Sydney Counselling Centre

From today, a Mental Health Care Plan will allow you to access 20 bulk billed (if you’re a concession card holder) or 20 Medicare-subsidised sessions with a psychologist every calendar year. During these difficult times, make sure you’re looking after your mental health.

Have you seen our recently-updated website? It’s a new look for us and we hope you like it! You can now make assessment or therapy enquiries direct through our new web forms.
We welcome your suggestions and feedback as we continue to improve our online presence!
www.sydneycounselling.com.au

Sydney Counselling Centre Sydney Counselling Centre has been providing expert psychological therapy and assessments since 1989. Our team of experienced specialist clinical and forensic psychologists provide treatments and psychometric assessments which reflect the latest developments in clinical practice and the highest stan...

"Adults in their 40s and 50s with higher levels of cortisol -- a hormone linked to stress -- performed worse on memory and other cognitive tasks than peers of the same age with average cortisol levels, research found."

https://buff.ly/2qc5BXI

How can we reduce stress?
1. Get 8 hours of sleep every night
2. Practice mindful breathing - check in a few times a day and focus on big breaths into your belly for 3 seconds in, hold for 2, then 5 seconds out (this activates the vagus nerve which connects to the brain and signals to the "rest and digest" nervous system to activate, thus deactivating our stress response.
3. Stop multi-tasking!
4. Start exercising more regularly. Introduce more incidental exercise (think walking around at lunch, taking the stairs, getting off the bus a stop early, parking the car further away) and intentional exercise. It all counts! However, if you already exercise alot, you may need to reduce it! Swap a few workouts for yoga or gentle walks outside.
5. Spend time with animals - petting dogs can also de-activate our stress response, and is often used in the treatment of PTSD.
6. Have fun! Schedule some time to do things for no purpose, other than because you love them!

Stress can impair memory, reduce brain size in middle age Stress may be causing impaired memory and brain shrinkage in middle-age adults, even before symptoms of Alzheimer's or other dementia begin, according to a new study.

21 quick tips to change your anxiety forever

https://buff.ly/2D5wzZA

If anxiety is significantly affecting you or your life, please contact our office on 94152223 or [email protected] for an appointment with one of our friendly psychologists.

22 Quick Tips to Change Your Anxiety Forever Lead a happier, healthier life with these calming strategies.

With air-brushing models in ads, and easy apps to edit photos for social media, the "ideal body" is getting further and further from achievable. The way we see our body has many flow-on effects to the rest of our lives, and one of these is your relationship.

The Key Role of Body Image in Happy Relationships New research shows the role of body image in your relationship satisfaction.

Did you know?

A brain freeze is really a sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia. It happens when something you eat or drink something that’s cold. It chills the blood vessels and arteries in the very back of the throat, including the ones that take blood to your brain. These constrict when they’re cold and open back up with they’re warm again, causing the pain in your forehead (Healthline.com)

Are you looking for a Mandarin or Cantonese speaking psychologist?

Sydney Counselling Centre Clinical Psychologist Keith Kong specialises in individual and family therapy. He has worked extensively with children, adolescents and adults who suffer from depression, anxiety, grief and bereavement and family problems.

He believes that therapy is a collaborative relationship in which both client & therapist are involved in a journey of self-discovery. Therefore, the client-therapist relationship is of paramount importance because it is the relationship that brings the healing. He promotes personal growth, self-awareness and help clients experience authentic existence through the process of therapy.

His treatment approaches include Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), Solution focused brief therapy (SFBT), Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), Psychodynamic therapy and Existential therapy.

Keith can also conduct therapy in English.

Call our friendly receptionist Tayla on 9415 2223 or email [email protected] for a confidential enquiry.

1 woman is killed each week due to domestic violence in Australia.

Domestic violence includes any abuse that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering. Whilst physical abuse may be more obvious, emotional abuse may seem more illusive.

This article can help you to differentiate between what is emotionally abusive and what isn't:
https://buff.ly/2OvIVzY

If you, or someone you know, are at immediate risk please call 000. For support call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or Lifeline 13 11 14 or visit whiteribbon.org.au for more information.

When Is It Emotional Abuse? Differentiate between what is emotionally abusive, and what isn't.

People often assume success comes from knowledge and skill - but a leading psychologist in this field of research has discovered that actually, passion and perseverence are much more important.

An interview with Angela after the paperback release of her New York Times bestseller Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance can be found here https://buff.ly/2QWHTKk and what she has to say may change the way you think about passion, perseverence and grit.

Want to Build Grit? Find Your Passion Leading researcher describes the challenge of finding a life purpose.

https://buff.ly/2AdZg3w

Does your workplace offer an Employee Assistance Program for staff?

Recognised benefits of successful EAPs include lower absentee, stress leave, staff burnout and turnover rates.

All our counsellors are Psychologists and Clinical Psychologists are AHPRA registered. They have extensive experience in treating staff experiencing acute personal difficulties that impact on work performance. We also provide outside of business hours (including weekend) support.

If you'd like more information on our EAP services, or would like us to discuss our program with your HR manager, please email our Practice Manager, Acacia [email protected]

3 Things You Must Know About EAP Counselling Providers 3 Things You Must Know About EAP Counselling Providers Physical Health By Anya Stephens Wednesday, 15 August 2018 EAP counselling can be a bit of an unknown for some companies. Business owners or HR managers want to provide a quality service for their employees, but they don’t know where to start ...

Meditation has been shown to have numerous physical and psychological benefits (you can read about them here https://buff.ly/2OgenCb) but a lot of people don't know where to start.

So we've found a simple, guided 9 minute meditation you can do anywhere. Try it at lunch!

Guided meditation - Belly breathing An audio guided meditation focused on mindful breathing. Voiced by Laura Kampel, Clinical Psychologist.

10 Things Employers - and Employees - Should Know About Mental Health At Work.

10 Things Employers – And Employees – Should Know About Mental Health At Work Here are the top ten things employees and employers should know about mental health in the workplace.

Did you know?

Positive psychological well-being can improve overall heart health! Cardiovascular (heart) disease is the leading cause of death in Australia with 45,600 deaths in Australia in 2011 (healthdirect.gov.au, 2014)

According to Science Daily, "Prospective studies have shown a positive relationship between optimism (one facet of psychological well-being) and heart disease, including a 2017 study showing older women in the highest quartile of optimism had a 38 percent reduced risk of heart disease mortality. Additional studies since 2012 have associated a perceived higher purpose in life with lower odds of having a stroke."

How can we improve optimism?

1. Skip the facebook scroll first thing in the morning & instead write down 3 things you're grateful for. When we do this, our brain consistently seeks out the silver lining throughout our day and that pattern becomes strengthened.
2. Finish your day with what went well - make a list of all the things that went well today (even if it was just getting out of bed!).
3. Take stressors one step at a time. Breaking big, overwhelming tasks into smaller ones helps us to see them as manageable - and eventually help us to achieve our overall goal (and strengthen our ability to problem-solve and plan).

Read more here:

Positive psychological well-being can improve overall heart health: High levels of optimism may lead to a better diet, regular exercise and lower stress Maintaining positive thoughts and feelings through intervention programs can help patients achieve better overall outcomes when it comes to their cardiovascular health, according to a review article.

You're not alone!

* 1 in 5 Australians aged 16-85 experience mental illness in a given year.
* The three most common mental illnesses experienced are depressive, anxiety and substance use disorders.
* Australian youth (18-24 years old) have the highest prevalence
of mental illness than any other age group.
* Almost HALF of all Australians will experience mental illness in their lifetime

And a whopping 54% of people with mental illness do not access any treatment!

(Figures from the Black Dog Institute https://buff.ly/2RnBPLE)

Today is World Mental Health Day!

Help reduce the stigma around mental illness, and boost your mental wellness today by:

1. Having a chat with a friend or colleagues about mental health. Asking a simple "R U OK?" or "How are you going?" and really listening to their response can be all it takes to let someone know you care.
2. Go for a walk. Exercise boosts endorphins and feel good hormones. If you can, get outside into nature and feel the difference it makes.
3. Get professional help or reach out to a friend if you're feeling like you can't cope. People do care!
4. Find an organisation you care about and volunteer your time. (A study by Richards and colleagues found that volunteering is associated with lower depression, increased well-being, and a 22 percent reduction in the risk of dying!)
5. Write down or think about what you're grateful for. Practice this each day and notice your brain rewire itself to a more positive frame of mind!
6. Acknowledge your emotions, rather than suppress them. Suppressing thoughts and feelings only increases their presence! Instead, label the emotion, accept it and feel it dissipate.
7. Spend time watching your breath: sit down somewhere quiet or simply close your eyes and keep your attention on your breath. Use your breath as an anchor and if you notice your thoughts getting louder, simply acknowledge them and come back to your breath. There's no minimum time limit on this - even 1 deep breath can make a world of difference!

What has worked for you?

TV presenter, counselor and best-selling author, Anna Williamson gives her 5 best wellness tips (and they may suprise you)

5 wellbeing tips just in time for Mental Health Day With World Mental Health Day next month best-selling author Anna Williamson has given us her top tips on how millennials can take better care of themselves.

A barrier to seeking mental health treatment can be finding a psychologist outside of work hours. Sydney Counselling Centre Psychologist, Patrick Bruneau, sees clients outside of business hours and on Saturdays.

More about Patrick and our other psychologists can be found on our website https://buff.ly/2xWj3mx

Remember, if you get a mental health care plan from your GP, 6-10 sessions per calendar year can be rebated from Medicare!

To book an appointment with Patrick or any of our psychologists call 02 9415 2223 during business hours or email our friendly receptionist Tayla at [email protected].

If you need to speak to someone urgently please call Lifeline 13 11 14 or if it's an emergency call 000.

Psychologist Chatswood Looking for a psychologist in Chatswood? Come and visit us at Level 4, 7 Help Street Chatswood NSW 2067

World Mental Health Day is coming up on Wednesday 10th October. Join 20, 444 people (and counting) and head to https://buff.ly/2JodW2o to help shed a more positive light on mental health by making a .

Next Wednesday 10 October is World Mental Health Day. For the next week we'll be supplying you with ideas & quotes to make sure you're looking after your mental health!

Many people don't think about their mental health until they're experiencing issues, but as they say, prevention is better than cure.

According to healthline.com the following practices can help you stay mentally well:
* keeping a positive attitude
* staying physically active
* helping other people
* getting enough sleep
* eating a healthy diet
* asking for professional help with your mental health if you need it
* socializing with people whom you enjoy spending time with
* forming and using effective coping skills to deal with your problems

They also say "knowledge is wealth" so read more about mental wellness, mental illness and how to recognise if you need help here:
https://buff.ly/2P781BB

Given we spend at least 1/3 of our day at work, what happens there can have a huge impact on how we're feeling.
According to psychologytoday.com, workplace "bullying has been previously linked to numerous physical and psychological symptoms, including headaches, chronic neck pain, fibromyalgia, type 2 diabetes, sleep problems, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress symptoms, suicidal ideation, and others.

Workplace bullying is characterized by the following three components:
1. A person becomes the focus of systematic unwelcome/adverse behavior.
2. This goes on for some time.
3. The victim cannot easily avoid the situation or the negative treatment."

To find out more about workplace bullying including the causes, effects and what works to prevent it, you can read more here:

Workplace Bullying: Causes, Effects, and Prevention A recent article discusses and reviews causes and effects of workplace bullying.

Good morning, our receptionist Tayla is away sick today so your phone calls will be directed to our answering machine and followed up on Monday. Enquiries can also be made via email - [email protected]

In case of emergency, please contact your local Mental Health Crisis Team, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or 000.

A few places are still available in our stress management course for year 12 students. Preparation is the key to success in the final year of school, and our psychologists look forward to working with students on managing exam anxiety, establishing a healthy work-life balance, challenging negative thinking and managing procrastination.

The cost of the sessions are $50 per week, and a rebate of $31.65 per session is available if a Mental Health Care Plan (GP Referral) is sought in advance.

We've added some new judgments that reference Dr Banks' work for the NSW Supreme Court and Administrative Appeals Tribunal (Immigration) to our website! Take a look using the link below.

http://sydneycounselling.com.au/resources/psychology-in-the-courtroom

Psychology In The Courtroom - Sydney Counselling Interested in Forensic Psychology? Here is a catalogue of Psychology in the Courtroom case studies.

Dr Banks on A Current Affair this evening speaking about psychological fitness and the court system.

https://www.9now.com.au/a-current-affair/2018/extras/latest/180110/guilty-or-not/?ocid=Social-ACA

Guilty or not? One former politician is demanding a revamp of the mental impairment defence in Australia’s criminal court system.