The Psychology Clinic

The Psychology Clinic provides both a service to the community and a training facility for the postgraduate students within the School of Psychology at the University of Newcastle. The clinic offers assessments and a range of time-limited programs using specific cognitive-behavioural techniques targeted at particular client groups. The programs are carried out by staff and postgraduate students who are closely supervised. Students are training for their Master of Clinical Psychology degree or Professional Doctoral (Clinical and Health) degrees.

Who is the clinic for?

The Psychology Clinic is a service for adults, children and adolescents. Individual and group programs are offered generally for a one-hour session per week, in comfortable surroundings away from the main teaching areas where privacy can be assured.

Assessments

The clinic accepts referrals for cognitive assessments for adults and children.

These assessments may be for:

  • Assessing cognitive change after brain injury (e.g., traumatic brain injury or stroke)
  • Assessment and diagnosis of dementia
  • Assessment and diagnosis of learning disorders
  • Intelligence testing for admission into enrichment programs and or identification of support needs.

Anxiety, stress & phobias

Programs at the clinic are designed to help people with:

  • Stress
  • Generalised Anxiety Disorder
  • Specific Phobias
  • Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia
  • Social Phobia
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Strategies offered may include:

  • Providing education about anxiety
  • Relaxation and breathing control training
  • Systematic desensitisation and graded exposure
  • Changing negative thinking
  • Problem solving, Conflict resolution and Social Skills training

For children with anxiety, the clinic uses a group program called "Cool Kids" and for adolescents with anxiety and/or depression a group program called "Chilled".

Depression

A structured Cognitive Behavioural treatment (CBT) program provides individuals with skills to improve their mood.

Treatment involves:

  • Identifying negative thought patterns and beliefs
  • Learning techniques to challenge their unhelpful beliefs and identify alternative ways of thinking
  • Self monitoring of behaviour, activity levels and mood states

Making Menopause Manageable

A structured 10 session group CBT program is offered to help women manage distressing menopausal symptoms (eg hot flushes, insomnia, memory problems, concentration problems, anxiety, depression).

Referrals

Referrals are accepted from health care and educational professionals, as well as self-referrals from the clients themselves. The clinic has a policy of working collaboratively with health care professionals who refer clients for therapy.

What does it cost?

There is a fee of $25 per 1-hour session ($15 with health care card, $10 group session). Due to the reduced fee (on the basis that the clinic is a training and research facility as well as a community resource) services at the Clinic can not be claimed through Medicare or private health funds.

Contact

To arrange an initial interview, or for further information, please contact:

The Psychology Clinic
School of Psychology
University of Newcastle
CALLAGHAN NSW 2308

Phone: 4921 5075
Fax: 4921 7749
Email: psychology-clinic@newcastle.edu.au