FAQs about Psychological Treatment in Melbourne

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Mindview Psychology is not a bulk-billing practice. Please see this page for more info on Medicare rebates.

Mindview Psychology is a therapeutic practice so we generally do not work with clients requiring assessment and reports for legal purposes or otherwise.

Psychologists and psychiatrists have the same fundamental aim: to alleviate mental distress and restore human health and functioning. Both psychologists and psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation, and both can conduct psychotherapy. Generally speaking, the differences between psychologists and psychiatrists are that:

• Registered Psychologists generally have more extensive training in administering psychotherapy as a part their Post-Graduate study than psychiatrists do in their tertiary training.
• Generally speaking, psychologists provide ongoing weekly psychological treatment, whereas psychiatrists provide assessment/diagnostic services, and prescribe and manage psychiatric medication.
• Psychiatrists are physicians (medical doctors) whereas psychologists are not. As well as prescribing psychiatric medications, Psychiatrists can conduct physical examinations, order/interpret brain assessments (e.g., EEGs, CAT scans, MRIs), and administer Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), whereas a psychologist cannot do these things.

Yes. Every session is private and confidential. That means all information discussed during psychological treatment in Melbourne stays between you and the therapist, unless you provide us with written consent saying otherwise. Psychologists are bound to a Code of Ethics (set by the Australian Psychological Society), holding us accountable in terms of keeping things confidential. Breaches of confidentiality can lead to a psychologist’s registration being suspended, or even revoked. Therefore, this is something we take very seriously. All information gathered from the session is synthesised into client case notes and kept in a client file. Each client file is stored both electronically with a high level of encryption (similar to Internet banking security), and as a physical file kept securely on-premises.

Change is usually measured by using psychometric testing, that is you complete paper and pen questionnaires which are then scored. Typically, the types of things we measure are psychological symptoms (e.g., depression, anxiety, stress), levels of quality of life or meaningful life, and the quality and frequency of specific activities or behaviours. These “measures” are often taken at the beginning of therapy, in the middle, and at the end. By doing this, we can be sure that the right type and amount of change has occurred.

If there is no change during psychological treatment, it is usually due to one or more of the following reasons:

1) Firstly, there needs to be a strong client-therapist relationship (sometimes called the “therapeutic alliance”). A healthy therapeutic alliance means you as the client feels safe, secure, not judged, and validated by the therapist. Also, you as the client needs to perceive the therapist as being professional and optimistic of change, even when there are rough patches in your life or in therapy.

2) A second reason for no change in therapy is if the client is unmotivated for change or not willing to make meaningful change in their situation. This is known as the “Pre-contemplative Stage of Change”, when the client is aware there may be issues to work on, but for one reason or another, they are not ready to commit to real change in their lives.

3) A third reason for no change during psychological treatment is if there’s a problem with the formulation (or mini-theory explaining what led to the problem arising, and what maintains it). This can happen as a result of a number of things: the client was not forthcoming about their life situation or background or kept key parts hidden; or the psychologist has missed something.

If there is no change in therapy, we’ll work with you on exploring the above possibilities. Once the reason(s) is identified, we work together on rectifying it. This could mean, going back to the drawing board and tinkering with the formulation, or it could mean there is a client-therapist mismatch and we’d work together on exploring options for referring you to a more suitably matched therapist.

Generally speaking, we use treatment modalities that are backed up by scientific research (i.e., evidence-based treatments). This is because such treatments have been demonstrated to be effective in the long-term while ruling out placebo effects (as well as other things). Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is the psychological treatment that has the best evidence to date, for a wide range of disorders (e.g., clinical depression, anxiety disorders, substance use disorder, PTSD, and psychotic disorders). In addition to CBT, Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) is an evidence-based treatment for depression and Bipolar. An evidence-based treatment called Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) is used for treating Borderline Personality Disorder.

During therapy, we also like to use other treatment modalities, such as Schema Therapy (identifying your “life traps” that often develop during childhood), Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT, to help you process previously unresolved emotions), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT, which works on your unique Values, and overcoming barriers in your life).

Although some treatment modalities (e.g., CBT and DBT) are structured and sometimes ‘manualised’ therapies, we don’t use a “one-size fits all” approach to psychological treatment. Melbourne clients are treated as the individuals they are with each requiring a different approach. Generally speaking, there is scope for us to use our therapeutic skills and creativity in adapting aspects of treatment to best suit a client’s personality and situation.

It’s important to keep in mind that the therapeutic alliance (i.e., the client-therapist relationship) is the most important thing, not the type of therapy modality used, which is backed up by research. It is also important for the therapist to be flexible with different therapy modalities, rather than to be rigid in one type.