Frequently Asked Questions

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When you arrive for your appointment, we will provide you with a client information form, and ask you to carefully read and sign a consent form. This form explains confidentiality, session length, fees and our cancellation policy. As registered Psychologists, we are bound by a Code of Ethics that requires you are informed about and understand what will happen in your treatment with us. This also reassures you that therapy occurs in a confidential, respectful and mindful manner. If you have been referred by your GP or another doctor, or a third-party such as a government agency or school we will also discuss with you our communications process with them.

When we work with children and adolescents we work collaboratively with parents at the same time. At Growing Minds Psychology Services we do not see children in isolation whereby a child attends a 50-minute session with minimal interaction with parents/guardians. Within the parameters of privacy and confidentiality that have been established in the initial appointment parents and children may be given in-between session tasks to complete. Parents/Guardians are seen as important factors in treatment success when a child/adolescent sees a psychologist at Growing Minds Psychology Services. 

If you find that after explaining to your child or adolescent that you have made an appointment for them see a psychologist, that they become anxious or anxiety becomes more apparent closer to the appointment time, it is important that we help to alleviate their worries or concerns.

It is important to explain to your child or adolescent what a psychologist is. A psychologist is a professional that helps with thoughts and feelings and it is their job to listen and help them feel better. Just like going to the doctor when part of your body hurts!

It also helps for your child or adolescent to understand that they are not the only one to see a psychologist, that lots of people have appointments with psychologists. Provide your child or adolescent some examples of why people see a psychologist such as when they are feeling sad, worried, angry or upset. That other children and adolescents see a psychologist when they may be having problems at school or at home.

Seeing a psychologist can be a bit of a daunting experience for children and adolescents, and the parent for that matter. This is normal as it is something new. The best way for a parent to prepare their child or adolescent for the first appointment at Growing Minds Psychology Services is to have a conversation with them when you book the appointment. Be aware to make sure the reason for booking the appointment is done so in a way that is considerate of the child/adolescent’s developmental level. Reassure your child/adolescent that you will be attending with them.

It is important that you answer questions that your child/adolescent may have. If you are unsure, please contact us so we can assist you with this process. For adolescents, you may prompt them to write down their questions so they can ask the psychologist directly at the first appointment. Remind your child about confidentiality, and that what is talked about during the appointment will be kept between them and the psychologist (unless exceptional circumstances apply, such as risk to themself or others). Also let them know that they don’t need to tell anyone that they are seeing a psychologist. Sometimes your child or adolescent may feel like something is wrong with them if they need to see a psychologist. reassure them that this is not the case, that many people visit psychologist to talk through their issues.

At Growing Minds Psychology Services we are aware of a child or adolescent being anxious during their first visit, or maybe even subsequent visits. Due to our experience and skills, we can structure the visit and content and our interaction styles to help them feel more at ease.

All psychologists are trained in what’s called the scientist-practitioner approach. This means we take a scientific approach to treating children by: only using approaches that have research support for the child’s problems, monitoring the child’s progress in treatment and making adjustments to our approach. We also believe VERY strongly in working with parents/carers to give them the skills to manage their child’s problems also. This ensures that should the problem come back, the parents/carers will know how to handle it again.

 All the research suggests that this is the best approach to helping children and adolescents. In our sessions we do not spend time exclusively with the child, but also will set aside time to talk with the parents. Growing Minds Psychology Services creatively respond to clients in a way to optimise engagement. Simply, “talking” with clients does not always work, and as such our clinicians have developed a number of strategies and ways to implement therapeutic content with children and young people. All treatment and intervention provided by psychologists at Growing Minds Psychology Services is based on research for what works best for children, adolescents and families based on what the identified issue is.

Unfortunately, we cannot, or any other self -respecting psychologist, make this guarantee. This is because treatment of emotional and behavioural problems is complex and depends on a number of other factors such as parent/carer involvement, the child’s motivation and so on. However, we can assure you that the strategies used to assist you and your child are based on sound research that we call “evidence-based practice” and are considered the best approach to helping your child or adolescent.

All children progress in therapy differently. You may have known someone whose child got better in a few weeks while your child seems to be progressing only slowly. This is often seen in treatment and does not mean something is wrong with your child or that treatment isn’t working. Children (and adults) tend to improve in therapy between sessions not when they’re in sessions. This is because they get to process information provided during therapy sessions and get to practice the skills they have been taught. For some children or adolescents progress is slow with improvements seen over months, rather than weeks. 

At Growing Minds Psychology Services we use standardised outcome measures completed at the end of each session to track client progress and therefore, adapt our approach where necessary to optimise client outcomes.

At Growing Minds Psychology Services our psychologist holds full registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency as well as Clinical Endorsement after completing a Clinical Masters post-graduate qualification. We are committed to on-going professional development to ensure they are up-to-date with empirical studies to provide a gold-standard practice to our clients and their families.