Let’s start with a Psychiatrist.
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor with expertise in mental health. Psychiatrists are medical doctors with at least 11 years of training – combining a medical degree, several years of experience as a general doctor, and at least 5 years of training in diagnosing and treating mental illness.
They can assess and provide diagnoses for complex mental health disorders and prescribe medication to manage your mental health better. A psychiatrist can also work with you to create a management plan for your mental health, assist with lifestyle changes, provide limited psychological therapy, provide advice and opinions to other doctors and health professionals and admit you to a hospital if necessary.
Here at Better Self Psychology, we do not employ psychiatrists, but you can schedule an appointment with our in-house mental health GP, Dr Emily, or your GP for a referral to see a psychiatrist.
Learn more about a Mental Health GP here >
And a Psychologist?
We currently employ eight psychologists. A psychologist is a mental health professional who can provide an assessment of and psychological intervention for various mental health concerns. Psychologists have at least 6 years of university training and supervised experience.
Psychologists fall into different subtypes. Better Self Psychology employs a range of psychologists in our practice, including registered and clinical psychologists who specialise in various concerns.
A psychologist has undertaken the training to assist with a variety of mental health concerns. We can assist you in working through problems including, but not limited to, anxiety, depression, trauma, stress management and self-esteem concerns. We are here to provide a safe environment to explore the challenges you may be experiencing and help you develop the skills needed to overcome them. Our commonly used therapies include cognitive-behavioural and mindfulness-based approaches.
There are a variety of psychological therapies that we use. However, we tend to match the therapy we use for each individual!
If you have any further questions or are still unsure what type of mental health professional is best suited to you and your needs, feel free to call Better Self on 8432 0007, and we can have a chat to figure out your best way forward!
Read our article on how a Mental Health Treatment Plan can help >
