FAQs

Please contact us via the 1300 number listed on our Contact page (local call charge applies). If the line is busy or goes unanswered, kindly leave a message, and we will return your call as soon as possible. Alternatively, for less urgent matters, you can use the enquiry form available on the same page. We strive to respond to both phone and online queries within 24 hours.

Depending on the issue we are working on, and depending on the stage of therapy, the session may involve just counselling which is talking only, or it may involve a cognitive, or emotionally expressive component if you wish to consider doing Psychotherapy. Our Somatic Psychotherapy requires bodily, emotional, mental and energetic engagement and commitment.

Where the session involves Body Psychotherapy, or works with elevating unconscious material into conscious awareness for healing, at the end of a session you may feel like you have expressed and exerted yourself in a way that creates a relaxed tiredness just like after a workout at the gym. During the session, uncomfortable memories and emotions may come up. In addition, your therapist may ask you to do some exercise every day or keep a daily journal. Real progress will come after several weeks or months of regular sessions. The therapist will discuss and review progress on a regular basis with you.

No two therapy sessions are the same, but a session might go something like this:
1. Discussion of the issue you wish to work on
2. The therapist may use techniques such as Counselling, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Voice Dialogue, Grounding exercises or Breathwork if a session needs to bring certain emotions to the surface.
3. You express the emotion physically and vocally which can provide you with a sense or release and peace.
4. Integration and conclusion, where the therapist integrates the work with you.  As the client, you will never leave in a position of feeling unsafe or vulnerable.

Generally, clients are seen for a 55-minute session either weekly or fortnightly. Usually there would be an initial consultation followed by a trial period of about six sessions.  After this initial phase you can decide whether you wish to continue or not. Short term psychotherapy may last only a few months but for more in-depth self-discovery it is likely to last a couple of years.

With some presenting issues, you may just need a couple of sessions to get the required advice and support from a counsellor to help you move forward. However, in most cases, you need to consider that it may have taken years to create some of the emotional conditions that you are experiencing. Therefore, it is probably going to take at least a couple of sessions to start unravelling and understanding certain dynamics and may even take a few more sessions before you start feeling the tangible benefits of counselling or therapy.

Each of us is different, and we each have our own unique issues, needs and wants. Normally once we have conducted the initial Confidential Client Interview and discussed the goals for therapy with you, we will be able to start to map out a therapy plan and timeline for therapy.

We recommend to new clients to consider doing a minimum of 6 sessions before you can make an informed decision. The first couple of sessions generally involve the therapist discussing the presenting issues and covering all aspects of your history including your family of origin, relationship history, work history and medical history.

We recommend that new clients attend weekly, and as you make progress, that can be reduced to fortnightly or monthly. Counselling or Psychotherapy can last for just a few sessions or for longer. The length of therapy depends on the nature of your problem as well as your goals for therapy.

As the client, you agree an approach with the therapist and retain the choice and decision on how long you wish to work with the therapist. Research shows that 50% of the healing in therapy comes about from the positive relationship created in the therapy alliance between the client and therapist, with the other 50% coming from specific techniques employed in therapy.

As psychotherapists we cannot prescribe any form of drug. Mainstream medical research shows for numerous conditions that you will normally achieve better health outcomes when you adopt a psychotherapy program in conjunction with a medicated program, versus just solely relying on a medicated program alone.  We liaise with medical professionals with your consent to understand the treatment approach where required.

If you have a goal to reduce and then get off your medication, counselling is the best way to maximise the potential to achieve that long term outcome. Medication may be required to stabilise and help you to functionally cope with life and so this is prudent that this continues. However, medication may be suppressing or masking the behavioural symptoms of an issue such as depression or anxiety but does not fix the original cause of your problem.

Working in conjunction with a therapist while you lower your dosage is the best and most effective way to safely go off your medication and at the same time eliminate the underlying issue such as depression or anxiety that made you go on medication in the first place.

We do an inventory of your current medication mix when we conduct your initial Confidential Client Interview. We encourage you to advise your GP or medical professional as to when you feel better and stronger within yourself as a consequence of therapy to allow you and them to work out a weaning off program where appropriate.

Counselling can cover a wide scope of practices and typically involves talk based sessions with clients. A counsellor helps you to find ways to tackle issues, better use your existing resources, find your own solutions to problems and better deal with your situation. A counsellor may generally not give advice but help you to make your own choices.

Psychotherapy is both a discussion and then an experiential process shaped around opening up your deep seated and early life dynamics that are now entrenched patterns of unconscious defence or coping and releasing or adjusting these towards more adjusted and healthy living. A psychotherapist can separate out the manifesting symptoms from the underlying causes and work to help you and your dynamics. It may involve opening up the emotional and trauma reactions and experientially resolving them or bring them to completion.

Somatic Psychotherapy understands that the body is in fact the unconscious mind whereas classical psychology deals with only the mental factor. We work with releasing blocked and negative trauma and emotions stored at the level of the muscles, organs and cellular memory. Body Psychotherapy is very effective and many of our clients report a degree of resolution and heightened awareness and hope from their first session so book an appointment now.

Yes, it’s possible that things may feel more difficult at first. Therapy often involves uncovering unresolved pain and loss, and progress can sometimes feel like taking three steps forward and two steps back. Old traumas and memories may resurface, as they often underlie present-day challenges. In these situations, addressing current issues can be an effective way to heal past wounds.

So, while it’s normal to feel worse initially, this is part of the process of learning, healing, and growing. But ultimately the process of therapy should enable you to steadily improve and feel more resilient and peaceful.

Private therapy is recommended if you wish to work on personal issues or conditions. The objective is the reduction or cessation of your individual symptoms such as anxiety, depression, trauma, anger management, phobias, victim of domestic violence, and addictions. You will be engaged in a one-on-one therapeutic relationship with the therapist to help resolve certain behaviours and discuss issues in your life that will improve your self-esteem overall.

Couples Therapy can help if you want to resolve difficulties in your relationship or you wish to explore ways how you can improve certain aspects such as intimacy, trust and equality with your loved one.  At times in a couples counselling session, the therapist may observe elements from the family of origin of one or both partners impacting the relationship. The therapist would then recommend that one or both partners consider exploring individual therapy to address those issues separately, to avoid them being projected into and negatively affecting the relationship.

Group Therapy involves interaction with people who are generally not known to each other. Group members can benefit by emotionally supporting each other and gain clarity by receiving feedback from others. If someone is brand new to therapy, we generally recommend that you consider doing some individual sessions in advance, so you have some level of awareness of the origins and dynamics of your issues.

The Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) that GP’s offer through Medicare is for individuals with mental health issues as diagnosed by a GP, Psychiatrist or Clinical Psychologist. Our services are not covered under the Medicare model and our session fees are also not covered by Private Health funds.

The use of Medicare rebates or Private Health providers to pay for seeing someone about your mental health opens up ethical questions around privacy. These entities will keep records of the fact that you have requested support for a mental health issue previously. There have been examples shown in the press where the records kept by these bodies have been disclosed without consent to third parties, and where that disclosure may have a negative impact on employment candidate applications and selections, bank and insurance applications, or claims being made to insurers for personal events. Energetics Institute will not disclose or share information with any third-party health care provider unless under a formal legal court subpoena, as we believe that your privacy and confidentiality is critical to feeling safe in the therapy process. Check out our Rebates page for more information.

Our therapists at Energetics Institute are ethically bound to provide confidentiality and privacy during counselling sessions. This means that everything shared in a session remains private unless there is a risk of harm to yourself or others, or if your counsellor’s notes are subpoenaed by a court. Aside from these exceptions, your confidentiality is fully respected. Any notes taken during your sessions are securely stored in a locked location, accessible only by your counsellor. For more information, please refer to our Confidentiality page.

Protecting privacy is a core aspect of every consultation, and the clinician’s responsibility to uphold patient/client confidentiality is of the highest priority. Confidentiality will only be breached in exceptional cases, such as when there is a public health concern, a risk to others due to the client’s actions, or in cases of expressed intent to harm. The Energetics Institute upholds confidentiality as a sacred trust, adhering strictly to these principles. In the rare event that confidentiality must be broken, every attempt will be made to thoroughly discuss with the client in advance. Feel free to check out our Confidentiality page which provides more detail.

No this is not possible. On rare occasions, family members or partners may reach out to our therapists seeking information. In such cases, no identifying details will be disclosed. We will only contact family members, partners, or spouses if the client explicitly requests it and provides written consent. However, if a client expresses an immediate risk to themselves or others and the therapist has serious concerns, confidentiality may be overridden to ensure proper care. In such situations, your therapist may be legally obligated to contact your designated emergency contact, caregiver, or relevant authorities (such as hospitals, police, or emergency services) to safeguard your wellbeing or that of others. The therapist will carefully assess whether this is a case of emotional expression or actual intent to harm. Check out our Confidentiality page which has more information.

Psychotherapy can effectively treat the symptoms associated with depression, anxiety, trauma, and other mental health issues. But we do not recommend Body Psychotherapy to all clients, particularly those currently suffering from Drug Addiction, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, a history of Psychosis or serious mental illness. We also do not see anyone who has Suicidal or Self Harming tendencies. For some people, expressing emotions through psychotherapy can cause psychosis, trauma re-enactment, or unsafe feelings. In this situation, we recommend that you seek the help of a psychiatrist. Feel free to read our Client Disclaimer webpage for more information.

You may cancel your appointment at any time. However, please note that if you cancel or miss your appointment without providing at least 24 hours’ notice, the full session fee will apply. Check out our Cancellations page for more information.

We understand that therapy can bring up strong emotions and questions, and it’s natural to want extra support between sessions. However, our time outside of sessions is dedicated to preparing for clients, attending to administrative tasks, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. If something urgent arises, we encourage you to reach out to schedule another session where we can provide the time and focus your concerns deserve. In the event of a major crisis, please contact us, and we’ll arrange a brief call to provide guidance or support. If immediate help is needed, we recommend contacting emergency services or a crisis hotline. Your well-being is important to us, and we want to ensure that the support we provide is meaningful and of high quality.

Some of our clients live in remote areas or may be unable to attend in-person sessions due to physical or mental health challenges. Others may reside interstate or overseas. To accommodate these needs, our therapists offer sessions via telephone or online platforms such as WhatsApp and Skype. The fee structure for these remote sessions remains the same as for face-to-face appointments. Payment is required prior to the session via online banking 24 hours in advance for both new and existing clients. Check out our Online Counselling page for more information.

To ensure a comfortable and focused environment, children are not allowed to attend appointments, as adult conversations may not be suitable for young ears. Additionally, as our practice operates from a home setting without a waiting area, there is no provision for leaving children unsupervised. For the best therapeutic experience and to prioritize your own time, please arrange alternative care for your children prior to your session.