21 May 2020

Know any good accessible psychologists in Canberra?

| Tim33
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Hi fellow Rioters,

Could someone please recommend a good accessible psychologist in Canberra that specializes in psychopathology? To elaborate I am after a Psychologist that specializes in abnormal psychology like Mental illness, specifically on the anxiety spectrum – like OCD.

I have been attempting to book an appointment with the Psychologist I used to see for about 8 months now with no success. There is only so much prescribed pill popping can do, I really need some proper therapy. Thanks for any advice.

If you’re looking for a counsellor or a psychologist, take a look at our articles The Best Counselling Services in Canberra and The Best Psychologists in Canberra for lists of the top services available to you.

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+100 for Dr Dev Roychowdhury. I remember going to him when I was a mess and life seemed pointless. But sessions with him changed all that. It was a miracle. Finally I was happy. Anyone looking for a good psychologist should definitely go and see him.
I also agree with @kayem, however I feel it is important to meet a shrink in person and see if he/she is what you are looking for. I also feel that GPs sometime don’t know who to recommend or don’t have good training in mental health themselves.

olearyrebecca58:46 pm 18 Mar 15

Yeah I recommend you get a GP referral first. I went to see Dr Dev RoyChowdhury in Civic. In short, he was great. I would definitely recommend him.

Kayem said :

IrishPete said :

Queen_of_the_Bun said :

Sally Hughson in Deakin has helped me enormously with anxiety and panic issues. I’m not sure if you need a referral from a GP – that’s how I got in contact with her.

If you want Medicare to help cover the cost, you MUST go through a GP.

IP

True that you need a GP referral under a mental health treatment plan to cover Medicare subsidy of psychology treatment. However, some private health insurance arrangements will subsidise psychology without a GP referral. Check your product disclosure statement if you hold private health insurance.

Maybe, but my private health insurance cover for psychology services is derisory. The only half decent mental health benefit in {my, but I have also examined other people’s over the years too) private health insurance is the coverage for private psychiatric hospitals, which in the ACT means Hyson Green.

It really highlights the “ambulance at the bottom of the cliff” approach of private health insurance, rather than the cheaper preventative approach of a fence at the top of the cliff.

PHI should pay for you to attend the GP X times per year (probably once) even when you’re not sick. So should Medicare, in full.

IP

IP

Kayem said :

Every psychologist I have ever recommended to a member of my family has been a member of the APS.

Good on you, but if one were to check the names of psychologists who other people recommend, you’ll often find they aren’t APS members…

IP

IrishPete said :

Queen_of_the_Bun said :

Sally Hughson in Deakin has helped me enormously with anxiety and panic issues. I’m not sure if you need a referral from a GP – that’s how I got in contact with her.

If you want Medicare to help cover the cost, you MUST go through a GP.

IP

True that you need a GP referral under a mental health treatment plan to cover Medicare subsidy of psychology treatment. However, some private health insurance arrangements will subsidise psychology without a GP referral. Check your product disclosure statement if you hold private health insurance.

Sorry, mucked up the quoting above. I believe I was quoting IP and responding to that comment.

IrishPete said :

Confusedwouldwe said :

In response to an earlier post, if a psychologist is not a member of the Australian Psychological Society, I’d be wondering why. Either they’re a cheapskate, or they have some opinions which run counter to the profession’s peak body. There’s a lot wrong with the APS, but I’ve maintained my membership through thick and thin for years, even when I disagree with them on serious matters (such as their regular “study tours” to Israel)..

IP

I only made the statement because I had directed OP to an APS website in response to their query, and wanted to make sure I did not imply that all their treatment options might be detailed there as it is not like the Psychology Board where all practitioners need to be registered. I am not a psychologist, so I have no opinion as to why someone with a valid qualification and registration with the board may or may not choose to affiliate with the APS. But that affiliation is voluntary, and I wanted to emphasise that in providing information that is partial but relevant to the OP.

Every psychologist I have ever recommended to a member of my family has been a member of the APS.

Queen_of_the_Bun said :

Sally Hughson in Deakin has helped me enormously with anxiety and panic issues. I’m not sure if you need a referral from a GP – that’s how I got in contact with her.

If you want Medicare to help cover the cost, you MUST go through a GP.

IP

Queen_of_the_Bun10:39 am 17 Nov 13

Sally Hughson in Deakin has helped me enormously with anxiety and panic issues. I’m not sure if you need a referral from a GP – that’s how I got in contact with her.

Confusedwouldwe said :

I recommend telling your GP that you want to seriously go down the therapy track and clearly state that anxiety and OCD are what you want to target. Ask for a few names and numbers of psychologists and call each and tell them that anxiety and OCD are you main issues and ask if this is what they focus on, what kind of approach do they take, what is the fee structure and do they have a medicare provider number, and try and guage if they sound like someone you can trust and talk to. Maybe think about whether it will be easier for you to open up to a female or a male.

Anxiety and depression are treated by both registered and clinical psychologists and if you look at the gap between there scehduled fee and medicare rebates, generally regeristered psychologists are cheaper.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is meant to be good for anxiety.

But some clinical psychologists will bulk bill a proportion of their clients, so they end up being free. The medicare rebate is generally insufficient for a non-clinical psychologist to do so.

ACT is meant to be good for everything, but until someone actually evaluates it, I’ll stick with the treatment that has evidence for it – Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. Despite their training and the Code of Ethics, psychologists are just as quick as any other profession to jump on some new trendy bandwagon.

In response to an earlier post, if a psychologist is not a member of the Australian Psychological Society, I’d be wondering why. Either they’re a cheapskate, or they have some opinions which run counter to the profession’s peak body. There’s a lot wrong with the APS, but I’ve maintained my membership through thick and thin for years, even when I disagree with them on serious matters (such as their regular “study tours” to Israel)..

IP

I agree that it’s a very personal thing – for instance, I have a weird prejudice against female doctors, but I will only see a female psych. It depends what kind of person you’re most comfortable around – manner, attitude, willingness to work with your GP/psychiatrist, age, gender…

I can recommend JMA Psychology in Fyshwick and Sue Hays in O’Connor. Both very good – for me. Like others have said you can get recs from the professional association or you can ask your GP or psychiatrist for some names… Almost everyone has a waiting list though!

Confusedwouldwe2:51 pm 16 Nov 13

I recommend telling your GP that you want to seriously go down the therapy track and clearly state that anxiety and OCD are what you want to target. Ask for a few names and numbers of psychologists and call each and tell them that anxiety and OCD are you main issues and ask if this is what they focus on, what kind of approach do they take, what is the fee structure and do they have a medicare provider number, and try and guage if they sound like someone you can trust and talk to. Maybe think about whether it will be easier for you to open up to a female or a male.

Anxiety and depression are treated by both registered and clinical psychologists and if you look at the gap between there scehduled fee and medicare rebates, generally regeristered psychologists are cheaper.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is meant to be good for anxiety.

#3 is very correct. Find someone you are comfortable with, who you feel you can trust, and who specialises in the area you need help with. That is – shop around until you find the right psychologist for you and your situation. That is why I suggested the need for a flexible referral. You and your GP might agree that one thing is the issue that needs addressing and this might trigger the GP mental health treatment plan. But once you start talking to your psychologist, your goals might change. OP mentioned obsessive compulsive disorder, but this is a broad church and can benefit from various interventions depending on the specific presentation.

Medication can often help, but like OPs experience, sometimes it doesn’t. It helped me manage depression, but I’ve seen medication be a hindrance to others. Talking therapy and pharmacotherapy in combination is generally considered the gold standard for any mental health problem. It’s all up to what you want to do and I hope you feel better soon.

PS well done OP for actively seeking assistance.

gungsuperstar9:00 pm 15 Nov 13

As you would well know mate, no one can tell you who to see. Psychologists are, by and large, equally qualified. So once you find one who specialises in what you need, the biggest factor is finding someone that YOU are comfortable with and who you trust. There’s no point in me giving you a recommendation, because my psychologist is plain-speaking, he’s kind of abrasive – but he’s hilarious! I love him, but he would absolutely not be for everyone. (he doesn’t specialise in what you’re after anyway, I was just making the point)

If you really want a name, call Peak Corporation (they’re at Belconnen) and ask if Zora is still there. I haven’t seen her in about 2 years now, but she does specialise in what you’re looking for. And if Roz still works on reception, she’s just so damn lovely that after 5 minutes in the waiting room you’ll feel like you don’t need to see the psych.

If you go to http://www.psychology.org.au/ you can look for a psychologist based on speciality, geographic location and some other parameters like gender, age specialisation etc. keep in mind this only lists practitioners who are members of the Australian Psychological Society, and many good practitioners do not affiliate with that voluntary professional organisation. If you go to your GP, you can ask for them to work with you to develop a mental health treatment plan under Medicare (there may be a copayment) and this can involve a referral to a psychologist. If you ask for the referral to be general (ie to a psychologist with a specific specialisation) rather that the referral being to a specific practitioner, you can use your Medicare deductible psychology allowances to find the psychology practitioner who is best suited to your needs. I understand that currently, you can claim up to six Medicare subsidised psychology sessions, and then upon review by your GP, a further four sessions within any twelve month period from the initial GP referral. The limits I have described are for individual sessions. There are additional allowances for claiming group therapy sessions. I hope you find the help you are seeking. If you need more information, call the Commonwealth Department of Health of hit their website and inquire about the Better Access scheme.

Almost all psychologists in private practice do psychopathology.

I recommend Psychsessions, in Civic. But there are dozens or hundreds of competent private practices.

Look for a Clinical Psychologist as the rebate from Medicare is bigger (if you are eligible – talk to the practice about this on the phone before you go see them).

IP

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