Grounded in science, shaped around you.
Effective treatment should be grounded in science, not guesswork. Our Melbourne psychologists are trained in a range of evidence-based therapies — approaches rigorously tested in research and recommended by bodies like the Australian Psychological Society.
But evidence-based doesn't mean one-size-fits-all. Some people thrive with structured, skills-based approaches; others need deeper exploration of long-standing patterns; many benefit from a combination. In your initial sessions, your psychologist takes time to understand your situation and recommends the approach most likely to help — and if you're unsure what might suit you, that's exactly what we're here to figure out together.
Matching the therapy to the person.
Selecting the right therapy isn't about matching symptoms to a manual. It's a collaborative process that weighs what you're experiencing and want to change, what has and hasn't worked before, how you prefer therapy to feel and flow, the research evidence, and your psychologist's clinical expertise. Sometimes the path is clear from the start; sometimes we begin with one approach and adapt as we learn what helps you. The goal never changes: treatment that actually works for your life.
The therapies we use.
CBT
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy — recognising and changing the unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns behind distress. The most researched therapy available, and a first-line treatment for anxiety and depression.
About CBT →ACT
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy — making room for difficult thoughts and feelings while taking action toward your values and a meaningful life.
About ACT →Schema Therapy
Exploring lifelong patterns formed in childhood and healing deep emotional wounds — designed for long-standing difficulties that haven't responded to shorter-term approaches.
About Schema Therapy →EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing — using bilateral stimulation to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories and reduce their emotional intensity.
About EMDR →Trauma-Focused CBT
A structured form of CBT for trauma — building coping skills first, then carefully working through trauma-related thoughts and memories.
About TF-CBT →Prolonged Exposure
Supporting recovery from trauma through gradual, supported confrontation of avoided memories and situations.
About Prolonged Exposure →ERP
Exposure and Response Prevention — gradually facing feared situations without performing rituals. The first-line treatment for OCD.
About ERP →CBT-I
CBT for Insomnia — targeting the thoughts and habits that interfere with sleep. The recognised first-line treatment for chronic insomnia.
About CBT-I →DBT-informed Therapy
DBT skills within individual therapy — practical tools for intense emotions, distress tolerance, and relationships that keep tipping into conflict.
About DBT-informed therapy →CBT-E
Enhanced CBT for eating disorders — the leading evidence-based treatment for adults, delivered as part of coordinated care with your GP and dietitian.
About CBT-E →Interpersonal Therapy
IPT — improving relationships and communication to lift mood, built on the recognition that our connections profoundly affect our mental health.
About IPT →Solution-Focused Therapy
A brief therapy centred on strengths and future goals — identifying what's already working and doing more of it.
About Solution-Focused →Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Learning to observe thoughts and feelings without judgement — with particular research support for preventing depression relapse and managing chronic stress.
About Mindfulness →A rough map, not a manual.
If you're dealing with anxiety, depression or stress and want practical tools quickly, CBT, ACT or Solution-Focused Therapy are common starting points. If you've experienced trauma and are troubled by intrusive memories or avoidance, EMDR, Prolonged Exposure or Trauma-Focused CBT help you process what happened. If the same patterns repeat across relationships and situations, Schema Therapy offers deeper work. If sleep problems are running your days, CBT-I is the first thing to consider before relying on medication. If OCD or compulsions are in charge, ERP is the treatment of choice. If emotions surge faster and stronger than you can manage, DBT-informed therapy builds concrete regulation skills. If your relationship with food and body has taken over, CBT-E is the leading treatment for eating disorders. If your mood is tied to relationship difficulties, Interpersonal Therapy addresses that connection directly — and our relationship issues page covers how individual therapy helps with relationship patterns. And if you want a different relationship with stress itself, mindfulness-based approaches build lasting skills. These are starting points, not verdicts — your psychologist will work out the best approach, or combination, with you.
What "evidence-based" actually means.
Evidence-based treatments have been tested in rigorous scientific studies — randomised controlled trials comparing the therapy against other treatments or control conditions — then replicated by independent researchers and synthesised in reviews. When we say a therapy is evidence-based, we mean it has demonstrated effectiveness in well-designed research and is recommended by reputable bodies such as the Australian Psychological Society, the American Psychological Association, and NICE in the UK. That doesn't mean other approaches can't help — but it does mean you can have confidence in the scientific support behind the treatments we offer. And whatever approach we use, the constants remain: a safe, non-judgemental space, an approach tailored to you, regular checks that therapy is working (and adjustment if it isn't), and skills designed to outlast the sessions.
Unsure is a fine place to start.
Book a session, or call and describe what's going on — working out the right approach is our job, not yours.