Individual Psychological Therapy for Adults
Individual therapy at Perfectly Aligned Psychology is one-to-one treatment for adults who want help with anxiety, low mood, stress or the after-effects of a hard experience. It covers everything from stress management counselling for someone running on empty to structured treatment for panic attacks or depression, in person in Balgownie or by secure video anywhere in Australia.
Most people arrive with a feeling rather than a diagnosis. Sleep has gone, patience is thin, the chest is tight on Sunday nights, or life has lost its colour for longer than a bad week explains. You do not need to know what to call it before you book. Working that out is part of the first session.
This page explains what therapy here involves, how each common concern is treated, which methods are used and why, what a course of sessions usually looks like, and how Medicare rebates reduce the cost. If you are still comparing options across the practice, our overview of psychology services in Wollongong sets this service alongside the others.
What does individual therapy involve?
Individual therapy involves meeting one to one with a psychologist, usually for fifty minutes, to understand what is keeping a problem going and change it. Whether you need stress management counselling or treatment for anxiety or depression, sessions follow a written plan with regular reviews.
The first appointment is mostly listening. You describe what is happening, what you have already tried and what you would like to be different. The psychologist asks about sleep, work, relationships, health and history, because problems rarely sit in one corner of a life.
By the end of that session or the next, you should have a clear formulation in plain language. That is a working explanation of why this problem has stuck, not a label. It shapes the plan: the goals, the method, how often to meet and when to check progress.
Between sessions there is usually something practical to try, such as a sleep change, a thought record or a small experiment with an avoided situation. The work in the room matters, but the days in between are where most change takes hold.
Every client works with the same AHPRA-registered psychologist from start to finish. There is no intake clinician who hands you on after the first visit.
How is anxiety treated in therapy?
Anxiety is treated by learning how worry and fear keep themselves going, then gradually changing the habits that feed them. Cognitive behaviour therapy has the strongest evidence here, and treatment is tailored to whether the problem is constant worry, panic, social fear or health anxiety.
Anxiety is the most common reason adults contact the practice. Beyond Blue estimates that one in four Australians will experience an anxiety condition in their lifetime, so if it feels like you are the only one, you are in large company. Each type below has its own pattern, and the treatment follows the pattern rather than a script.
Constant worry
Generalised anxiety feels like a mind that will not stop scanning for what might go wrong. Therapy targets the worry habit itself, including the belief that worrying keeps you safe, and builds tolerance for uncertainty.
Panic attacks
Panic is a surge of fear with a racing heart, breathlessness or dizziness that feels like a medical emergency. Treatment explains the body's alarm system and uses gradual, planned exposure to the sensations so they stop triggering more fear.
Social anxiety
Social anxiety centres on the fear of being judged or embarrassed. Therapy looks at safety behaviours, such as rehearsing every sentence or avoiding eye contact, that quietly keep the fear alive, and replaces them step by step.
Health anxiety
Health anxiety turns ordinary body sensations into evidence of serious illness. Treatment works on checking, searching and reassurance-seeking, while making sure any genuine medical concern goes to your GP first.
Many people have more than one of these at once, and some also notice obsessive thoughts, perfectionism or a phobia of something specific. The first sessions sort out which pattern is doing the most damage, and that is where treatment starts.
How does therapy help with depression and low mood?
Therapy helps with depression by rebuilding activity, reducing the harsh self-talk that comes with low mood, and addressing whatever set it off. Behavioural activation and cognitive behaviour therapy both have solid evidence, and progress is tracked with short questionnaires so you can see change.
Depression is more than sadness. Beyond Blue describes it as low mood or loss of interest lasting two weeks or more, often with changes in sleep, appetite, energy and concentration. Many people describe it as moving through wet concrete.
Low mood often arrives after a change: a relationship ending, a new baby, a move away from friends, retirement, an injury or a long stretch of caring for someone else. Sometimes there is no obvious trigger at all, which can make it feel even more confusing. Either way, the treatment starts from where you are.
Early sessions usually focus on action before insight. Depression tells you to wait until you feel like doing things; therapy reverses that order with small, planned activities that bring back a sense of achievement or enjoyment. Once there is some lift, attention shifts to the thinking patterns that drag mood down.
If depression is severe, you are struggling to function, or medication might help, the psychologist will suggest seeing your GP or a psychiatrist alongside therapy. Our guide to psychologist vs psychiatrist explains who does what. If you ever feel unsafe, tell someone straight away, and use the crisis numbers at the bottom of this page.
What does stress management counselling cover?
Stress management counselling covers what is driving the load, how your body and mind are reacting to it, and what can realistically change. It combines practical skills for sleep and recovery with work on the patterns, such as perfectionism or never saying no, that keep the pressure on.
Stress becomes a problem when recovery stops. The weekend no longer resets you, sleep is light, and small things spark big reactions. Left long enough, that state can slide into anxiety or depression.
Burnout is a specific version tied to work. The World Health Organization describes it as an occupational phenomenon marked by exhaustion, growing cynicism about the job and a drop in professional effectiveness. It is common in health care, teaching, emergency services and anyone carrying responsibility without enough control.
Therapy for stress is not about teaching you to tolerate an unworkable situation. Sometimes the most useful outcome is a clearer conversation with a manager, a change in hours or a plan for a graded return after time off. The psychologist can help you prepare for those conversations and, with your consent, provide letters to your GP.
Shift workers get particular attention here. Rotating rosters disrupt sleep and relationships in ways standard advice ignores, so plans are built around your actual roster. Sessions can be scheduled early, late or by video between shifts.
Can therapy help after trauma or a difficult event?
Yes. Therapy can help after an accident, assault, loss, medical emergency or a series of hard experiences. Many people recover naturally in the first month; when memories, avoidance or constant alertness persist, trauma-focused therapy such as EMDR or trauma-focused CBT is recommended.
Not everyone who goes through something frightening develops post-traumatic stress. Some people notice mainly low mood, anger or a loss of confidence instead of flashbacks. Individual therapy is a good starting point when the picture is mixed or you are unsure whether what you feel counts as trauma.
When symptoms do point to PTSD, treatment moves into a dedicated trauma pathway, described in full on the trauma and PTSD psychologist page, and the EMDR therapy page explains how eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing is used at the practice.
Grief is another common reason people seek individual therapy after a loss. Support focuses on carrying the loss in a way that lets daily life continue, rather than on moving on to a timetable.
You will never be pushed into describing the worst details before you are ready. The first step is always stabilisation: sleep, grounding skills and a sense of control over the pace.
Which therapy approach is used, and why?
Each method is matched to the problem and the person. Cognitive behaviour therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy are the main tools for anxiety, depression and stress, schema-informed work helps with long-standing patterns, and EMDR is used for memory-driven distress. The reasoning is always explained.
Every method below has published research behind it. What differs is the target: some change thoughts and behaviour directly, some change your relationship with difficult feelings, and some work on memories that still feel present.
| Approach | What it focuses on | Often used for | What sessions involve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) | The links between thoughts, feelings and actions | Worry, panic, social anxiety, depression, insomnia | Structured sessions, practical tasks between appointments |
| Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) | Making room for hard feelings while acting on your values | Chronic stress, burnout, long-running anxiety, pain | Mindfulness skills, values work, committed action |
| Schema-informed therapy | Deep patterns formed early in life that keep repeating | People-pleasing, harsh self-criticism, relationship cycles | Linking present reactions to their origins, then changing them |
| EMDR | Distressing memories that still feel current | Trauma, some anxiety and phobias | Preparation first, then focused reprocessing |
Many plans combine two approaches, for example ACT skills for burnout followed by CBT for the sleep problems that remain. You can read more about how these decisions are made in our approach to therapy.
What does a course of therapy look like?
A typical course starts with one or two assessment sessions, moves into weekly or fortnightly treatment, and is reviewed every few sessions. Many people with a single, well-defined concern notice change within six to ten sessions, while longer-standing difficulties usually need more time.
There is no fixed number, and nobody is kept in therapy longer than is useful. Finishing well matters as much as starting well, so the last few sessions are often spaced a month apart to test the new skills in ordinary life.
If therapy is not helping after a fair trial, that is raised openly at a review. The plan might change method, add a referral to a GP or psychiatrist, or connect you with a service better suited to what you need. Short questionnaires at the start and at each review make progress visible, so decisions about continuing, changing course or finishing are made on evidence rather than guesswork.
Assessment
One or two sessions to understand the problem, its history and your goals, ending with a plain-language formulation.
A written plan
Goals, the method, likely number of sessions and the cost after any rebate, agreed together before treatment starts.
Active treatment
Regular sessions with practical work between them. The plan is adjusted if something is not helping.
Review and finishing
Sessions are spaced out as things improve, with a relapse-prevention plan so you know what to do if old patterns return.
How much does therapy cost, and can I claim Medicare?
A standard fifty-minute session is $[fee]. After your GP writes you a Mental Health Treatment Plan, you can claim a Medicare rebate of $[rebate amount] per session for a maximum of ten sessions in a calendar year. The difference, $[gap amount], is what you pay. Private health extras may help if you have no plan.
The Medicare rebate comes through the Better Access program, which is administered by Services Australia. Your GP refers you for an initial block of up to six sessions and then reviews progress before referring for the remaining four. The practice claims the rebate electronically on the day, so it usually lands in your account within a couple of days.
You can also start without a plan and add one later; sessions before the plan was written cannot be claimed, but nothing stops you beginning privately. Full details of pricing, cancellation terms and other funding are on our fees, rebates and funding page, and the step-by-step process with your GP is set out in how a Mental Health Treatment Plan works.
Can I have therapy in person in Balgownie or by telehealth?
Yes, you can choose either, and switch between them whenever it suits. In-person sessions run at Suite 4, 154 Balgownie Road, and telehealth sessions run by secure video for clients anywhere in Australia, with the same fee and the same Medicare rebate.
Some people prefer the room: the drive there creates a buffer, and it is easier to leave the session behind at home. Others find video easier, especially with young children, long commutes or rotating shifts. Online counselling for anxiety works well for most people, and research comparing video and face-to-face therapy for common concerns has found similar results.
Telehealth also suits people who live outside the Illawarra, including regional NSW, where waiting lists for a local psychologist can stretch for months. The session is the same fifty minutes, with the same structure and the same between-session work.
For video sessions you need a private space, headphones and a steady internet connection. If the call drops, the session continues by phone. You can read the practical details, including how privacy is protected, on our telehealth psychologist Australia-wide page.
In-person clients come mostly from the northern suburbs and Wollongong itself. If you are looking for a local therapist in Wollongong, the rooms are on Balgownie Road, a few minutes' drive west of the Fairy Meadow shops.
How do I book an initial appointment?
You can book online in a few minutes, phone the practice on 0435 165 763, or leave a short enquiry and receive a reply within one business day. No referral is needed to start. If you want Medicare rebates, see your GP for a Mental Health Treatment Plan before the first session or soon after.
When you book, you will receive intake forms and a consent document by email. They take about fifteen minutes and mean the first session can focus on you rather than paperwork.
It helps to think beforehand about what you would most like to change, but you do not need a neat answer. Plenty of first sessions begin with "I'm not sure where to start", and that is a perfectly good place.
Everything you need to know before the first visit, including what to bring and how consent works, is in our guide to booking your first appointment. An overview of everything else the practice offers, from assessments to telehealth, is on the Perfectly Aligned Psychology home page.
Questions about individual therapy
How many sessions will I need?
Most people with a single, clearly defined concern notice meaningful change within six to ten sessions. Longer-standing or more complex difficulties usually take more. Your plan estimates a number at the start, and progress is measured at each review, so decisions about continuing are based on how you are actually going.
Can I get a Medicare rebate?
Yes, if your GP prepares a Mental Health Treatment Plan and refers you. Medicare then pays back $[rebate amount] per session, for as many as ten sessions within one calendar year. Without a plan you can still attend privately, and private health extras may contribute instead.
Is CBT or EMDR better for anxiety?
It depends on what drives the anxiety. CBT is the first choice for most worry, panic and social anxiety because it has the broadest evidence. EMDR may suit anxiety that clearly began with a frightening event or memory. The formulation at the start of therapy points to the better fit.
What if I do not know what is wrong?
That is completely fine and very common. The first session is designed to work it out with you. You describe what you are noticing, and together you build a clear explanation of what is happening, which then guides the plan. You do not need a diagnosis to book.
Can I see you without a referral?
Yes. No referral is required to begin; you simply book and pay the session fee. Your GP's plan only matters for claiming the Medicare rebate, and you are free to arrange it once therapy is already under way.
Take the first step
One conversation is enough to work out what is going on and what might help. You can book online in a few minutes, or call if you would rather talk it through first.