Deciding to seek help for a mental health issue, relationship or family issue can be a daunting experience. As a Clinical Psychologist, treating children, adolescents, and adults with mental health issues, I know how important it is to find the right person.

Just like finding a good hairdresser, it can take a bit of time. You need to find someone you trust, can open up to, and who gives you great evidence-based strategies to help with whatever the issue is.

Your first point of call should be to see your individual or family general practitioner (GP) for a Mental Health Care Plan. This involves a conversation with your GP about generally what the problem is (don’t worry, you don’t have to tell them in great detail), complete a short questionnaire about your mood, anxiety, and stress levels, and then they write a plan that enables you to claim ten Medicare rebated sessions per calendar year, for seeing a psychologist or clinical psychologist. This saves you a huge amount of money!

Your GP may be able to recommend a few people, but if not, here are some tips for finding someone who suits. All psychologists and clinical psychologists are registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (just like GPs) and most are listed on the Australian Psychological Society website with their areas of expertise.

1. Are they fully qualified? Sometimes people look under ‘counselling’ and not all ‘counsellors’ have the qualifications. You want to see someone who is registered and has formal qualifications (at least a four-year degree in psychology, preferably Masters level).
2. Look out for what the professional specialises in. Do they specialise in what you’re seeking help for?
3. Call or email them and ask any questions you have – remember you are the client/customer.
4. What’s their waiting list like? You don’t want to have to wait too long to see someone if the issue is serious/urgent.
5. Be prepared to see the person once and test them out. If they’re not right for you, organise to see someone who you might jell better with. Remember, your relationship with a psychologist will likely be long-term, at least ten sessions, so you need to choose someone who meets your needs.

For more help, visit psychology.org.au/find-a-psychologist.

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