Anxiety is a normal response to a stressful situation and it can present in a number of ways. You may notice physical changes (trembling, nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath, sweating, feeling faint, increased heart rate, restlessness, irritability) as well as changes in the way you think about a stressful situation. Being anxious in response to stressful situations is not always a problem (we all experience anxiety), but can become problematic if your anxious symptoms never seem to go away or it takes you a very long time to calm down. It is also a problem if it gets in the way of your life, eg if it stops you socialising, working, leaving the house or stops you from being happy.

Anxiety can be general worry that is hard to stop, or it may be in response to specific fear provoking situations (i.e., phobias) or as a result of having experienced a traumatic event. Treatment for anxiety will focus on recognising the triggers and the situations where your anxiety occurs, how your thinking might contribute to your anxiety and start to see if you might be able to think about things in a different way. We will also assist you to develop practical strategies to help you manage the physical symptoms of anxiety including breathing and relaxation exercises as well as self care.

It is becoming more recognised that Depression is a significant issue in society, with statistics suggesting that at any given time, twenty percent of the population may be experiencing depression to the point where it is having a significant impact on their lives. So if you are experiencing symptoms like those below, you are not alone.

Symptoms of Depression can include a combination of some (or sometimes all) of the following: Feeling miserable for extended periods of time; Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities; Loss of appetite; Decreased libido; Loss of energy, even when not physically active; Loss of sleep (even when tired), or sleeping more than usual; Persistent worrying about unimportant things; Lack of concentration, and difficulties solving problems or making plans or decisions; Recurring unpleasant thoughts, particularly about being guilty, being a bad and unworthy person, or wishing to die; Fearfulness.

Any of these features may serve as a warning signal of depression although many may also occur in conditions other than depression.

The important thing to know is that there are effective treatments for depression. Treatment for Depression at Psychwest will provide you with effective ways to manage your symptoms including increasing engagement in pleasurable activities, challenging negative and unhelpful thinking patterns, and helping you make lifestyle changes that are known to be effective in managing depression.

Stress is often described as a feeling of being overloaded, wound-up, and worried. We all experience stress at times and its associated symptoms including increased heart rate, perspiration, faster breathing, muscle tension, increased metabolism, and increased blood pressure. Our reaction to stress can sometimes help to motivate us to get a task finished, or perform well. But stress can be harmful to our physical and psychological health if we become over-stressed, or it goes on for prolonged periods of time.

Stress can occur when there are number of competing demands placed on us, such as major life events, expectations of ourselves, expectations from others, and environmental demands that occur in our day to day lives.

At Psychwest we will assist you to learn to manage stress effectively so that it does not become overwhelming. We will do this by helping you understand the warning signs that you are getting stressed, identifying what triggers your stress, develop strategies to help you manage the physical symptoms of stress, learn to manage any unhelpful thoughts you may engage in when you’re stressed, and establish lifestyle choices that are known to be effective in managing stress.

Alcohol and Other Drugs are often used for the purpose of celebrations, socialising, relaxation, healing, spirituality and commiseration. Some people tend to choose substances that they feel will help them in some way, such as increasing pleasure, or decreasing emotional or physical pain, or coping with stress and anxiety.

With time, some people can find their alcohol or other drug use becomes problematic, because the harm or risk of harm associated with the substance use outweighs the benefits. Substance use may be a problem when you:

• Have difficulty meeting responsibilities at home, work or school
• Use more than you intended despite wanting to cut down or quit
• Have recurring problems with health, safety, relationships, finances or the law through the substance use
• Need the substance to cope with everyday life or particular experiences
• Organise other events or needs around your substance use
• Need increasing amounts of the substance to have the same effect
• Feel sick or moody without the substance, but feel normal upon resuming use
• Have tried unsuccessfully to reduce or cease use.
• Find yourself using as a way to maintain your friendships

If you think you may have a problem with alcohol or other drug use, or it is having an impact on your life, it may be worth seeking psychological treatment. At Psychwest we will help you to gain an understanding of your use of alcohol and/or drugs including identifying what needs are being met through your substance use. We will assist you to find alternative ways of meeting those needs (for example, ways to increase self confidence, ways to cope with unwanted emotions and thoughts), strategies to help with cravings for substances, help you to be able to challenge the reasons (or justifications) for using your substance of choice, and give you the skills and strategies to allow you to manage your substance use into the future.

Find out more about our Drug and Alcohol Counselling and Treatment services here.

Self-esteem is made of the opinions, feelings and thoughts you have about yourself. Self esteem develops, evolves and changes over time from childhood through to adult life in response to life events and experiences. People with poor self esteem often have a strong negative internal voice that judges and criticises them. Some people react to low self-esteem by withdrawing and isolating themselves, not engaging in tasks or relationships for fear of failure. Additionally, some people react to low self-esteem by becoming overly competitive, aggressive, critical or blaming of others.

Healthy self-esteem is based on our ability to see ourselves accurately and accept and value ourselves unconditionally. We all have strengths and limitations and people with good self esteem and confidence can acknowledge their strengths and limitations and work towards self improvement for themselves, rather than to alter what others think of them.

At Psychwest, we can help you improve your self-esteem by exploring unhelpful thinking patterns you have about yourself, learning to alter those thinking patterns, get you engaging in activities that increase your feelings of self worth, and increase self-compassion and self acceptance.

Insomnia is common at some time in our lives, but if it’s ongoing it can be an extremely frustrating, and inconvenient problem. Sleep disturbance and insomnia can be caused by a range of factors. This could be stress and worry, lifestyle patterns, or environmental factors.

Most people who can’t sleep just lie there and try harder. For hours they toss and turn and stare at the clock. As time goes by, agitation festers and thoughts of how you will manage tomorrow become overwhelming.

If this sounds like you, then seeking assistance through psychological treatment can help. At Psychwest, we will help you understand the causes of your insomnia, teach you ways to manage the thought processes that disrupt your sleep, and give you strategies and advice in relation to better sleeping and lifestyle habits.

Eating disorders describe a range of problems associated with eating, food and body image. Unfortunately, in our society it is common for individuals to feel unhappy about their bodies and to be dieting or worrying about food, and this can sometimes interfere with an individual’s normal activities and quality of life. Eating disorders can affect both males and females.

Individuals with an eating disorder have significant problems with eating habits, weight management practices and attitudes about weight and body shape. These eating-related attitudes and behaviours have numerous negative consequences including: Low self-esteem, depression, shame and guilt; Obsession and anxiety; Interference with normal daily activities; Alienation from self and often social withdrawal

At Psychwest we have experience in providing psychological treatment for eating disorders (including Bulimia; Binge Eating Disorder, Anorexia) as well as providing assistance with healthy weight management practices and lifestyle choices. We will provide information regarding eating disorders and the influence of the social environment. We will assist you to learn about your eating patterns and beliefs, and provide strategies to help change unhelpful attitudes and behaviours around food and eating habits. We will also assist you in understanding your attitudes towards weight and body image. You will gain an understanding of factors that put you at risk of eating concerns and learn ways to manage these situations. All of this will build your self-esteem and improve your self-awareness so you can manage your condition with confidence into the future, giving you a better quality of life.

Anger, like other emotions is a normal reaction that we all experience from time to time, and everyone expresses anger in different ways. Some people are able to manage anger in healthy, productive and positive ways. However, anger can sometimes become overwhelming if left unchecked, leading to destructive behaviour towards yourself and/or others. Anger can result from internal factors or from external triggers. If any of the following relate to you, it may be worth considering seeking Psychological treatment for assistance with anger management:

• You often or always feel angry;
• You find insignificant or minor issues are making you angry;
• You feel like your anger is out of control;
• You feel aggressive towards your work colleagues, your family or your friends;
• Your anger has led to violence;
• You are finding that your anger is having an impact on your relationships or other parts of your life.

At Psychwest, we have specialist knowledge and extensive experience in helping people manage anger and associated unhealthy or destructive behaviours. We will assist you to learn to manage anger effectively so that it does not become detrimental to you or those around you. We will do this by helping you understand the warning signs that you are getting angry, identifying what triggers your anger, develop strategies to help you manage the physical symptoms of anger, learn to manage any unhelpful thoughts you may engage in when you’re angry, and establish lifestyle choices that are known to be effective in managing anger.

Find out more about our Anger Management services here.

At some point in our lives we will all experience feelings of grief and loss. Grief can occur following the loss of someone or something close and meaningful to you. For example, somebody close to you passed away, or a relationship breakdown may have occurred. Or you may experience a grief response when you no longer have something that has significant importance to you.

When a person experiences a significant loss, it’s usually followed by a period of grief. Grief has no set pattern – and the length and severity of each grief experience is different for everyone. There are however, common reactions and responses: shock, feeling of numbness; disbelief; confusion; anger; guilt; yearning; a sense of isolation and fear.

If you are experiencing grief as a result of a significant loss, speaking to a psychologist at Psychwest will help you to understand the reactions you are having, and will give you effective ways of managing the feelings and how you respond to them.

Do you have a short, mid, or long term goal in life that you are struggling to achieve, or aren’t even really sure where to start? Or have you started working towards a goal, but there always seems to be a setback or other obstacles get in the way? This relates to most of us. At Psychwest we have expertise in helping people achieve goals. If you have a goal, but are having trouble working out how you are going to achieve it, then it may be worth considering making an appointment with a Psychwest Psychologist. We will help you with setting realistic, achievable goals, help you work out what steps you need to take to achieve those goals, how to deal with setbacks, and how to recognise and reward your achievements along the way.

We all know relationships can sometimes be hard work, and we all experience relationship difficulties from time to time. Often relationship problems occur when the couple’s communication has broken down, or, an event (such as infidelity, the birth of a child, or when children leave home) has occurred which throws the relationship out of balance. Learning how to live harmoniously with your partner is a skill which can be taught.

In couples therapy, we will aim to identify any specific circumstances or situations that have contributed to the relationship problems, we will explore each partners negative patterns of interacting with the other person, and learn how to challenge and adjust them back into more helpful ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving. One of the goals of couples therapy is to get each individual to consider what they themselves can do to change the relationship – and if both of you focus on changing your own patterns, then both partners change, and the outcome can be very rewarding.

If your relationship has got to the point where you think you could do with the assistance of an unbiased third party, who will understand and respect the challenges each of you are facing in the relationship, then contact us and we will explain how couples therapy sessions take place.

Sex is a natural and important part of life. A good sexual identity contributes to self-esteem and self confidence, a healthy relationship and general well being. However, many individuals and couples suffer for years with sexual issues for which they are too embarrassed to seek help.

Although some sexual difficulties have a medical origin, many develop from, or are exacerbated by, psychological factors such as anxiety, stress, depression and relationship issues. Psychological Treatment can give you an understanding of what is causing and maintaining the problem and provide you with skills to overcome it.

We can help with erectile and orgasm difficulties, premature ejaculation, vaginismus, mismatched sex drive or libido, sexual fetishes and body image issues. If you are interested in things being different, please give us a call.

If you have a problem, or an area of your life that you want to change, but haven’t found information about it in any of the other sections of this page, however you feel that seeking psychological treatment may be of assistance to you, then please call us or send an enquiry and we will contact you to discuss how or if we can help. If we are unable to assist you, we will certainly be able to advise you as to the appropriate services for your presenting concerns, or even make a referral through one of our extensive health professional networks.