Adult Therapy
Adult therapy, also known as individual counselling, is a collaborative, one-on-one process between you and a licensed mental health professional. At Armchair Psychology in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, our adult therapy sessions provide a safe, confidential space to explore your thoughts, process past experiences, and develop practical, actionable coping skills to navigate life’s challenges. Whether you are dealing with a long-standing psychological issue or simply seeking support through a rough patch, our goal is to reduce your distress and significantly improve your everyday functioning.
Common Areas Addressed
Therapy is not a one-size-fits-all process; the structure and focus are tailored to your specific needs. Common reasons adults visit our Edgecliff clinic include:
Mental Health Conditions: Managing and reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Life Transitions: Navigating the stress of career changes, relationship breakdowns, grief and loss or adjusting to major life milestones.
General Well-being: Enhancing self-awareness, improving emotional regulation, overcoming burnout and fostering personal growth.
More specifically, we address:
- Building self-esteem
- Managing work stresses
- Establishing and dealing with relationships
- Helping troubled relationships
- Anger management
- Grief
- Achieving work life balance
- Empty nest
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Physical health, chronic illness
- Trauma
What to Expect at Armchair Psychology
1. The Initial Assessment: Your first session is dedicated to understanding your personal history, your current challenges, and what brought you to therapy. It is also an opportunity to ensure you feel comfortable with your psychologist.
2. Collaborative Goal Setting: You and your psychologist will work together to establish clear, personalised goals. We focus on what you specifically want to change or achieve.
3. Practical Strategies: We are highly focused on equipping you with practical life skills. You will often leave sessions with specific psychological tools, coping strategies and new perspectives to apply to your daily life.
Have A Free Chat With One Of Our Psychologists
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Our Psychologists
Frequently Asked Questions About Adult’s Therapy
How do I know if I actually need therapy?
You do not need to be in a crisis or at rock bottom to benefit from therapy. The right time to seek help is whenever you feel stuck, overwhelmed by stress, or find that your current coping strategies are no longer working. Therapy is also incredibly valuable if you simply want to understand your own behaviours better, improve your relationships, or navigate a difficult life transition. Proactive support is always more effective than waiting for a breaking point.
What actually happens in the first session?
Forget the clichés of lying on a couch while someone silently takes notes. Your first session is an active, conversational assessment. Your psychologist will ask about your personal history, what brought you into the clinic, and what you hope to achieve. It is a chance for us to understand your world and for you to decide if our practical, conversational style is the right fit for you.
How long will I need to be in therapy?
Because therapy at Armchair Psychology is highly individualised, there is no set timeline. If you are looking to overcome a specific hurdle or learn new coping strategies for a recent stressor, you may only need 6 to 10 sessions. If you are dealing with deeper, long-standing issues like trauma or chronic anxiety, we may work together for several months. Our focus is always on giving you actionable tools so you can move forward confidently, rather than keeping you in therapy forever.
Is everything I say completely confidential?
Yes. Providing a safe, entirely confidential space is the cornerstone of psychological therapy. Everything you share stays between you and your psychologist. The only legal and ethical exceptions to this rule are if you disclose an imminent risk of serious harm to yourself or someone else, or if your files are subpoenaed by a court of law.
Can I get a Medicare rebate for my sessions?
Yes, if you hold a valid Medicare card. To claim a rebate, you will need to visit your General Practitioner (GP) before your first session to obtain a Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP). Under the current Better Access initiative, this plan entitles you to Medicare rebates for up to 10 individual psychology sessions per calendar year, which significantly reduces your out-of-pocket costs. We can process these rebates for you directly at our clinic.
General FAQs
Why should I see a psychologist?
If you want to find out how to move your life forward, and achieve happiness – you should see a psychologist.
By being empathic but independent, the psychologists at Armchair Psychology can give you a crucial understanding of how to achieve your personal and emotional goals.
How many sessions will I need?
After our first few sessions together, we should be able to evaluate how much time you will need. However, there is no hard and fast rule, and this is a process that is a part of your journey.
Life’s important journeys can take time – it’s important to remember that.
How often will I have sessions?
However, sometimes more frequent sessions, or spacing them further apart, makes more sense in terms of your growth. That is something which can be discussed during your sessions with your psychologist.
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