Therapy is a place to share your thoughts and feelings, work through tough times, and learn better ways to cope. It helps you build resilience, gain new insights, and find meaning in your experiences. Whether you’re dealing with anxiety, depression, stress, relationship struggles, burnout, or career uncertainty, therapy can be life-changing. But therapy isn’t just for when things are hard. It’s also a great way to spend time working on yourself, to keep growing emotionally and mentally, this can help you stay strong for the future.

One way I like to think about it is if you called the fire department because your house was on fire, you wouldn’t want them showing up and only then opening up the manual about how to use the hose on the truck when they arrive. You’d want them to be ready so that when you really need help they are prepared as much as possible.

The number of sessions you’ll need really depends on you. Some people feel better after just a few sessions, while others may need or want longer support. I’ll work with you to create a plan and we can talk about what you’d like to focus on and how long therapy might take for your situation.

In our first session, I’ll take some time to try my best to understand what’s going on for you. I’ll ask a bit about your background, mental and physical health, family history, social supports, if there’s anything you’ve tried in the past, and any other challenges you’re facing at the moment that might be making things harder.

It’s also a chance for you to ask me some questions and make sure that you feel comfortable with me and the way that I work.

Confidentiality is a key part of the work that psychologists do, and I take it very seriously. Everything you share in our sessions is private and will not be discussed with anyone without your consent. This includes personal details, thoughts, and feelings you share during our time together.

However, there are some rare situations where I may need to break confidentiality. For example, if I believe there is a serious risk of harm to you or someone else, I’m legally required to take steps to ensure everyone’s safety, which could involve sharing information with next of kin, your medical professionals, or relevant authorities. Another situation where I might need to disclose information is if I’m required to do so by law, such as in the case of a subpoena or if I’m asked to provide information by a court.

If anything like this were to happen, I would discuss it with you first and explain the situation. I think it’s important that you feel comfortable and know what’s going on throughout the process, so I’ll always keep the lines of communication open if any confidentiality issues arise.

You don’t really need to bring anything specific to your first appointment. You will just need a private and quiet space where you can talk freely. If relevant, you can bring along any medical or psychological reports that might be helpful, as well as a list of any medications you’re currently taking.

Other than that, some people like something to jot down notes, ideas, or things for between sessions to help them get the most out of their appointments, so depending on whatever works best for you please feel free to bring a phone, tablet, or some good old fashioned pen and paper to do so with.

Online therapy can be really helpful for many people, but it’s not the right choice if you’re in crisis, feeling actively suicidal, or engaging in deliberate self-harm. These situations benefit most from immediate, in-person support where someone can assess the situation face-to-face to make sure you're safe and coordinate with local emergency services.

Similarly, if you're currently experiencing mania or psychosis online therapy might not be suitable to provide the care you need. These conditions can affect how you think or perceive reality, so having someone physically present can help with grounding and reality testing.

Finally, if you’ve been recently hospitalised for a serious mental health issue, it can be best to have therapy in person for a little while. When you're in a crisis or in the early stages of recovery, being able to connect with someone directly can be useful.

The goal is always to make sure you’re getting the right support at the right time. If you're dealing with any of these challenges, please reach out to your general practitioner to establish a treatment plan.

At the moment, I’m based overseas, so I’m unable to offer Medicare rebates for my services. Medicare rebates are usually only available for sessions with providers who are personally located in Australia. If you have private health insurance, you might still be able to get a rebate, depending on your policy. It’s best to check with your provider to see what’s covered and if telehealth sessions are included. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.

There are several things that you can try to improve your telehealth connection and experience.

1. Find a quiet and private space where you can turn off background noise like TVs, radios, or noisy air-conditioning; and, if you have young children/pets try to arrange care in advance if required so that you’re less likely to be interrupted.

2. Ensure adequate lighting so that your face is well-lit and try not to sit in front of a light source, like with a window or light/lamp behind you, as this can make it difficult for your webcam to focus and decrease video quality.

3. If possible, when using a shared WIFI network like at home, try to reduce things like other people streaming videos, downloading movies, or playing games at the same time as this uses up available bandwidth.

4. Check your computer, tablet, or smartphone is up to date and any pending updates or restarts have been completed as this can create technical issues with drivers/apps.