FAQ's

  1. What is the difference between therapy and a psychometric assessment?

Therapy is a space where you and your clinician work together. The aim is to provide an environment where you can voice your concerns and develop goals for your future. Clinicians will support you by providing advice and evidence-based strategies that can help to improve your day-to-day life. 

Psychometric assessment refers to the use of psychological tests to measure your symptoms, cognitive strengths & weaknesses, personality, and other aspects of mental wellbeing. These assessments help us to get a better picture of what’s going on inside your brain and support your treatment. The results from the assessment can assist with funding applications and getting you the right support in the community.

2. What actually happens in a therapy session?

During a therapy session, you and your clinician will sit down together (for face-to-face appointments) or connect via telehealth for a 50-minute period. 

In the first session, your clinician will go over any important paperwork and discuss some general housekeeping with you. Your first session will be an opportunity for you to discuss your reasons for attending therapy. Your clinician will also ask you some questions to get a better understanding of your background, including family history, school/work experiences, social life, and any other important information. If time allows, you will be able to discuss your main goals for therapy and develop a treatment plan for following sessions.

In following sessions, your clinician will use evidenced-based therapies to address your main concerns and help you to achieve your goals. They may give you advice and strategies to improve your symptoms in day-to-day life.

3. Does therapy actually make you feel worse sometimes?

Therapy is a safe space to talk about things that are concerning you. This can bring up a lot of emotion which, at times, may feel a bit overwhelming. Sometimes things feel worse before they feel better. Over the course of treatment, your clinician may work with you to try and regulate these overwhelming emotions. 

But don’t fear! Majority of clients report a sense of relief after a therapy session and bigger improvements are seen over the course of therapy. 

If you have any lasting concerns after a session, you can reach out to our team during business hours on 0439 341 849 or admin@streatpsych.com. You can also call the Bendigo Regional Mental Health Triage Line on 1300 363 788 or Lifeline on 13 11 44.

4. What happens in a psychometric assessment?

During a psychometric assessment, your clinician will ask you lots of different questions. They may also ask you to complete a range of tasks, including surveys, puzzles, and other games. 

5. What are the differences between the clinicians we have at our practice? 

All clinicians at Streatfeild & Co Psychology can provide counselling, assessment, and diagnosis. The main differences are in the training that each clinician has completed, which are outlined below.

A Clinical Psychologist is a psychologist who has completed six years of tertiary study and has specialised tertiary training to provide services to all people with mental health concerns, including severe and complex cases. 

A Registered Psychologist is a psychologist who has completed six years of combined tertiary study and supervised experience. 

A Provisional Psychologist is a psychologist who has completed four to five years of tertiary study and is currently completing their training to be a registered psychologist. Provisional psychologists are mentored by a supervisor (a clinical or registered psychologist) to support their practice. 

A Mental Health Social Worker has completed a four-year tertiary degree in social work and an additional two years of supervised experience with a specialisation in mental health. 

6. What sorts of therapies are there and how are they different? 

As the name suggests, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on how your cognitions (thoughts) influence your feelings and behaviours. CBT takes a practical approach to restructuring negative and unhelpful thoughts to reduce the negative symptoms you may be experiencing.  

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is focused on normalising emotions and learning how to cope with negative emotions rather than avoiding them. 

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a type of CBT that is useful for people who experience emotions intensely and have difficulty with emotion regulation. DBT is often used to treat borderline personality disorder but can also be used for eating disorders and substance use disorders. 

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a trauma-based therapy where clinicians use eye movements to tap into certain brain regions and ultimately decrease the emotional vividness of past traumatic events. 

Motivational Interviewing is a goal-oriented therapeutic approach used to enhance an individual’s motivation for making positive changes in their lives. 

Play Therapy is often used with children and non-verbal adults. It allows communication of the client’s experience through acting and demonstration. 

Schema Therapy focuses on understanding a client’s early developmental experience and how these may have developed into unhelpful patterns (schemas) that can carry through to adulthood. Schema Therapy aims to help clients understand how to best meet their needs based on their early-life experiences.

7. What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the ability to tune into the present moment. It encourages us to notice what’s happening at the current point in time with curiosity and without judgement. 

This means that we can put a pause on our worry about the future or feelings about the past. It provides a way for us tune out of the chaos of work, school, and life in general. This can help us cope with the ups and downs of everyday life. 

8. How do I find out the best clinician for me? 

Finding the right clinician may seem scary, but remember that all clinicians have the appropriate training! We recommend to just have a go and try a clinician who is available.

Just like you, clinicians have different personalities and work-styles. It’s okay if you feel like you and your clinician don’t quite fit. You can speak to our admin team who can re-allocate you to another clinician. We want you to find a clinician who is the best fit you in your journey. 

9. How do I know a clinician is accredited? 

Registration and accreditation are important in the mental health field, which is why we ensure that all of our clinicians are accredited. You can check the accreditation of our psychologists at Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and mental health social workers at Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW).

10. How do I know the clinicians skills are up to date? 

To remain accredited and keep their skills up to date, all of our clinicians complete professional development training every year.

For psychologists this includes:

· 10 hours of peer consultation activities per year.

· 20 hours of other continuing professional development (CPD) activities per year. 

For mental health social workers this includes:

· 20 hours relevant to Mental Health practice per year.

· 10 hours relevant to Focused Psychological Strategies (FPS) per year.

11. What are the specific assessments we complete? 

We complete different assessments based on your individual needs. These can all assist with diagnosis. Our assessments include:

Cognitive assessments (WPPSI, WISC, WAIS)

These three Weschler-developed tests measure the cognitive ability of younger children (WPPSI), older children and adolescents (WISC), and adults (WAIS). They look at different domains such as memory, concentration, and language. 

WIAT

The WIAT measures an individual’s performance in areas of academic school work, including reading, math, written language, and oral language.

CTOPP

The CTOPP focuses on assessing an individual’s reading-related language skills.

ADHD

This Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment is conducted by booking in 3 appointments where the clinician gathers information about you or your child to determine if the criteria for ADHD are met. Please note that more or less appointments may be required depending on the complexity of the client. Please also note that for medication to be provided, you will have to see a psychiatrist also

ADI-R

The ADI-R is an interview-based assessment that is used for assisting with diagnosis of autism (including distinguishing autism from other neurodevelopmental disorders) and treatment planning.

ADOS

The ADOS is used to assist with the diagnosis of autism. It requires the client to complete different activities and play with the clinician. If customers can’t find it, it doesn’t exist. Clearly list and describe the services you offer. Also, be sure to showcase a premium service.