Patients

"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your actions." – Dalai Lama

We provide leading edge psychological treatments that:-

* break through through depression, anxiety, trauma, chronic pain and stressful life events.

* increase your resilience and self worth

*develop empowering life skills

**We also offer specialised treatment programs for insurance claimants suffering from physical/emotional pain-:-

e.g. Return to Work SA, Motor Accident Commission, income Protection,Victims of Crimes**

For women, men, adolescents and school-aged children.

What causes psychological problems?

"What separates those who achieve from those who do not, is directly proportional to one's ability to ask for help." – Donald Keough

> The Stress of Living in an Age of Anxiety

Have you noticed that, at a time in history when people have never had so many material possessions, options and opportunities, more people are feeling under more pressure, more alone, more insecure, more frustrated and dissatisfied by their lives?

Why do we feel so anxious?

One reason is that the world is changing faster than our ability to adapt. Uncertainity feeds our basic insecurities with ourselves and with other people.

We are artfully influenced to believe we are inadequate by advertisers or employers, with their commercial interests, not yours, at heart.

Social media distorts reality and creates images and expectations which are unrealisitc.

We lacked the opportunity to develop emotioanl resilience as we were growing up.

It’s generally harder now for people to just relax, be themselves or spend quality time connecting and strengthening mutually supportive relationships.

How can I cope better with stress?

Effective life skills enable you to manage the stresses of modern life.

There are many strategies which can help people become more resilient and learn how to respond more effectively with the specific stresses in their life.

Leading Edge Psychology offers a range of life skills training modules which can assist you to handle the stresses in your life better.

Leading Edge Psychology is unique in that, in addition to the most common treatment modalities, we also offer leading edge brain training strategies that help you to 'retrain' your brain to respond more calmly of stress.

> Being insecure

“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living are fears.” – Les Brown

All human beings have two basic fears:-

The fear of being not good enough
The fear of being rejected

This is because, of all species on this planet, humans are dependent on their caregivers for the longest time. All children fear the displeasure of their caregivers and in order to survive find ways to please them.

We are all born with a basic 'operating system' which develops as we age. As we grow up, we learn and develop automatic patterns of reacting. Self-sabotaging patterns can get 'programmed' into our brain during childhood. Unlike a computer, human beings keep their old patterns after an 'update'. The differences between old and new patterns and beliefs cause stress and confusion, which cause inner conflicts that lead to self-doubt.

Once you know how your brain and nervous system works:-

you can update self limiting beliefs
you can quiet your inner critic
you can reduce anxiety
you can improve your self esteem
you can change how you react
you can remain calm under pressure
you can avoid becoming depressed
you can relax and enjoy yourself

When you learn how to deactivate a limiting pattern, you feel more confident and become more productive and successful in your career, leisure time and relationships.

> A fixed mindset

Your mindset includes your attitude, beliefs, values and priorities.

Your mindset strongly influences:-

how you react to opportunities and problems in your life
how you care for yourself
how you interact with people
every decision you make • your satisfaction with life

For example:

a pessimistic mindset is strongly related to depression
a fixed mindset prevents you from adapting and creates anxiety
if you doubt yourself, you will make very different decisions to someone who enjoys learning and is not afraid to make a mistake
if you worry, you will try to control yourself, other peple and events
if you think being right is more important than doing the right thing, your willingness to listen and learn will be very different from someone who is open-minded, humble and curious.

Being open-minded, optimistic and self-confident leads to better levels of emotional and psychological wellbeing.

> Being stuck in a life trap

“Nothing in life is predestined: the obstacles of your past can become the gateways that lead to new beginnings.” – Ralph Burn

Life traps are maladaptive coping pattersn which limit the ability to respond effectively to life's demands. Each life trap reflects ways of coping with a core negative belief. Life traps are the source of ongoing insecurity, emotional pain and stress.

Jeffery E. Young, Ph.D and author of book, Reinventing Your Life, proposed there are ten 'life traps', which operate as unconscious blueprints for navigating through life.

Do you recognise any of these ten common life traps?

Abandonment life trap: “I’m scared you’ll leave me”
Mistrust life trap: “I can’t trust you”
Emotional deprivation life trap: “I don’t feel Ioved”
Social exclusion life trap: "I don’t fit in”
Dependence life trap: "I can’t make it on my own”
Vulnerability life trap: “Something bad is about to happen”
Defectiveness life trap: “There’s something wrong with me”
Subjugation life trap: "Ok, I’ll do it your way”
Unrelenting standards life trap: “Nothing is ever quite good enough”
Entitlement life trap: “I expect it and want it to be my way”

How do I overcome a life trap?

Identify which life traps may be sabotaging your life
Recognise which of these three stratgeies* you use to cope with it:
• submitting to your negative core belief and acting accordingly • blocking your core negative belief from your conscious awareness and initially denying your life trap. • overcompensating by doing the opposite to your negative core belief.
Decide that you want to change it
Take effective action to change the pattern

*Each of these 3 strategies results in self-sabotaging ways of coping with the challenges we face in life: learning, achieving, making friends, who to trust, balancing our needs with those we care about, dealing with conflict, how to get support, feeling understood, appreciated, loved and self-confident etc.

Leading Edge Psychology offers a step by step approach to show you how to break free from the negative core beliefs and fears associated with the life traps which are holding you back from the happiness or success you desire in your life. Contact us if you would like to discover what life traps may be operating in your life and how you can overcome them.

> Persistent pain

“When all you know is pain, you don’t know that that’s not normal.” – Susan Sarandon

Persitent pain is a physical and psychological health risk.

Research shows that:

Persistent pain is strongly associated with insomnia, poor health, depression, anxiety and reduced quality of life • There are many reasons why pain may continue after the expected healing time that are within your control to change.
You have an important role to play in reducing the intensity of ypur ongoing pain and getting your life back on track.

Leading Edge Psychology’s pain programs are based on cutting edge science and coaching principles that teach you how to gain mastery over your persistent pain, so you can do more with less pain and reduce the depression, anxiety and stress which frequently results from persitent pain.

Contact us if you would like a free 30 minute consultation to discuss how we may be able to help you reduce your chronic pain.

> Insomnia

Research has shown poor lifestyle choices and habits that are bad for our over wellbeing and psychological health.

Quality of sleep is a really important, and often overlooked, factor in our psychological wellbeing, health and energy levels.

Bad sleeping habits can lead to poor quality sleep. Insomnia can also result from physical (e.g. pain) and psychological (e.g. stress, anxiety) issues, but chronic insomnia can lead to severe psychological problems.

If you do not feel on top of your game, consider the quality of uour sleep.

There are many healthier alternatives you can choose from than turning to medication or alcohol to help you get a better night's sleep.

> Poor self control

Poor self control is a symptom of problems with self-regulation.

Examples of poor emotional control are: explosive anger, shyness, nervousness, phobias, panic attacks

Examples of poor behavioural control are: acting impulsively, binge drinking, excessive business, violence, compulsive and additive behaviours, self harming, poor self-discipline, procrastination.

Examples of poor cognitve control are: verbal abuse, excessive worrying, self doubt, blaming

Effective self regulation is the ability to 'change gears’ and put yourself in the state which will enable you to achieve optimal performance, e.g. to be able to relax when you need rest, to motivate yourself to do something, to concentrate when you need to learn or problem solve, to stay calm when provoked etc.

There are many factors which lead to poor self control: your age, your parents' parenting style ( too strict, too indulgent, too protective etc) neglect, trauma, abuse, low resilience, bullying, stress, unrealistic expectations, poor life skills, tiredness, pain, psychological disorders etc.

Leading Edge Psychology uses a range of interventions, including brain retraining techniques, that will help you learn how to improve your self control.

> Poor life skills

Life skills are the strategies we use to live our life. e.g. how you learn, make plans, express yourself, prioritise your activities, manage your time, energy and money, get on with people, resolve differences, negotiate solutions, problem solve, be organized, efficient, set and achieve goals and review progress etc

Life skills are often aquired indirectly through custom, trial and error and from observing and interacting with the people around us.

> Lack of support

Human beings are social animals and as such, our happiness is largely determined by the quality of our relationships with other people.

Social support:

makes you feel secure, loved, important and cared
is being listened to, understood, reassured, appreciated and respected by other people
protects us from the negative impact of disappointment, adverse events and trauma
is critical for your emotional and psychological well being.

There are many ways you can experience the lack of social support:

discrimination
marginalisation
neglect and abuse
a competitive environment
neglect and isolation
family dislocation
teasing, harassment, bullying, scapegoating, rejection
fear of being put down, humiliated, punished, rejected
avoidance of face to face communication/contact

Lack of social support can lead to painful emotions:

rejection is hurtful and can damage your self-esteem and ability to trust
feeling at the mercy of others, in any way, provokes anxiety
not feeling that someone has your back, can result in feelings of insecurity, emptiness and helplessness, loneliness and/or depression
feeling you are insignificant, ignored, used or disrespected, can lead to anger and resentment, which in turn, affects your ability to positively enagage in your life and/or with other people.

No matter how successful you are in life, if you try to go it alone without creating your own team of barrackers and supporters, you will ultimately lack the fulfillment, joy and gratitude that comes from sharing your successes and setbacks with others.

[11]: /contact-us if lack of support is making you feel sad, depressed or lonely and you would like to find out more about how to develop your own team of supporters.

> Grief and loss

Grief is the emotion you experience when you lose something that is important to you.

You can also feel grief and regret for things you wanted but missed out on in your life.

Grief hurts. It is a normal reaction, which, with support, lessens over time. Suppressed, tragic and unresolved grief can lead to psychological problems.

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What are signs of psychological problems?

"If you always do what you've always done, you will always get what you've always got." – Anthony Robbins

> The difference between a psychological problem and a psychological disorder

Sometimes there is a fine line between what is a psychological problem and what is a psychological disorder. As a rule of thumb a psychological disorder is characterised by mutiple indicators, which are outlined in the DSM-V, the diagnostic manual used by both psychologists and psychiatrists.

In today's modern world many clinical terms like depression, narcissistic and OCD have become part of the general vocabularly to describe behaviour and feelings but which might not necessarily reflect a psychological disorder. This can be misleading, creates confusion and can lead to incorrect self-diagnosis.

Therefore, psychological assessment is important. Psychological assessments help sort out what is contributing to the way you feel and act and can point the way to the best interventions to address them.

A psychologist is trained to assess your concerns and to advise you about what course of action or treatment is best for you to achieve the results you want.

Contact us if you would like a free 30 minute consultation to discuss whethr you would benefit from our Leading Edge psychological services.

> 20 signs you may benefit from psychological treatment

You want to make positive changes in your life e.g improve your relationships, make new friends, overcome fears, self criticism, worrying, pain - but are not sure how.
You are in a crisis situation and need help right now. You feel suicidal or homicidal. You self-harm or hurt others.
You are concerned about another person’s behaviour or mood (your child, a friend, relative, work colleague, partner etc) and don’t know what to do to help.
You are concerned about the affect of another person’s behaviour on your sense of wellbeing. e.g. being ignored, smothered, put down, manipulated, used, intimidated, victimised, marginalised, abused, assaulted, scapegoated or persecuted.
You are going through a rough time or struggling with a life transition. e.g. starting a new school, making friends, leaving school, job seeking, leaving home, getting married, pregnancy, birth of a child, separation, divorce, loss of a loved one, losing a job, relocation, retirement, or recovering from an illness or accident.
You have witnessed or experienced a traumatic event or loss and haven’t felt yourself since. You feel restless, anxious, mistrusting, guarded or on alert.
You have been injured or you suffer from persistent pain.
You feel confused or helpless about a particular situation or person in your life.
You feel lost, stuck or trapped in a circumstance that is unfulfilling or making you unhappy or scared.
You feel like your life is out of control, at a crossroad, at a standstill or is passing you by.
Your emotions control your decisions and behaviour. e.g. depression, sadness, anxiety, anger, guilt, self-doubt, fear of being rejected, criticised, punished. You feel empty or numb.
You have panic attacks or you avoid anxiety-provoking situations.
You have phobias, obsessions or compulsions that control what you do and/or are undermining your health.
You have addictions - such as smoking, drinking, eating, sleeping, gambling, working, exercising, playing computer games, your devices, or rely on medications or recreational drugs to make you feel better.
You sabotage your success, happiness and/or relationships by your temper, high standards, procrastination, avoidance, withdrawing, intolerance, blaming or bad behaviour.
You are plagued by self-doubt, self-criticism, worries.
You constantly feel under pressure. You can’t relax, have fun or make time for yourself.
You are having trouble learning or performing.
You feel stressed and your health is suffering. You can’t sleep, your appetite has changed, your energy or sex drive is low.
Other people tell you they are concerned about you.

> Common pscyhological problems

Psychological problems can be classified into three main groups:

Emotional problems (the way you feel)
Cognitive problems (the way you think)
Behavioural problems (the way you act)

Psychological problems can arise from:

ongoing stress
distorted beliefs or a fixed mindset
poor life or coping skills
persitent pain
health problems
trauma
poor self-regulation which leads to a feeling of being out of control in the way you think, feel or behave.
problems in your relationships- family, children, friends, work
grief or loss
unresolved issues from childhood

Find out more about all of these causes of psychological problems.

Anxiety Anxiety is a feeling that results from the activation of your flight/fight survival mechanism.

Sometimes anxiety is a normal, rational response to a tempory stressful situation that passes when that situation is over.

However, ongoing anxiety is a sign of a problem:-

It may arise from negative and critical self talk.

It may be related to maladaptive coping strategie.

Severe anxiety can lead to panic attacks and phobias.

Depression

Depression is commonly associated with low energy and motivation, feeling sad, worthless, helpless or hopeless.

Depression is frequently related to a pessimistic mindset, loss or a belief that prevents a person from meeting their needs.

Depression is frequently the outcome of poor coping skills, low self esteem or poor relationship skills.

> The dirty dozen mistakes that lead to unhappiness

“I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” – Stephen Covey

Failing to have a vision that connects to your passion and life mission
Feeling certain that your negative beliefs are true
Letting your fears and insecurities hold you back
Letting bad habits rule your life. Failing to make deliberate choices about the direction of your life
Drifting through life, failing to consider the long-term consequences of the decisions you make, or fail to make, today.
Putting yourself under too much pressure to win approval or from trying to prove to yourself
Not developing outstanding people skills, failing to build a community of supporters and backers
Letting adversity and setbacks stop you from progressing
Procrastinating about taking the actions you know are in your best interest
Making excuses and blaming
Believing "I can’t", rather than "I can’t YET"
Taking the slow, bumpy road of trying to work things out for yourself rather than fast-tracking by seeking the support and guidance from a mentor.

How does psychological treatment help?

"There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist or accept responsibility for changing them.” – Denis Waitley

Click > to read the answer.

> Benefits of psychological treatment

"It's the surmounting of difficulties that makes heroes." – Louis Kossuth

At Leading Edge Psychology, we love helping to create heroes. We don't just want to assist you with your current difficulty, we want you to leave us with the knowledge, life skills, confidence and resilience to feel equipped to take on future challenges in your life.

Psychological treatment can assist you to:

overcome difficulties that are holding you back or making you miserable
change self defeating habits and ways of responding
make peace with difficult situations
increase resilience to stress and adversity
help you change the way you think, feel, act
resolve trauma
reduce stress, anxiety, depression, anger, self-doubt
improve your relationships and confidence with people
enhance your personal effectiveness to reach their potential

Psychologists are trained to:

listen to your concerns
diagnose and assess the severity of your difficulties
help you identify specific goals
work with you to develop a treatment plan
select the most appropriate inteventions
help you overcome the fears and blocks that arise when trying something new or different.

Unlike counsellors and life coaches, psychologists are trained to undertake specialised psychological assessments which help pinpoint underlying issues that may be subconsciously impacting on your thoughts, mood or actions.

While psychologists are used to dealing with long-standing and complex problems, it is much easier to address a problem in the early stages.

If you're unsure about getting help, take a moment to:-

Focus on the benefits you’ll get from psychological treatment.

Thinking about the You, you'd like to be, can inspire you to take action.

Consider what will happen if you don’t act now.

What will life be like for you in 6 weeks, 6 months or 6 years if this problem is not addressed?

If you’re not sure, you can contact us to discuss any questions or concerns you have about having psychological treatment with us.

> Why psychological treatment helps

"Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind." – Henry James, father of psychology

Often it is not what happens to us, but how we react to what happens that determines whether the outcome is positive or negative.

Seeking support and guidance during a time of stress, or learning how to achieve greater happiness in your life, makes sense if you want to minimise the negative impact of adverse events in your life.

Seeking support from a psychologist means you will benefit from expert guidance, new skills or understandings to cope with your situation or make your life better.

> What to expect

Psychological treatment is modelled on scientific processes.

Psychologists are highly trained in the science of human development and pscyhological functioning. This means that psychologists don'tjust guess. While being caring and compassionate, psychologists also follow scientifically estabished knowledge to assess and treat people.

There are usually 6 stages in the treatment process.

Assessment: This is the 'getting to know you' stage. We listen to your story and concerns and discuss the results you want to achieve. Psychological tests may be undertaken but these tests are not like the tests you had at school because there are no right or wrong answers. These tests help target the best treatment goals.
Diagnosis: We will offer you an explanation so you can understand your concerns. Many clients express relief: "Yes, that’s it!" when they are offereed an explanation that makes sense of upsetting feelings or behaviours.
Planning: Developing a treatment approach you feel confident in requires teamwork between you and your pscyhologist. We discuss the end result you are looking for and the options that will help you to get the results you want.
Treatment: We will offer step by step strategies that will help you achieve yor goals. We review your progress to identify and overcome any obstacles.
Maintenance: This makes sure you will continue to progress and achieve lasting results.
Completion: In this final stage, we celebrate your successes and design an action plan you feel confident you can continue on your own.

Confidentiality

It is an important part of the treatment process and an ethical standard of registered psychologists that you feel secure that no-one knows that you attend treatment or what you discuss, unless you want them to.

A psychologist cannot advise anyone that they are providing you with treatment or discuss your sessions, without your written consent.

There are some situations in which psychologists are legally required to report or divulge certain information, but this will be discussed with you before treatment commences, if it is relevant to your situation.

Transparency

Leading Edge Psychology favours a transparent treatment and reporting process.

We offer you the opportunity to review any reports we may need to write about you and to have access to what we record in your file.

Timeframes

Treatment time varies considerably.

At one end of the continuum, treatment can be quite brief. e.g. 2-3 sessions. This usually occurs when the person is seeking advice about dealing with a specific current problem in their life.

At the other end of the continuum, treatment can span several years. This tends to occur when a person is wanting a big result or to overcome complex, lifelong patterns that have been holding them back and making their life miserable.

Following the assessment and treatment goals and options, we will advise you of the number of sessions you may need to achieve your goals.

We can adapt treatment to fit within your budget.

> Psychological interventions

There are many different type of psychological treatments which research has shown to be effective in reducing or alleviating specific pscyhological problems.

Typically each session includes the following structure:-

Update

What has been happening in your life since your last session?
How are you progressing?
What obstacles have you encountered?

Intervention

This is a strategy that will help you achieve a specific result to move you towards your ultimate goal.

Review

What’s different now (as a result of the intervention)?
What could prevent you implementing this in your day to day life?

Follow-up exercises

Practising and applying what you learn in a session is an important to the success and spped of your treatment. Clients who do not practise or apply what they learn progress more slowly and have a higher risk of relapse.

> Psychological treatment can help your recovery from physical injuries

At Leading Edge Psychology, we have developed effective, cutting-edge educational and skills programs for the prevention and minimisation of pain. Our programs are based on the current science of pain and coaching techniques.

Pain and stress can go hand-in-hand. i.e. when your pain goes up, your stress goes up and when your stress increases, your pain increases.

Our programs and specific interventions help to break this vicious cycle becasue you will learn how to:-

reduce the stress associated with your pain
challenge negative thoughts and self talk which add to your stress
make adjustments that support healing and rehabilitation
move safely to stop pain from increasing
reduce your pain without medication.
gain confidence to help yourself minimise your pain.

But what if the insurance process is causing me stress?

If you have an compensation claim, trying to understand and deal with the insurance system can definiely add to your stress. Therefore it greatly assists when your psychologist is experienced and confident to deal with their expectations.

Leading Edge Psychology has had extensive experience with working with insurance claimants.

We establish communication with your case manager after your first visit and keep them up to date with your progess and needs.
We undertake comprehensive targetted assessments and use your retest scores to demonstrate your progress so your insurer has the medical evidence they require to approve our recommendations.
We regularly communicate with your specialists, GP, treating practitioners, case manager and legal representatives, so everyone is on the same page about your progress and needs.

If you have a compensation claim, contact us to discuss how we can help support your recovery.

How do I choose the right psychologist?

"If you would know the road ahead, ask someone who's traveled it." – Chinese proverb

After over 25 years of experience and helping hundreds of clients, the best tip we can give you is to act on your gut feeling that you need help to improve your lot in life.

Once you decide you want help, it is important to choose a psychologist that fits with your personality and needs.

You can have confidence that if we don't believe we're your best option, we will say so and offer other recommendations.

Click > more more information

> Top 10 tips for choosing a psychologist

Research has demonstrated that the level of trust, comfort and confidence you feel towards your psychologist is one of the most critical factors in the success of psychologcal treatment. There are many different things that influence the optimal fit between a client/patient and their psychologist.

Here are 10 tips to help guide you in making your choice.

Take the time to choose a psychologist you have confidence in and feel comfortable with. Psychologists have different personalities and styles, which make their individual approach different and unique. It is important for you to find a psychologist that fits with you.
Check out the psychologist's expereince. Choosing a psycholgist with specialised expertise in your area of interest may help fast track your progress. Many psychologists have special expertise in one or more areas of interest or as a result of their experience. Be confident in the treatment approach offered by the psychologist.
Sometimes, but not always, it helps if the psychologist offers a teatment approach that interests you. e.g. hypnosis, trauma therapy, EMDR, mindfulness.
Also consider the non-therapeutic factors that influences your choice. e.g. location, convenience, cost, availability etc. However, like anything in life, sometimes the extra cost, distance or inconvenience will be worth the effort to get the results you want.
Take the time to think about the questions you need answered to help you decide (and ask them!).
Make the decision which feels right for you. It can be helpful to weigh up the pros and cons of different psychologists with someone you trust, but at the end of the day it is you that will live with the consequences of that choice. You will usually sense by about the third session if you have made a good choice.
Discuss any concerns about treatment with the psychologist or staff. If you feel like giving up, it's always best to discuss any concerns with the psychologist before stopping treatment. It is your psychologist’s job to help you get through any doubts, concerns, stuck points or setbacks.
"Never, never, never, never give up." - Winston Churchill. Take heart - if you realise you may have made the wrong choice, it is not wrong, and there is no shame, in stopping treatment that does not inspire your confidence.

Contact us for more information, or to make a free 30 minute consultation to discuss whether our approach is right for you.

> 10 important questions to ask when choosing a psychologist

Do I know anyone who could recommend a psychologist?
How important is the gender of the psychologist to me?
Does the psychologist have a website or brochure where I can find out more about their experience and treatment approaches?
How experienced is the psychologist in the treating my issue(s)?
Will the psychologist offer an initial free phone or face-to-face consultation to help me decide if s/he is right for me?
Does the psychologist explain everything I need to know about what I can expect, before commencing treatment?
Does the psychologist explain things in a language I can easily understand and can relate to?
Does the psychologist inspire my confidence and trust?
Is the psychologist’s reception/administration staff warm and helpful?
Is the psychologist willing to communicate with my GP or other treating practitioners?