What can we help you with?

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Depression affects 1 in 7 Australians.  Depression is a serious condition that can affect your physical and mental health.  Depression is not just about feeling down, as we all do from time to time.  Rather, it involves a number of other symptoms and interferes with daily life and relationships.

It can be hard to break out of a cycle of feeling overwhelmed by sorrow and helplessness on your own. The good news is, depression can be treated.  Our experienced therapists are trained in evidence-based approaches to help you overcome depression, develop healthy coping strategies, and improve your overall well-being.

Everyone feels stressed and worried in moments throughout their life, often brought on by stressful events.  Typically, these feelings will pass when the stressful event passes.  But if these feelings stay with you after the stressful event or situation has passed, and you can't put your finger on why, it may be worth speaking to a professional.  Some common symptoms of anxiety include feeling worried a lot of the time, restlessness, difficulty sleeping, feeling agitated or irritable, shortness of breath, feeling excessively tired or lacking energy, rapid heartbeats.  

If anxiety is affecting your life, a psychologist may be able to help.  They will take time to understand your individual situation and work with you to find the best way to improve your situation 

Grief is a natural human response to loss  and can impact upon your ability to think, to feel, and to participate in aspects of your life once important to you.  Grief is often experienced following the death of a loved one, the break-down of a relationship, illness, an event that may affect your phsyical capacity, or a natural disaster.

People cope with grief in different ways. Many find that the intensity of emotions experienced reduce over time.  However, for some it is helpful to speak with a professional to assist to adjust to your loss and cope with your grief.

Neurodiversity recognises that human brains, thinking, feeling and behaviours are diverse in nature. Humans vary on a wide range of qualities and characteristics including our ability to pay attention, the gender we identify with, the intensity of our emotional experience, our range of interests and our sensitivity to light, sound or touch. Through a scientific lens, we are increasingly understanding psychological characteristics on a continuum (e.g. ranging from 0 – 100), rather than category (e.g. present or absent). 

There are terms being used to understand a person’s psychological profile with respect to neurodiversity. For example, when a majority of people are believed to share a way of thinking and relating to the world (e.g. having a wide range of interests), this can be referred to as "neurotypical".  Alternatively, people’s experience of very high levels of a certain characteristic (e.g. sensitivity to sound) or very low levels of a certain characteristic (e.g. ability to pay attention to one stimulus); can be understood as “neurodivergence.” Neurodivergence is sometimes associated with clinical diagnoses like Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or learning disorders, however it is not limited to people who have a diagnosis. 

Individuals with neurodivergent traits or characteristics can experience them as strengths, or they can be very stressful or limiting. Some of the stress can relate to the idea that we all need to fit into the needs of the neurotypical majority.  This can place those with neurodivergence at greater risk of mental health challenges such as stress, anxiety & depression.  

At Inner North, we support the growing idea of neurodivergence, and encourage respect towards each individuals unique strengths and weaknesses. In treatment, we aim to treat each person using evidence-based approaches that affirms each individual and adapts to their unique needs.

Phobias and intense fears can have a significant impact on quality of life. If left untreated, phobias can manifest as physical symptoms, cause rifts in relationships, or leave you unable to function normally. At Inner North, our qualified therapists can help you manage your phobia and regain control of your life.

Some of the phobias we can help with include:

• Animal phobias (e.g., snakes, spiders)
• Social phobia (fear of social situations)
• Dental phobia (fear of going to the dentist)
• Fear of flying
• Fear of heights
• And more…

It is common for all of us to experience strong emotions in the aftermath of traumatic events, such as natural disasters, accidents, acts of violence, or finding out that a loved one was involved in a traumatic event.  With support of family and friends, many people are able to cope.  However, for others the symptoms of trauma may last longer and be more severe.   Trauma can impact upon a person's physical, mental and emotional well-being, often leading to symptoms like anxiety, depression, flashbacks, nightmares, and difficulty in forming healthy relationships. Seeking psychological therapy can provide a safe space to explore and process these distressing experiences, and develop coping strategies to improve the quality of your life.