Areas of Expertise
Kate specialises in a range of psychological therapies in the North Sydney Practice delivering positive outcomes to her clients, including:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is a short term, goal-oriented therapy that takes a hands-on, practical approach to problem-solving. It involves working together to challenge and change unhelpful ways of thinking that lead to negative emotions and hence psychological or other symptoms. It also serves to change habitual and unhelpful behaviours that may be associated with these emotions.
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CBT is one of the most researched and widely applied psychological therapies for emotional and psychological problems. The results of CBT are long-term and you can keep using what you have learned in therapy to approach other problems in your life.
Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) takes its name from one of its core messages, that is, accept what is out of your personal control and commit to action that improves and enriches the quality of your life. The aim of ACT is to maximise human potential for a rich, full and meaningful life, while effectively handling the pain and stress that life inevitably brings.
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ACT does this by teaching mindfulness-based techniques which help you deal with painful thoughts and feelings so they have much less impact and influence over you. It is also helpful to clarify what is truly important and meaningful to you – i.e. your values – then use that knowledge to guide, inspire and motivate you to change your life for the better.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Therapy
Mindfulness-based therapy is used to deal with stress and the underlying issues that cause stress. Mindfulness is about developing our ability to pay attention to the present moment; just as it is. Much of our stress and pain is caused by our regrets about the past, worries about the future or judgements about the present. When we connect with the present moment, we become aware of these habitual thought patterns.
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This enables us to create new, healthier ways of responding to life’s challenges. Mindfulness is not religious – anyone, with any belief system, can enjoy its benefits.
Solution Focused Therapy
Solution Focused Therapy (SFT), as its name suggests, focuses on solutions and is goal-oriented, rather than problem focused. It is also known as Brief Solution Focused Therapy or Solution Focused Brief Therapy. SFT is an effective way of helping people solve many kinds of problems, including depression, substance abuse, eating disorders and relationship problems. SFT helps individuals transform troubling issues into specific goals and an action plan for achieving them.
Dialectial Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
DBT was created to help people tackle more complex behavioural problems. DBT brings together two opposites in therapy – acceptance and change to optimise therapeutic results. It can assist clients in moving away unhelpful coping behaviours to develop healthy ways to cope with distress, emotion regulation and improving relationships.
Where to Start?
It's common to feel uncertain about starting therapy and opening up about your concerns. I like to ensure that you feel comfortable from the initial contact onwards in the process.
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Call me to provide a brief summary of what the current challenges are and an assessment session will be booked for you. If a GP has provided you with a mental health care plan you will need to send this prior to your first consultation or bring it with you.
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An initial session will take 75 minutes to assess what areas you would like to work on and develop a treatment plan. The number of sessions to expect will be discussed at your initial session but depends on the complexity of the issues and what you are wanting to achieve in therapy.
Subsequent sessions take 50 minutes.
Appointments are available in-person or via telehealth Wednesday to Friday between 8am and 5pm and can be made by phoning 0411 522 211.
