Clinical Services

STEP 2

Psychological Assessment

Undertaking the process of psychological assessment should not be a confusing or invalidating experience for you. It will be the start of your transformation and it need not be a barrier within itself. We aim to conduct a thorough and balanced assessment, so that you can develop the clarity to accept where you find yourself as you come to see us. If you need more time to complete an appropriate assessment, this will be afforded to you.

We will also talk to you honestly about your current mental health and provide you with feedback about any diagnoses, prognoses and/or recommended evidence-based treatment plans, so that you can make informed decisions about your treatment. We consider your assessment a vital part of your recovery and we won't keep you, or others managing your care, in the dark. You will be guided through every step of the process and, with your consent, we will appropriately communicate your progress with other health professionals, when and if required.

Psychological assessment sessions are generally more structured and you will be asked to complete some questionnaires and read some materials prior to your first session. Assessment interviews and reports are tailored to your specific situation and what you tell us you are experiencing. You may also need more than one session, but if this is the case, you will know why. Please refer to the Fees and Policies pages to read more information about the costs and conditions of service with either Victoria or Jonathan. 

FIRST APPOINTMENT INFO
▾ ▾ ▾

• We highly recommend that you review the fees and policies sections on the website, prior to your appointment. That way, you are informed and can come to your first session with any questions.

• We will specifically explain privacy and confidentiality to you, before you are asked to sign and acknowledge these conditions of service.

• When logging in to your first appointment, please make sure you have completed any forms provided to you by your psychologist and make sure that you are in a quiet, comfortable and private space.

• Also, don't forget to email your GPMHCP and referral letter (if you have one) with you so we can ensure that you will be able to process your rebate once you have paid for your appointment.

Please see more information on GPMHCPs on our Fees page.

Step 3

Psychological Treatment

Where treatment is recommended after assessment, you need to feel empowered to make this important decision. All treatments are tailored to your diagnosis, if any, and unique needs. All treatments suggested to you will also be evidence-based, but tailored to match your circumstances and strengths. We understand that psychological treatment is 'process-driven' and is based on a therapeutic relationship formed between the client and the clinician. Psychological treatment also relies on the competence of the clinician. Please refer to the 'meet our psychologists' page for individual competencies. Overall, we provide Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Schema-Focused Therapy (SFT), Eriksonian (Clinical) Hypnosis and Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT).

Psychology SUPERVISON

Supervision of clinical practice for provisional and fully-registered psychologists is available on a limited basis at Phoenix Psychology Canberra.

We welcome your enquiries, and will consider these on a case by case basis, with your input. Please take some time to read our supervision policy. If you have any further questions regarding our conditions of supervision, you can also send us an email enquiry.

thanks for considering us FOR YOUR SUPERVISION NEEDS. 

In the first instance, it will be useful for you to consider your own supervision values, as a prospective supervisee, in order to reference these against our own values and expectations concerning the process of supervision. Our experience is that getting the right ongoing supervision is vital to clinical practice and we want a good match between a supervisor and, you, the prospective supervisee. Here is our intent, overall model and focus for supervision.

Intent. Supervision for psychologists is an important part of ensuring both effective and ethical clinical practice. At Phoenix Psychology Canberra, we do not see supervision as just a means to gaining and keeping your legal registration as a Health Practitioner in Australia, but also a process of assisting you with continuing professional development, ongoing effective practice and enduring career satisfaction. Supervision is not designed to be a passive process; it is one where you will be required to take on active commitment and participation.

Model. Our overall model for supervision is based on the development of core competencies and reflective practice. It also targets promoting and delivering continuous development across the entire span of your career, as well as in the context of what can often be complex and confronting clinical practice. The process of gaining and maintaining your registration as a psychologist can be challenging at times, so it's important to have someone you trust to assist you with effective advice and who can provide you with clinical skills, knowledge and perspective to build your own confidence and competence as a psychologist.

Focus. The following three points of focus are important factors to consider prior to undertaking supervision and may assist you in making a decision as to whether you would like to undertake supervision at Phoenix Psychology Canberra. As a supervisor, we will aim to focus on:

• Quality, not quantity. We want to focus on assisting you in making sound professional decisions and being a better psychologist, not just getting you to tick through the hours. Quality supervision often means a commitment to being patient and practical for both parties and will involve continuously monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of supervision sessions. Being open to feedback on both sides of supervision is also important.

• Equality, not inequality. A supervisor needs to be committed and competent in providing you with the specific skills you need, knowledge and insights in becoming a psychologist. It's all about building your confidence within your developing competence, not eroding it. We believe that this means that a supervisee will not be invalidated on the basis of their registration status. Rather, it means that you will be supported, encouraged and mentored as a current or future part of our unique profession. Unconditional positive regard is a core tenet of our approach to clinical practice, as well as in supervision, which means you can expect us to treat you in an honest, fair and transparent way; both in the 'good' times and the 'tough' ones.

• Congruency, not pretentiousness. Alignment with strong ethical values in practice often means clarifying and developing your own values as a Health Professional. Supervision at Phoenix Psychology Canberra will endeavour to do just this. We want you to develop into a psychologist who is congruent with your own values, not just take on those of another. In addition to values clarification, lasting professional competence comes from connection to these, as well as focused practice and the ability to develop introspection and reflective practice from early on. This will help you avoid the maligned career formula of 'time and/or status equals competence'.

Dr Jonathan Carr (Health Psychologist) is currently available for supervision on a limited basis. Please read more information about supervision with Jonathan and his areas of focus in his profile and if you are interested, send an email enquiry. Supervision fees and policy can be viewed in our Fees and Policy sections respectively.