Psychological therapy
Helping a mind that won't switch off find room to breathe.
Therapy for anxiety, stress and burnout, for children, adolescents, adults and older adults, in Southport and across the Gold Coast, and by telehealth where that suits you.
When the worry never quite stops, when the body stays braced for something that may not come, and when running on adrenaline has slowly worn you flat, it can feel like there is no way to step off.
Therapy gives you a calm place to understand what is keeping the alarm switched on, and practical ways to settle it. We work with you towards what matters, at a pace that suits you, in Southport and across the Gold Coast, and by telehealth where that is suitable.
Does this sound like you?
The shapes anxiety, stress and burnout can take
Anxiety is the body's alarm system doing its job at the wrong moments, or refusing to stand down. It shows up differently for everyone. You might notice:
- Worry that loops and is hard to switch off, often about things you cannot control or that have not happened yet
- A racing mind that will not settle, especially when you are trying to rest, concentrate or fall asleep
- Physical tension you carry without meaning to, a tight chest, a knotted stomach, clenched shoulders, a heart that thuds
- Panic that arrives suddenly and feels frightening in the body, even when you cannot say what set it off
- Avoiding the situations, places or conversations that bring the feeling on, so life quietly narrows
- Feeling wired but tired, where stress has built for so long that it has tipped into burnout and the things you used to manage now feel like too much
This is not a crisis service, and these pages are not a substitute for urgent care. If you are not safe right now, call 000, or call Lifeline on 13 11 14 at any hour. If your panic or anxiety is tied to a physical symptom, such as chest pain, breathlessness or a racing heart, it is worth seeing your GP first to rule out a physical cause, and we are glad to work alongside them.
How therapy helps
How therapy helps with anxiety, stress and burnout
There is no single right approach. We start from what is keeping the alarm switched on for you, and draw on the ways of working that fit. Here is what each one means in plain terms.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Looks at the patterns that keep worry going, the thoughts that fuel it, and the small habits of checking, reassurance-seeking and avoidance that keep it alive, and builds practical tools to interrupt the cycle and steady your days.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Helps you make room for uncertainty and uncomfortable feelings without being run by them, so you can keep moving towards the things that matter to you rather than organising life around the worry.
Mindfulness-based strategies
Train attention and gently settle the body, easing the rumination and physical tension that feed anxiety, and helping you notice the alarm rising before it takes over.
Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP)
An emotion-focused, experiential therapy that works with the feelings and protective patterns sitting underneath long-standing anxiety. Where anxiety has grown up around a feeling that is hard to face, this approach helps you meet it, often working briefly and deeply.
For some kinds of anxiety, especially specific fears, panic and obsessive-compulsive patterns, gradually and safely facing what has been avoided is one of the most effective parts of the work. This is sometimes called exposure, or exposure and response prevention. We use it where it fits you and your goals, always building up step by step at a pace you set.
What to expect
How the work unfolds
Sessions are usually 50 minutes, scheduled weekly or fortnightly. There is no fixed script. A typical course of work moves through:
- Understanding the picture. A first conversation about what you are noticing, when it started, where it shows up, and what you would like to be different, so we begin from your experience rather than a label.
- Mapping what keeps it going. Together we make sense of the worry loops, the body's responses and the patterns of avoidance, so the anxiety becomes something you can see clearly rather than something that just happens to you.
- Building practical skills. You learn ways to settle the body, work with anxious thinking, and take small steps back into the things that have narrowed, at a pace you set.
- Reviewing as we go. We check what is helping and adjust together. For some people a brief, focused piece of work is enough; others value longer-term support, and we will be honest with you about that.
You stay in control of the pace throughout. If burnout is part of the picture, recovery is not only about doing more coping, it is also about what can ease, and we will look at both with you.
“The aim is not a mind that never worries, but a mind that can let go of the worry and come back to your life.”
What you can expect to gain
Room to breathe again
Most people are not looking to feel nothing. They are looking to feel less ruled by it. Over the course of therapy that often means the worry quietens and loosens its grip, the body learns to come down from high alert, panic becomes less frightening and easier to ride out, and the situations that had narrowed slowly open back up. Where stress has tipped into burnout, it means finding a sustainable footing rather than white-knuckling through. We work towards what matters to you, and with your consent we can coordinate with your GP or others involved in your care.
Funding and rebates
What you can claim
With a Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP, the Better Access initiative provides Medicare rebates for a number of individual sessions each calendar year, with a GP review part way through. Rebates differ for clinical and registered psychologists. We also work with the Department of Veterans' Affairs, WorkCover Queensland, icare (NSW) and transport-accident schemes.
A referral is not needed to see us privately. A referral and Mental Health Treatment Plan are needed to claim Medicare rebates. Current fees and the exact rebate figures are on our Fees and Policies page.
Ready when you are
If something here sounds familiar, request an appointment or call 0452 452 262. You do not need a referral for a private appointment. If you have a Mental Health Treatment Plan or referral, attach it and we will take care of the rest. GPs and other professionals can refer through our referrer page.
Request an appointmentSources: Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, Better Access initiative (Medicare-rebated mental health care under a Mental Health Treatment Plan). Cognitive behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy and mindfulness-based approaches for anxiety are supported by Australian and international clinical practice guidance, including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on generalised anxiety and panic disorder. If you are in distress, Lifeline is available 24 hours on 13 11 14, and in an emergency call 000.