Frequently Asked Questions
All provide professional services in the field of mental health but will differ with regard to education and training as well as the services provided.
Psychologists are trained to understand the causes and maintaining factors for human behaviour, in theories relating to managing and changing human behaviour and in the assessment and treatment of psychological difficulties. They have completed a four-year undergraduate psychology degree then undergo either a two-year Masters degree, or a one-year Masters degree followed by one-year supervised program or an approved two-year supervised program. On completion of their training, they are fully registered as a General Psychologist.
They are trained to evaluate research on the effectiveness of various therapy models and to be able to apply these therapies in a flexible way to benefit the individual.
Clinical Psychologists are psychologist who have completed a two-year Master of Clinical Psychology (MCP) postgraduate degree, or equivalent, following their four-year undergraduate psychology degree. After their MCP, they gain full registration as a General Psychologist. They then complete another two-year Clinical Registrar program to earn their Clinical Psychology endorsement and earn the right to call themselves a Clinical Psychologist.
In addition to possessing the skills listed above of a psychologist, their training under the Master of Clinical Psychology Degree and Clinical Registrar program focuses their skills on clinical assessment, diagnosis and intervention of DSM-5TR diagnosable psychological and mental health conditions.
Psychiatrists are medical doctors with medical training and undergo further specialised training in mental health. Psychiatrists therefore specialise in prescribing psychotropic medication which can assist in managing mental illnesses. Some psychiatrists may deliver long-term psychotherapy.
Yes, at Thought Bubble Psychology, we understand your privacy is important. Hence any information which identifies you or that you share with your clinician will be treated with the utmost privacy and respect.
Your information is kept confidential and only disclosed with your prior consent. The only time a clinician is required to disclose your information is if it is demanded by law or if there is reasonable evidence someone is at-risk of harm if we do not share the relevant information to the appropriate authorities.
Contact us by phone, email or with the form at the bottom of our page and we'll have a chat to get you all set up with your first appointment at Thought Bubble Psychology!
We get it! Seeking out mental health support can be daunting, whether it's your first time or otherwise.
Before our first consultation, we'll send you some questionnaires and consent forms which will help inform my assessment.
At Thought Bubble Psychology, we always allocate 90 minutes for all our initial consultations with new patients. We find this allows our patients to feel more comfortable and to tell their stories to us without worrying so much about any time pressure.
We might go through some consent forms to ensure everyone is on the same page or if there are any issues or concerns which need to be addressed prior to starting.
We will then ask some questions to better understand you as a person and your support network. Following on from this, we'll start to discuss the challenges you have been facing and your goals for therapy. At the end of the initial assessment, we might propose our plan on how we can help.
This first session is a bit of a "try-out" for both of us. I want to make sure I have the skills and experience to support you, and that you feel comfortable with me and think that further sessions will be helpful.
While I hope I am, I might not be the right psychologist for you! If you want to see if I'm the kind of psychologist you're looking for, we can book in a 15 minute consultation where I can tell you about my approach and answer any questions you have.
Research shows that the most important factor in determining whether therapy is helpful or not is the working relationship between the patient and the therapist. This means it's important you think I understand who you are and what you're facing, and that the approach I'm taking connects with you. I'm always open to feedback about how I can better support you, but if you don't think my approach is a good fit for you, there'll be no hard feelings on my end. Although it might feel difficult, I'd love it if you'd tell me if this is the case so I can improve my service in future and help you find what you're looking for.