive change for the client. This is guided by continuous assessment protocols which recognise the evolving nature of psychotherapy; the therapist works with their client dynamically, weaving an ever-evolving therapeutic space in response to their client’s immediate needs.
What to Consider in My Initial Appointment?
In your initial consultation you may find it useful to consider the following:
1. Does your psychologist provide a safe and non-judgmental environment that encourages forthright communication and trust?
2. Do you feel comfort and trust when with your psychologist?
3. Do you find your psychologist encompasses warmth and compassion yet has established a strong rapport to challenge you when necessary?
What Factors Influence Positive Change in Therapy?
A strong psychotherapeutic relationship is consistently shown within research to substantially contribute to positive therapeutic outcomes, irrespective of the treatment type used. Research also indicates that the strength of the working alliance formed between a client and their therapist is a stronger predictor of treatment outcomes than the actual treatment type. These findings suggest that the interpersonal relationships formed during therapy are often more potent than the actual psychotherapeutic treatment.
What About Setting Goals in Therapy?
The therapeutic process works best when you set goals, work towards achieving them and with your psychologist, monitor your progress. At Positive Wellbeing Psychology, our warm and compassionate psychologists use a collaborative approach to explore goals early on in therapy, to ensure that your needs and expectations are understood and tailored into an individualised treatment plan.
How can Positive Wellbeing Psychology Help?
Our highly skilled psychologists are well-trained in a range of well-researched therapies and techniques including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which is highly efficacious in alleviating a range of mental health difficulties. Our private practice matches you with the best-suited Melbourne-based psychologists based on your individual needs and personal preferences.
Our psychologists work with adults, children, adolescents and their families with a range of presenting difficulties including depression, anxiety, stress and burn-out, relationship difficulties, eating disorders, poor body image, adjustment difficulties, school refusal, bullying, and low self-esteem and sleep difficulties.
What if I am not sure where to start, does Positive Wellbeing Psychology provide flexible options?
Yes absolutely, appointments are available with a Melbourne Psychologist in person in our beautiful Malvern consulting suites or online anywhere in Australia. Our private practice offers appointments that are available during the day, after-hours, or on the weekend.
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