Psychology

Some children experience worries that take up a lot of space.

They might need lots of reassurance, avoid particular places or activities, worry about making mistakes, struggle with separation, become stuck on “what ifs”, or feel their worries physically through things like stomach aches, headaches or difficulty sleeping.

Psychology can help children and young people understand their anxiety, recognise what happens when worry takes over, and develop ways of responding that help them do more of the things that matter to them.

We also work with parents, because knowing how to respond to anxiety without accidentally making it bigger can make an important difference.

You might hear that your child is doing well at school, only to see a completely different picture once they're home.

After spending the day managing expectations, learning, friendships, sensory input and everything else happening around them, some children reach the end of their capacity.

Psychology can help us understand what your child is managing throughout the day, what may be contributing to the build-up, and what could make things more manageable — rather than focusing only on the behaviour you see once they've reached their limit.

Some children experience emotions intensely and can move from seemingly okay to completely overwhelmed very quickly.

There might be yelling, crying, shutting down, leaving the situation, saying hurtful things, or needing a long time to recover.

The goal isn't to teach children that big feelings are bad or that they need to stay calm all the time.

Psychology can help children and families understand what sits around these moments, recognise what their body and emotions are communicating, and build ways of getting through difficult moments with more support and more options.

Getting out the door. Turning off a screen. Homework. Having a shower. Going to school. A change of plans.

When everyday requests regularly end in conflict, family life can become exhausting for everyone.

Rather than assuming a child is simply being difficult or needs firmer consequences, we want to understand what's making these moments hard.

Psychology can help families identify patterns, understand what's happening underneath the conflict, and find practical ways of reducing battles while still supporting the things that need to happen.

You might notice your child giving up quickly, comparing themselves with other people, avoiding things they think they'll get wrong, or being incredibly hard on themselves when they make a mistake.

For some children, this shows up as sadness or self-criticism. For others, it looks more like perfectionism, avoidance, humour, anger or refusing to try.

Psychology can help children and young people understand the way they think about themselves, develop a more balanced view of their abilities and experiences, and build confidence to approach things that matter to them.

Sometimes the difficulty is academic. Sometimes it's friendships, anxiety, attendance, expectations, sensory demands, attention, motivation or simply getting through the school day.

You might be seeing school can't (also known as school refusal), frequent physical complaints, distress on Sunday nights, exhaustion after school, declining confidence or a child who says they're fine but clearly isn't.

Psychology can help work out what's making school difficult and what might help, including working with your child's school when that's useful.

Friendships become increasingly complex as children get older.

Your child might experience frequent misunderstandings, feel left out, worry intensely about what friends think, find it hard to recover after conflict, change themselves to fit in, or become caught in friendships that don't feel good for them.

Psychology can give children and young people a space to make sense of relationships, understand their own needs and boundaries, work through difficult experiences and develop ways of navigating friendships that feel right for them.

Not every difficulty is dramatic.

Sometimes parents notice a child becoming quieter, more withdrawn, irritable, tired, less interested in things they usually enjoy, or simply different from themselves.

You don't need to wait until you know exactly what's happening.

Psychology can provide a space to understand what's changed, what your child may be experiencing and whether support would be useful.

Children and families sometimes need support through experiences they didn't choose.

That might include grief and loss, family separation, changes within the family, illness, stressful experiences, bullying, transitions or other significant events.

Psychological support can give children and young people a safe place to understand what has happened, express their experience and develop ways of navigating what comes next.

Adolescence brings increasing independence, changing relationships, greater academic and social demands, and a lot of figuring out who you are.

Parents might notice withdrawal, changes in mood, conflict at home, anxiety, perfectionism, difficulty with friendships, low motivation or a young person who doesn't want to talk to family about what's happening.

Psychology can give teenagers their own space to talk, think things through, understand themselves and develop ways of navigating the things that matter to them.

We also work with parents to help you support your young person while respecting their growing independence.

You don't need to know exactly what kind of psychological support your child needs before you get started. We'll work that out with you.

Your first appointment is a parent intake. This gives you space to talk openly with your Psychologist about what's happening, what you've noticed, what's important to your child and family, what you've already tried, and what you're hoping might change.

Starting with parents also means we can understand the bigger picture without asking your child to sit through a long conversation about everything that's difficult while they're in the room.

From there, we'll work out what makes sense. That might include individual sessions with your child or young person, parent sessions, working together as a family, strategies for home, collaboration with school or other professionals, assessment, or a combination.

You don't need to arrive with the treatment plan. That's our job to work out with you.

Sometimes the most useful work happens with parents.

You might want help understanding your child's behaviour, responding to anxiety, reducing conflict at home, supporting emotional regulation, navigating school difficulties, or simply working out what to do differently when the things you've already tried aren't helping.

Parent sessions give you space to step out of the moment, make sense of what's happening and develop practical ways forward with your Psychologist.

Your child doesn't necessarily need to attend Psychology themselves for parent support to be useful.

Sometimes you don't need ongoing Psychology. You just have something you'd like help thinking through.

Our Problem Solving Sessions are longer, one-off appointments where parents can explore a particular concern with a Psychologist.

You might want another perspective on something happening at home or school, help thinking through a parenting challenge, strategies for a particular situation, or guidance about whether your child might benefit from further support or assessment.

There's no expectation of ongoing appointments afterwards. The aim is to leave with a clearer understanding of what's happening and some practical ideas about what to do next.

Sometimes it helps to learn, explore or practise alongside other children and young people.

Our group programs create opportunities to work on therapy goals in a supported, real-world social environment. Depending on the group, that might involve emotional understanding, confidence, problem-solving, communication, independence, coping with challenges or navigating relationships.

Groups aren't a replacement for individual therapy and they aren't the right fit for every child. They can be a useful extension of therapy, giving children and young people opportunities to use skills in situations that are difficult to recreate one-to-one.

Our Psychologists may run groups independently or alongside Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists or Therapy Assistants depending on the program.

Group programs are offered throughout the year for different ages and goals.