What brings you here today?
A few responses we so very commonly hear from individuals reaching out for our services – other than specifying the main concern (e.g., depressed mood, anxiety, low-self-esteem, binge eating) is:
Putting off reaching out for support?
Research indicates that most people will experience a mental health condition at some stage in their life, be it symptoms of anxiety, low mood, insomnia, excessive worry or even persistent fear of failure. As an ever so frequent result of hearing individuals commonly delaying psychological treatment for some time, at Positive Wellbeing Psychology we have introduced a completely separate service that allows the individual to complete a preliminary assessment process in the comfort of their own home and device.
Mini-Mental State Screener
This mini mental state screener will provide you with a summary of presenting symptoms that may be impacting your daily activities. Once you have completed the process, a registered psychologist will interpret your scores and provide recommendations on seeking support or strategies that may be useful, based on the level of severity of your health condition.
How can this help me?
At Positive Wellbeing Psychology, we have introduced this service because our aim is to provide a stepping stone for individuals who may be on the fence and feeling uncertain as to if and when they should seek support from a qualified professional and what this support may actually represent based on evidence-based findings.
What the mini mental state screener includes?
What happens if my presenting concern requires more than a brief screener?
If by the chance, the individual’s presenting concern does not allow our psychologist to measure the result using a valid and reliable brief screening tool (e.g., relationship difficulties) then our recommendations will be based on the information the individual has provided (200-300 words required).
Research has indicated the following findings:
Facts and Figures about Mental Health can be found on Black Dog Institute Handout (click here to read more)
How Can Positive Wellbeing Psychology Help?
You may from our online psychologists Australia wide to assist with a mini-mental health screener, designed to assist you in understanding the benefits of seeking professional assistance and/or psychological support for certain difficulties and concerns. Complete the below Expression of Interest in our mini-mental health screener to get started.
To enquire about an appointment with Positive Wellbeing Psychology, please complete our Online Contact Form for new clients (click here). We’ll be in touch shortly to answer any of your questions.
Need more immediate help?
If you need immediate help, or your life is in danger, please call ‘triple zero’ (000). If you are thinking of harming yourself, it is important to reach out for immediate support. If someone you know is at immediate risk of harm, please also call ‘triple zero’ (000) as a matter of urgency.
For more information on immediate supports, please click here.
Did you know that anxiety is actually a normal and healthy human emotion experienced by everyone at some stage in their life?
Anxiety can often be experienced above the recommended threshold and therefore cause the individual to experience difficulty functioning day-to-day. It is important to know that everyone feels anxious from time to time – this certainly does not mean there is something wrong with you!
Individuals are wired to scan their environments (e.g., work, home, etc) for perceived threats as a survival mechanism. However, sometimes we experience “false alarms” and actually respond to certain situations (e.g., starting a new gym class, going to a party, relationships, starting a new job, breaking up with a loved one) as a perceived threat and experience panic or increased anxiety.
At Positive Wellbeing Psychology, we work with you to understand the function of anxiety and explore evidence-based strategies and tools that are proven to reduce your baseline level of anxiety. Individuals who experience high-levels of anxiety due to prolonged stress or burn out, often benefit from psychological support.
Prolonged symptoms of anxiety are often classified as one of the below:
Perhaps you have started to experience, or a loved one has displayed the following symptoms:
How can Positive Wellbeing Psychology help?
You may benefit from talking to one of our Melbourne Psychologists at Positive Wellbeing Psychology, online (Australia-wide) or in person (inner SE suburbs) to learn a little more about what lifestyle factors may be maintaining your cycle of anxiety, as well as to explore some proven techniques shown to effectively reduce anxiety symptoms including irritability, restlessness, sleep disturbance, excessive worry – among other emotional, cognitive, behavioural and physical changes.
To enquire about an appointment with Positive Wellbeing Psychology, please complete our Online Contact Form for new clients (click here). We’ll be in touch shortly to answer any of your questions.
Need more immediate help?
If you need immediate help, or your life is in danger, please call ‘triple zero’ (000). If you are thinking of harming yourself, it is important to reach out for immediate support. If someone you know is at immediate risk of harm, please also call ‘triple zero’ (000) as a matter of urgency.
For more information on immediate supports, please click here.
You may be reading this because you’re feeling sad, blue, down, depressed or irritable, but not 100% sure about talking to a Psychologist. It can be tricky to differentiate between depression and a ‘bad patch’. Often it starts off by noticing constant depressed mood and feeling down in the dumps most days of the week. You may also notice a significant loss of interest or enjoyment in most things in life.
What is Depression?
Depression is a persistent feeling of sadness or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life. It may lead to withdrawing from friends or family, resulting in feeling disconnected or alone. You may experience a significant loss of motivation in your usual activities or obligations.
Do you identify with the following most days of the week?
If you identify with one or more of the above symptoms, you may benefit from reading on.
In what ways does Depression disrupt your daily functioning?
Treatment for Depression:
There is a range of evidence-based treatments of depression including talk therapy with a Psychologist. You may also benefit from a combination of talk therapy adjunct to medication for more persistent and severe depression. We recommend talking to your Psychologist about the best treatment approach for you based on your symptoms. A good Psychologist will tend to make you feel supported by exploring the severity of your symptom early on in treatment and recommend suitable treatment options.
A few proven techniques to help with Depression may include:
You can read more on evidence-based strategies for treatment of depression on the Australian Psychological Society website (click here).
How can Positive Wellbeing Psychology help?
At Positive Wellbeing Psychology, our Melbourne psychologists are experienced in a range of proven techniques to help reduce depression. You can chose from consultations being online or in person to explore factors that may be maintaining your persistently low mood. Once identifying possible factors, you will start to explore a range of proven strategies to improve mood, self-esteem and relationships.
To enquire about an appointment with Positive Wellbeing Psychology, please complete our Online Contact Form for new clients (click here). We’ll be in touch shortly to answer any of your questions.
Need more immediate help?
If you need immediate help, or your life is in danger, please call ‘triple zero’ (000). If you are thinking of harming yourself, it is important to reach out for immediate support. If someone you know is at immediate risk of harm, please also call ‘triple zero’ (000) as a matter of urgency.
For more information on immediate supports, please click here.
Everyone feels stressed from time to time, but what is stress? How does it affect your overall health? And what can you do to manage your stress?
What is stress?
Stress is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand or threat. When you sense danger—whether it’s real or imagined—the body’s defences kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the “fight-or-flight” reaction or the “stress response.” The stress response is the body’s way of protecting you.
Does stress affect everyone?
Yes – stress does affect everyone, and everyone will experience stress from time to time. There are different types of stress—all of which carry physical and mental health risks. A stressor may be a one-time or short-term occurrence, or it can happen repeatedly over a long time. Some people may cope with stress more effectively and recover from stressful events quicker than others.
Examples of stress include:
There are some signs which indicate our stress levels are affecting us in a negative way:
You can try a few of these more ‘practical’ strategies for managing stress when feeling overwhelmed and finding it difficult to cope:
How can Positive Wellbeing Psychology help?
You may benefit from talking to a warm and nurturing Psychologist to help understand what is causing stress and maintaining the cycle. At Positive Wellbeing Psychology, we are experienced in a range of proven techniques to help reduce stress.
To enquire about an appointment with Positive Wellbeing Psychology, please complete our Online Contact Form for new clients (click here). We’ll be in touch shortly to answer any of your questions.
Need more immediate help?
If you need immediate help, or your life is in danger, please call ‘triple zero’ (000). If you are thinking of harming yourself, it is important to reach out for immediate support. If someone you know is at immediate risk of harm, please also call ‘triple zero’ (000) as a matter of urgency.
For more information on immediate supports, please click here.
Sleep is a natural process with remarkable benefits for the human body.
A few benefits of sleep include muscle restoration, consolidating new learnings and memories, as well as helping to better manage stress and emotions. Good quality sleep is important for optimal function, as well as for a number of added benefits in your academic, athletic or professional performance. One tip right now is to make ‘good-quality’ sleep a priority in your busy daily schedule.
What are some common sleep problems?
There are a number of other sleep problems, but we included a select few of the more common sleep problems.
A few common factors causing sleeping difficulties include:
There are multiple causes of sleep problems but one thing for sure is that difficulty getting to sleep and disrupted sleep throughout the night may leave you feeling frustrated, stressed, and worried about your sleep problems, which can make it even harder to fall to sleep. For some individuals, this is how the sleep-worry cycle starts.
Treatment for sleep problems:
Treatment delivered by your Psychologist usually involves a combination of the cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and proven sleep-hygiene techniques tailored towards the individual. Other techniques may include:
What can I expect from seeing a Psychologist?
You can expect your Psychologist to ask a few questions to develop an understanding on the factors influencing your sleep. You might also be asked to keep a sleep monitoring diary to help provide a little more insight into your current bedtimes, wake-times, quality of sleep and other issues. With this information, the psychologist can determine the best course of action for your individual circumstances.
How can Positive Wellbeing Psychology help?
At Positive Wellbeing Psychology, we have a special interest in sleep hygiene and find it extremely rewarding to be working with you to improve your sleep and to achieve optimal functioning. We will explore evidence-based approaches to manage the factors that are contributing to your sleep difficulties.
To start, your Psychologist will set a nurturing and comforting environment to explore current stressors and worries as well as significant life events and changes to work or routine. As mentioned above, a sleep-diary will usually be incorporated into the therapy sessions for more chronic sleep difficulties.
To enquire about an appointment with Positive Wellbeing Psychology, please complete our Online Contact Form for new clients (click here). We’ll be in touch shortly to answer any of your questions.
What else can I do?
We also recommend you consult with your GP to obtain a referral to Positive Wellbeing Psychology, as a medical check-up allows for thorough assessment of all other possible health issue that may be affecting your sleep. Some people with sleep problems may also benefit from a combination of medication adjunct to seeing a Psychologist.
While everyone lacks confidence occasionally, people with low self-esteem feel unhappy or unsatisfied with themselves most of the time.
What is self-esteem?
Let’s take a quick look at what self-esteem actually is. Okay, so self-esteem has been defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as the “belief and confidence in your own ability and value”.
Common signs and characteristics of low self-esteem:
How does low self-esteem impact my day-to-day life?
How can Positive Wellbeing Psychology help?
At Positive Wellbeing Psychology, we are trained in a range of proven techniques to help improve your self-esteem, confidence, interpersonal relationships, and overall life satisfaction. You may benefit from talking to a warm and caring psychologist at Positive Wellbeing Psychology and to explore the causes of an individual’s low self-esteem.
To enquire about an appointment with Positive Wellbeing Psychology, please complete our Online Contact Form for new clients (click here). We’ll be in touch shortly to answer any of your questions.
Need more immediate help?
If you need immediate help, or your life is in danger, please call ‘triple zero’ (000). If you are thinking of harming yourself, it is important to reach out for immediate support. If someone you know is at immediate risk of harm, please also call ‘triple zero’ (000) as a matter of urgency.
For more information on immediate supports, please click here.
Disproportionate Emotional Responses
Emotional problems can impact our self perception, interpersonal relationships and cause overall disruption to the most important parts of our life. Positive Wellbeing Psychology is here to support you in managing these symptoms so that you can focus on the most important parts of your life.
Emotional symptoms may include:
…to name a few.
How do disproportionate emotional responses impact my day-to-day life?
Emotional symptoms may be positive or not so positive. The symptoms may be triggered and come from within or be a reaction to your environment.
Emotional changes can be very normal, temporary responses to a range of events or triggers. This is experienced by all individuals and therefore is a normal human response. We all need this function to protect ourselves from time to time. To shift our mood and therefore result in setting boundaries with certain people or provoke anxiety to consider making a change or getting things done.
How to identify when emotional symptoms are causing problems and disruptions in my life?
It usually raises concern when your emotional response is disproportionate, extreme, persistent or unstable. At these times, our emotional responses can cause problems in our life and interpersonal relationships.
Emotional symptoms can cause legal or financial problems, relationship difficulties and problems at home, school or work. They can be associated with aggression, agitation, feelings of emptiness, guilt, helplessness and hopelessness as well as loss of pleasure.
Not all emotional responses result in a negative nature. Individuals also experience feelings of enthusiasm, grandiosity and hopefulness. These disproportionate emotional symptoms may also be excessive and therefore lead to inappropriate behaviours, increased risk, impulsivity, accidents, poor judgment, self-harm, violence, and suicide.
Mental Health Difficulties and Emotional Symptoms
Whilst emotions can serve as a normal and protective function, abnormal emotional symptoms can be associated with several psychiatric conditions including:
Why does it take so long to reach out for support?
It is absolutely normal to experience a little bit of reluctance to seek help for emotional difficulties. This is understandable as it can be difficult to discuss personal and disproportionate emotional responses and/or the impact of these in our personal life. Most individuals with emotional symptoms do not seek assistance from a psychologist, but continue to visit their GP. This is a great starting point as your GP can assess your eligibility for a Mental Health Treatment Plan. Medicare can provide a rebate for up to 10 sessions per calendar year to start with exploring useful strategies.
How Can Positive Wellbeing Psychology Help?
At Positive Wellbeing Psychology, we are trained in a range of proven techniques to help improve, understand and manage disproportionate emotional responses, thereby improving your confidence, interpersonal relationships, and overall life satisfaction. You may benefit from talking to a warm and caring psychologist at Positive Wellbeing Psychology to explore the predisposing factors and maintaining factors of emotional problems.
Our Melbourne-based psychologists in clinical practice are available online Australia wide. By working through these challenges, you will feel empowered and in control as well as start to improve your interpersonal relationships and life satisfaction.
To enquire about an appointment with Positive Wellbeing Psychology, please complete our Online Contact Form for new clients (click here). We’ll be in touch shortly to answer any of your questions.
Need more immediate help?
If you need immediate help, or your life is in danger, please call ‘triple zero’ (000). If you are thinking of harming yourself, it is important to reach out for immediate support. If someone you know is at immediate risk of harm, please also call ‘triple zero’ (000) as a matter of urgency.
For more information on immediate supports, please click here.
Poor Body Image
Your body image is how you perceive, think, and feel about your body. This can include your body size, weight, shape, or your appearance more generally. A positive body image can improve self-esteem, self-acceptance, and a healthy relationship with food and physical activity.
On the flip-side, a poor body image can result in low self-esteem, feeling insecure, poor self-worth (usually rating ones worth primarily on weight, shape and appearances), a very loud ‘inner-critic’ (i.e., the negative ‘self-talk’ that you may be ever so familiar with!) and not finding much self-acceptance at all really…and we must not forget, the unhealthy relationship with food and often with exercise. You may just benefit from reading on if you find yourself identify with any of the above.
Based on years, in fact decades of research, we have so far we have established that individuals with negative body image have a greater likelihood of developing an eating disorder, and are more likely to suffer from feelings of depression, isolation, low self-esteem, and obsessions with weight loss. The more recent research suggests that 80% of Australian women are dissatisfied with their bodies to some degree. A negative body image can lead to dieting and disordered eating behaviours (Read Better Health Info Here).
Poor body image and diets?
A poor body image more often than not results in dieting behaviour, which is a strong risk factor for developing an eating disorder. Research shows that even ‘moderate’ dieting increases the risk of developing an eating disorder especially in teenage girls.
Do I have a body image problem?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you may be experiencing a body image problem or perhaps disordered eating patterns. If your bodily concerns are primarily weight/shape related and you have changed your eating patterns because of this, you should speak with your doctor about the possibility of having an eating disorder as you may be eligible for a referral to a psychologist that specialises in evidence-based treatments for an eating disorder.
Some common signs symptoms of poor body image may include:
Is there a relationship between an eating disorder and poor body image?
That is generally the case. We find body image concerns and eating disorders go hand in hand. Often, it is the early dissatisfaction with a young person’s appearance that leads them to conclude that losing weight would enhance their appearance and make them feel better about themselves and their bodies. As method to control weight, shape, and appearance we often find restrictive eating and over exercising come next in line. This frequently leads to patterns of disordered eating and weight obsession that can develop into anorexia, bulimia, orthorexia, compulsive overeating, or binge eating disorder.
What does support with a focus on poor body image target?
A few factors have been found to influence the risk of developing a negative body image including:
What do I do if I identify with poor body image and low self-esteem?
If you feel dissatisfied or unhappy with your body, feel like your body image gets in the way of being able to live your life or do the things you would like to, or you are engaging in restrictive eating or other unhealthy eating or exercise behaviours, then seeking professional help is important. Psychologists, dietitians, and other health professionals trained in body image and eating disorders can assist you to improve your body image and relationship with food and physical activity.
Is body image different to body dysmorphic disorder?
Many people can experience a poor body image, seeing their general physical appearance in a negative light (e.g., “I hate my body”). However, the term Body Dysmorphic Disorder, or BDD, is used to describe a more specific type of body image problem. BDD is marked by an intense preoccupation with a perceived flaw in one’s physical appearance. Individuals with BDD often spend significant periods of time worrying about and evaluating a particular aspect of their appearance. Large amounts of time may be spent ‘checking’ their appearance in the mirror, ‘comparing’ their appearance with others, and engaging in behaviours designed to try to hide or conceal the area of concern.
The individual usually experiences a significant disruption to their daily activities such as work, school, study, social activities, hobbies, everything! This is because they are facing excessive pre-occupation of this particular aspect of their appearance, thus resulting in frequent disproportionate emotional responses and withdrawal behaviours.
How about finding a psychologist that works with poor body image or eating disorders?
At Positive Wellbeing Psychology, we specialise in eating disorder treatment and poor body image. A psychologist will help by establishing a wraparound support with the treating individual, their GP, Psychiatrist and Dietician. We understand it can be a long journey and stressful for the individual and their family supports.
How Can Positive Wellbeing Psychology Help?
At Positive Wellbeing Psychology, we are here to walk through through the eligibility to access up to 40 session per calendar year with a psychologist and 20 sessions with a dietician. It is important to be kind to yourself and patient. Your body image develops over the course of your life, so changing a negative body image can take time and effort. If you are not satisfied with your body or are developing unhealthy eating or exercise habits, you can talk to a Psychologist at Positive Wellbeing Psychology. We have a special interest in poor self-esteem and poor body image, which often comes hand in hand with disordered eating. We guide you and adopt a range of evidence-based techniques and strategies to help shifting years of negative beliefs and unhelpful behaviours.
To enquire about an appointment with Positive Wellbeing Psychology, please complete our Online Contact Form for new clients (click here). We’ll be in touch shortly to answer any of your questions.
Need more immediate help?
If you need immediate help, or your life is in danger, please call ‘triple zero’ (000). If you are thinking of harming yourself, it is important to reach out for immediate support. If someone you know is at immediate risk of harm, please also call ‘triple zero’ (000) as a matter of urgency.
For more information on immediate supports, please click here.
To enquire about an appointment with Positive Wellbeing Psychology, please complete our Online Contact Form for new clients (click here). We’ll be in touch shortly to answer any of your questions.
Need more immediate help?
If you need immediate help, or your life is in danger, please call ‘triple zero’ (000). If you are thinking of harming yourself, it is important to reach out for immediate support. If someone you know is at immediate risk of harm, please also call ‘triple zero’ (000) as a matter of urgency.
For more information on immediate supports, please click here.
Communication Difficulties
Communication is found to rapidly transform conflict and misunderstanding into trust and in some instance intimacy, improving mood, self-esteem, and even interpersonal functioning. You may be able to suddenly change the direction of your life and career by understanding effective communication strategies with a Melbourne-based psychologist at Positive Wellbeing Psychology.
How would this help with my interpersonal relationships?
Most of us can recall one time within our life where we recall struggling to feel connected to another person – perhaps with a friend, colleague, client, or customer, or even a family member. Perhaps you found it a little bit challenging to communicate certain feelings or needs resulting in feelings of frustration or anxiety. You may even recall feeling the person was a little critical of you, complained frequently, avoided expressing his/her feelings, displayed the need to be right all the time, seems to never listens to you, dismiss your feelings – resulting in discomfort.
> Read our blog on disarming intense conflict with a loved one here.
To begin, you may find it helpful to explore:
How can a psychologist help?
A psychologist can help individuals examine communication strategies to determine whether one’s communication style adequately conveys one’s thoughts, needs, and goals. In therapy, individuals who find themselves often engaged in misunderstandings can explore what causes them to misinterpret the viewpoints of others or inaccurately convey their own ideas. Therapy can facilitate the improvement of interpersonal skills by helping individuals to improve the quality, nature, and frequency of their communications.
How can Positive Wellbeing Psychology help?
A dedicated psychologist at Positive Wellbeing Psychology can provide professional recommendations on the type of support beneficial to your goals and needs – ranging from family therapy, couples counselling, or individual therapy.
Our warm and caring psychologists in clinical practice are experienced in a range of proven techniques to help improve social and communication challenges and to explore best approach to improve and maintain interpersonal relationships. To enquire about an appointment with Positive Wellbeing Psychology, please complete our Online Contact Form for new clients (click here). We’ll be in touch shortly to answer any of your questions.
Need more immediate help?
If you need immediate help, or your life is in danger, please call ‘triple zero’ (000). If you are thinking of harming yourself, it is important to reach out for immediate support. If someone you know is at immediate risk of harm, please also call ‘triple zero’ (000) as a matter of urgency.
For more information on immediate supports, please click here.
Effective Communication within the Workplace
Most of us can think of one person in our life that seems to be able to easily and clearly express themselves, communicate their needs, and sometimes even disagree with the opinions of others, without upsetting the other person or being met with undue resistance. Read on if you identify with a little of this communication envy and find yourself wondering “why not me!?”
Perhaps you find yourself envying others who seem to action all the above and so well. At the same time, perhaps feel that you just could not express your own needs assertively and with confidence? You may even feel you are not worthy enough for your needs to be considered or met within the workplace, whether it be applying for a promotion or requesting a salary increase.
A few signs that you may have struggled with effective communication of your needs within the workplace:
Uncertainty and anxiety can result in pushing certain needs under the rug, resulting in feeling even more deflated and frustrated. You may find yourself simply avoiding communication in the hope that something might change without saying anything at all.
Tools of communicating effectively and with confidence:
The tools of effective communication can be extremely valuable to managers and employees alike and enhance performance in work and business dealings as well as the quality of relationships at home with family and friends. Read more about effective communication here
What about poor communication within the workplace?
On the flip side, the deficiency in effective communication or poor communication within the workplace will inevitably lead to unmotivated staff that may begin to question their own worth in the business and their confidence in their abilities. Most of us have experienced complete demotivation in a past role at some stage in our working life.
To get started, organisations can improve and enhance effective communication between their teams by adopting the following big five strategies:
How can Positive Wellbeing Psychology help?
A registered Psychologist with experience in workplace communications can help improve communication within the workplace, resulting in an increase in workplace morale, productivity and overall a sense of achievement.
An experienced psychologist in the field of effective communication and workplace relationships works to assist the individual first by exploring a range of important factors that can both influence their delivery of communication and how the individual may interpret and/or receive the communication at hand. Some of these factors may include both parties’ needs and expectations, beliefs, assumptions, personality, level of support and most suited management style.
At Positive Wellbeing Psychology, we can provide support in effectively delivering communication to staff and/or at a management level. Arranging individual counselling with a registered psychologist under the Employment Assistance Program (EAP) or separately, would mean your business communications are effectively delivered to your staff. It also ensures staff members have a confidential and safe space to explore any difficulty within the workplace, thereby improving the individual’s level of satisfaction, mood and self-esteem, adjunct to reducing business turn over and increasing staff retention.
To enquire about an appointment with Positive Wellbeing Psychology, please complete our Online Contact Form for new clients (click here). We’ll be in touch shortly to answer any of your questions.
Need more immediate help?
If you need immediate help, or your life is in danger, please call ‘triple zero’ (000). If you are thinking of harming yourself, it is important to reach out for immediate support. If someone you know is at immediate risk of harm, please also call ‘triple zero’ (000) as a matter of urgency.
For more information on immediate supports, please click here.
Couples seek relationship counselling for a range of issues. Issues that are commonly addressed in therapy include:
At Positive Wellbeing Psychology, we have use a range of therapy approaches and strategies including the Gottman’s Method of Relationship Therapy to help you feel more satisfied in your relationship.
Goals and Principles of the Gottman Method
The goals of Gottman Method Couples Therapy are to disarm conflicting verbal communication, increase intimacy, respect and affection, remove barriers that create a feeling of stagnancy in conflicting situations and create a heightened sense of empathy and understanding within the context of the relationship.
Common factors that affect intimacy
For some, achieving intimacy in their relationships can feel quite difficult. There are many things that can get in the way so we have outlined a few areas that may impact intimacy in relationships:
How to make a relationship or marriage last against the test of time?
Dr John and Julie Gottman developed nine components of healthy relationships known as ‘The Sound Relationship House Theory’. This theory is the foundation of the Gottman Method and counselling sessions work to meet each of the principles listed in theory. They came up with a diagram of a house which represents the relationship and it has seven different levels in it. The principle included important factors to be considered to maintain a close relationship.
Couples who want a closer relationship are encouraged to:
Four communication styles that are reliable predictors of divorce:
During Dr John Gottman studies in relationship science, he identified four communication styles that are reliable predictors of divorce. He referred to these negative communication styles as the “four horsemen.” They include:
Gottman’s research indicated that how couples argue as well as how they make up after a disagreement are important factors in determining the health of the relationship. He discovered that 83% of marriages that are impacted by the four horsemen become stable over time if both partners learn how to reconcile successfully after an argument.
How can the Gottman Method help my relationship?
The Gottman Method is a unique, science-based approach to couples counselling. It is based on the Sound Relationship House theory developed by John Gottman, Ph.D., and his wife Julie Gottman, Ph.D. The Gottman’s drew upon four decades of scientific research with more than 3,000 couples to deepen our understanding of relationships, marriage, and couples therapy. Their approach highlights the importance of assessment and skill development in managing conflict, overcoming barriers, increasing understanding, repairing past hurts, and improving connections in relationships.
The Gottman Method encourages couples to build love maps so each partner can learn about the other’s stresses, worries, hopes, joys and history. Admiration and love are strengthened via expressions of respect and appreciation. The Gottman Method emphasizes conflict management rather than conflict resolution. Marriage mates learn how to speak honestly about their convictions and aspirations, and this helps to build trust and commitment to a long-term relationship.
Where to start the journey of improving my relationship?
At Positive Wellbeing Psychology, we are here to listen and provide guidance using theories that have shown/proven to be effective in disarming conflicting verbal communication, increase intimacy, respect and affection, remove barriers that create a feeling of stagnancy in conflicting situations and create a heightened sense of empathy and understanding within the context of the relationship.
To enquire about an appointment with Positive Wellbeing Psychology, please complete our Online Contact Form for new clients (click here). We’ll be in touch shortly to answer any of your questions.
Almost everyone experiences some symptoms similar to ADHD at some point in their lives. However, ADHD is diagnosed only when symptoms are severe enough to cause ongoing problems in more than one area of your life. These persistent and disruptive symptoms have been shown to be traced back to early childhood years.
Defining Attention Deficit–Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD):
According to ‘The New England Journal of Medicine’ (2020), ADHD is characterized by hyperactivity and impulsivity, by inattention or by a combination of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention that is inconsistent with developmental level and impairs daily function (Cortese, 2020).
Symptom onset of ADHD:
ADHD is usually identified and diagnosed in children. In up to 70% of childhood cases, the symptoms persist into adulthood. In some cases, ADHD is not recognized or diagnosed until adulthood. Adult ADHD symptoms may not be as clear as ADHD symptoms in children. In adults, hyperactivity may decrease, but struggles with impulsiveness, restlessness and difficulty paying attention may continue.
The diagnosis of ADHD in adults has also been shown to be a little more difficult because certain symptoms of ADHD are similar to symptoms caused by other conditions such as anxiety or mood disorders. Many adults with ADHD have also been found to present with anxiety and/or depression.
Adult ADHD symptoms may include:
If any of the symptoms listed above continually disrupt your life, we recommend talking to your doctor about whether you might benefit from a referral for further assessment, diagnosis, and evidence-based intervention to manage symptoms of ADHD. It is important to highlight different types of health care professionals may diagnose and supervise treatment for ADHD. Seek a provider who has training and experience in caring for adults with ADHD.
How does ADHD impact daily life?
ADHD in adulthood often leads to unstable relationships, poor work or school performance, low self-esteem, among other difficulties in daily life. ADHD has been found to impact a range of emotional and behavioural difficulties in individuals. These challenges may present in the following ways:
ADHD Treatment:
For children, young people, and adults the first-line treatment is pharmacological treatment. In the instance that psychological treatment is preferred, or where pharmacotherapy has proven to be only partially effective, or ineffective, Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy should be offered as the psychotherapy approach (Read Full Article: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence, 2018).
Treatment for adult ADHD is somewhat similar to treatment for childhood ADHD. Treatment can include a combination of: (1) pharmacological treatment; (2) psychotherapy; (3) education and/or training and; (4) treatment for any mental health conditions that occurs along with ADHD.
We recommended discussing your individual assessment, diagnosis and treatment needs with your trusted general practitioner as a first point of call. Should you need additional guidance you can request an appointment with one of our psychologists at Positive Wellbeing Psychology, as we can provide guidance on accessing necessary and holistic supports. This is important as effective treatment usually adopts a combination of medication and psychotherapy with a registered psychologist.
Pharmacological Treatment:
The New England Journal of Medicine (2020) provided insightful findings on the pharmacological treatment for ADHD. Research shows medication helps by decreasing the severity of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. This study indicated that within periods during which individuals diagnosed with ADHD were receiving medication, a significant improvement in academic functioning and decrease in the following negative outcomes:
On another interesting note, a review of literature also indicated little evidence that ADHD medication improved ones’ academic or work performance for use by a person without ADHD or use in a way that was not prescribed.
How can Positive Wellbeing Psychology Help?
At Positive Wellbeing Psychology, we are trained in evidence-based treatment approaches for ADHD. You can feel comfortable working together to help improve, understand, and manage symptoms of attention and hyperactivity. To enquire about an appointment with Positive Wellbeing Psychology, please complete our Online Contact Form for new clients (click here). We’ll be in touch shortly to answer any of your questions.
Need more immediate help?
If you need immediate help or your life is in danger, please call ‘triple zero’ (000). If you are thinking of harming yourself, it is important to reach out for immediate support. If someone you know is at immediate risk of harm, please also call ‘triple zero’ (000) as a matter of urgency.
For more information on immediate supports, please click here.
To enquire about an appointment with Positive Wellbeing Psychology, please complete our Online Contact Form for new clients (click here). We’ll be in touch shortly to answer any of your questions.
Need more immediate help?
If you need immediate help, or your life is in danger, please call ‘triple zero’ (000). If you are thinking of harming yourself, it is important to reach out for immediate support. If someone you know is at immediate risk of harm, please also call ‘triple zero’ (000) as a matter of urgency.
For more information on immediate supports, please click here.
Professional Development Within The Workplace
Professional development within the workplace involves education and learning to achieve or maintain a professional credential.
Often adapting to new knowledge within the workplace and taking on additional responsibilities, results in an increased level of stress for most individuals – especially when starting a new role. Learning skills to manage your stress in a more effective way is fundamental, especially when feeling overwhelmed.
It can be hard to wind down at the end of the day. It is not uncommon to find the mind overthinking and worrying excessively about workplace difficulties or jumping to conclusions. Individuals in this overwhelmed and anxious state often find their mind thinking up ways to get out of the role – avoiding tasks and procrastination. Perhaps the ‘inner-critic’ is activated – sounding a lot like the “not good enough story”.
Excessive stress occurs when you perceive a lack of your own ability, resources and/or support to cope with the stress and demands in your life. This can impact on a number of other areas in life including sleep, leisure time, interpersonal relationships as well as mood, just to name a few.
You may benefit from additional support in the following areas:
How Can Positive Wellbeing Psychology Help?
Positive Wellbeing Psychology has a niche reputation for working with professionals/workers to improve confidence in their abilities and explore performance goals as well as strengthen workplace relationships with the objective being to establish a sense of achievement, meaning, and life satisfaction. You can feel reassured knowing you are speaking with warm and caring psychologists who understand.
To enquire about an appointment with Positive Wellbeing Psychology, please complete our Online Contact Form for new clients (click here). We’ll be in touch shortly to answer any of your questions.
Need more immediate help?
If you need immediate help, or your life is in danger, please call ‘triple zero’ (000). If you are thinking of harming yourself, it is important to reach out for immediate support. If someone you know is at immediate risk of harm, please also call ‘triple zero’ (000) as a matter of urgency.
For more information on immediate supports, please click here.
Stress is one of the worst enemies for individuals who practice sports at a competitive or amateur level. Not only the stress that accumulates during physical activity, for example in the pre-race or in the most intense periods of training, but also everything that invests us during the day.
Our psychologists adopt a range of evidence-based practices grounded in neuroscience, cognitive-behavioural theories (CBT), acceptance and mindfulness-based sciences.
We enjoy adopting mindfulness-based practice, which is a type of meditation that allows for the reduction of cortisol, the stress hormone. By practicing mindfulness routinely and consistently, we allow our body to learn to relax and manage stressful moment in a healthier way. Research has shown competing under stress to have a negative impact on athletic performance (read full article here).
We work with the individual to establish goals and strengths to improve performance and life achievements.
Helping athletes across all sports
How can Positive Wellbeing Psychology help?
You may benefit from talking to a Psychologist to explore proven techniques to improve your mood, performance, and concentration. To enquire about an appointment with Positive Wellbeing Psychology, please complete our Online Contact Form for new clients (click here). We’ll be in touch shortly to answer any of your questions.
Need more immediate help?
If you need immediate help, or your life is in danger, please call ‘triple zero’ (000). If you are thinking of harming yourself, it is important to reach out for immediate support. If someone you know is at immediate risk of harm, please also call ‘triple zero’ (000) as a matter of urgency.
For more information on immediate supports, please click here.
Our Employment Assistance Program (EAP) is a confidential service offered by employers to their employees.
Our registered psychologists work with employees to help overcome work-related and personal issues that may affect workplace attitudes, performance, productivity, and personal wellbeing. Our psychologists provide solution-focused counselling and coaching for employees with personal and work-related issues. Conveniently our services are delivered via video conference with afterhours and weekends sessions available
Our details to provide to your Employer:
A common question we hear is “do Psychologists see Psychologists?”
Our answer is – yes, of course! We believe the early stages of registration as a Psychologist in Australia can be anxiety provoking and increase anxiety and stress levels.
The typical psychologists journey requires a lot of new learnings, as well as being assessed and graded by their Board-Approved Supervisor and AHPRA. You will be exposed to a range of new presenting problems and referral reasons, mental health challenges and your client’s experiences may involve traumatic events, resulting in leaving work with a heavy load of stress on your shoulders.
You may benefit from additional support in the following areas:
You may benefit from additional support in the following areas:
How can Positive Wellbeing Psychology help?
Positive Wellbeing Psychology has a niche reputation of working with early career psychologists and other health professional, to improve their confidence in their abilities, explore performance goals and strengthen workplace relationships to establish higher levels of life satisfaction. You can feel reassured knowing you are talking to Psychologists who understand and have experience in a range of settings.
Our Principal Psychologist, Emily Burton is familiar with the 4+2 and 5+1 Internship Pathway and Board requirements to becoming a registered Psychologist in Australia. With a GP referral you can access a Medicare rebate (click here for more information on rebates).
To enquire about an appointment with Positive Wellbeing Psychology, please complete our Online Contact Form for new clients (click here). We’ll be in touch shortly to answer any of your questions.
Our registered psychologists have a wealth of experience in supporting you to manage your NDIS goals.
What to expect?
Early on in therapy, we discuss your goals to form the basis of our work together. Our goals are a great way to measure progress but can always be adjusted along the way to suit your needs and circumstances should they change during our time together.
What we provide:
Under the National Disability Insurance Scheme, you may be able to access Capacity Building, Daily Activities – Improved Daily Living Skills – Therapeutic Supports, which includes Assessment, Recommendation, Therapy and/or Training (including AT) by a Psychologist (Support Item Reference Number: 15_054_0128_1_3).
Our skilled NDIS psychologists can help you:
What can you expect from your NDIS psychologist?
We focus on your individual needs and goals which we explore together in our first session. We understand you are leading the way in your journey and you are also the expert in your life experiences. We are here to listen and provide strategies that can be used day-to-day to empower you.
In our first session, we usually begin to explore what it is that you would like to achieve in our time together. We identify your strengths, interests, and goals. We find this early discussion allows us to provide you with the support and skills you are looking for in our time together.
Please let us know once you are registered with the NDIS and when you have allocated funds for Capacity Building within your plan. You can arrange an appointment if your NDIS plan is being managed by yourself or ‘plan managed’ by a third-party agency. You will also need to provide your participant number and your NDIS plan dates.
How can Positive Wellbeing Psychology help?
You may benefit from talking to a Psychologist and to share your story, explore goals collaboratively, learn how to apply a range of proven strategies to get the most out of life; yet strategies that are tailored to your needs.
To enquire about an appointment with Positive Wellbeing Psychology, please complete our Online Contact Form for new clients (click here). We’ll be in touch shortly to answer any of your questions. Alternatively, your support coordinator may like to send us an email – just pass on our details info@positivewellbeingpsychology.com.au.
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