Leading Change Psychology in Townsville, Queensland | Mental health service

Leading Change Psychology

Locality: Townsville, Queensland

Phone: +61 7 4724 5619

Address: 3/45-49 Bundock Street 4810 Townsville, QLD, Australia

Website: http://www.leadingchangepsychology.com.au

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• Medical and health
• Mental health service
• Psychologist

24.01.2022 Please think about signing this petition because the implications to us all without the ABC #abc

21.01.2022 A moment with my children last night gave pause for reflection. My son was struggling to fall asleep and I spent some time placing imaginary puppies around his tired little body, with their warm, heavy tummies from his chest down to his toes. I asked him to feel their breath on his skin, and their deep breathing as they fell asleep, feeling safe lying on him and against him. When I had finished, I told him he needed to lie there quietly so that he didn't wake them, because t...hey were tired babies that needed to sleep. As I went to move off, I heard his sister's voice in the dark asking 'can I have a puppy too?' As I went to sleep I was thinking how we all need our own 'puppies' to help calm and soothe us. What is it that brings pleasure and peace and joy to your heart and soul? What is it that helps you to breathe more deeply and feel warm and heavy and restful? Why not treat ourselves thinking about these for a while when we can.

20.01.2022 A video-conference program for people looking to maintain their Mental Health during the pandemic. Open to all eligible residents in our region: Townsville, Hinchinbrook, Ayr, Charters Towers and Palm Island . Contact us today to find out whether you are eligible.

20.01.2022 Update for everyone accessing Leading Change Psychology. If you are an existing client or thinking about accessing our service during COVID-19 you can now have your appointments from home. Appointments can be booked online at: https://my.powerdiary.com//0398ae1d-f61a-4bbd-8e9e-4fd9b6f

20.01.2022 https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au//covid-19_self-care-p A great resource on Self Care, download the worksheet and create your own self care plan during this time.

18.01.2022 Breaking mental health news: Psychological Counselling under a Mental Health Care Plan from home. Just announced as part of the next level of health provision during COVID-19 the Australian government has expanded access to psychology services so all Australians can access services over telehealth (Zoom/video-conferencing from their home) as part of the announcement to pump another $1bn into health and family violence services as Coronavirus spreads.Contact us to find out more.

18.01.2022 Tips to be a Master Couple: How to look after your relationship in home confinement and safeguard against becoming a disaster couple. It's vital to remember during the strains and unfamiliarity of the pandemic that a good relationship depends on SKILL much more than any notion of romantic love. Rich and rewarding love demands effort and determined action. Now more than ever, when we are compelled to rely on our partners for more It doesn't matter how much you profess to lov...e your partner, how keen or attracted you feel if you have forgotten to TRY, that is to try to behave towards each other in more ways that propagate even greater respect and appreciation of each other than you already have. These actions are SKILLS. If you are interested in protecting your relationship over the next few months, keep posted to see our upcoming couples bite-sized seminars. Contact us to find out more. Photo by Wyron A on Unsplash. See more

13.01.2022 We are recruiting a psychologist to work in our team. Please share our advertisement with people you think may know someone who is interested.

12.01.2022 This interview with David Kessler, one of the leading experts on grief, is an interesting perspective on our current situation. He refers to the collective grief that many of us may be experiencing, and this includes the grief of what we've lost (e.g., freedom of movement, upcoming social plans) and anticipatory grief (the grief we're expecting to have). It is okay to grieve, and this is a natural response. What is important is finding a way to process this grief and take care of your mental health the best you can. https://hbr.org//03/that-discomfort-youre-feeling-is-grief

11.01.2022 Psychologically adaptive and healthy: This is the type of thing we should be doing as we wander around our houses in isolation so much healthier than obsessively pouring over social media. Please share. https://www.facebook.com/allisondavies.com.au/videos/236195374203519/ This is the ABC clip and article to read too: https://www.abc.net.au//coronavirus-anxieties-eas/12085842

10.01.2022 Being brave Some people think that it is a sign of weakness to come for therapy; or that they should be strong enough to deal with things on their own. I think that you have to be very brave to be willing to work on yourself to be the best person you can be. I have deep respect for my clients, their resilience, their capacity to endure and overcome. I feel privileged to be able to accompany them on their journey for a while. (Carol) Photo credit: Charlie Mackesy

10.01.2022 Our clinical services are growing despite the current challenges we face, so we would really appreciate you sharing this ad with friends who might be interested.

09.01.2022 Keeping social in isolation Being a sociable person doesn’t necessarily mean having a busy social calendar of dinners and events. In 2020 you can be sociable in many different ways, including: Talking to friends or family on the phone... Texting or messaging on social media Videocalls / Facetime Group video chats e.g., Skype, Zoom, Facebook Messenger Commenting on a discussion online Playing multiplayer games online Chatting in an online chat room or forum Going 'old-school' and writing a letter or postcard Whilst growing numbers of us are self-isolating at home, it’s important to keep our social connections. Fortunately, we have technology that allows us to keep in contact in a number of ways. How are you staying connected in this time? Please comment and share your experiences below!

08.01.2022 Our Ayr clinic is still open.During the COVID-19 pandemic Dr Carol Mitchell has continued to keep our clinic open at Ayr Medical Group every Thursday. Call us to make a booking or to find out how you get a Medicare rebate.

06.01.2022 It’s time for an experiment: Note how you feel at this moment. Then watch the following clip. https://www.facebook.com/1019461159/videos/10222819340284954/ Did you know?... When we laugh some of the cortisol in our bloodstream is replaced with dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins. Dopamine enhances learning, motivation and attention. Oxytocin is the bonding chemical and empathy enhancer creating feelings of relatedness. Endorphins trigger feelings of pleasure, improve immune functioning, provide stress relief, and improve mood. In addition, when we laugh our limbic response of fight-or-flight is reduced. Our laughter decreases our heart rate, blood pressure and muscle tension. See more

03.01.2022 Charlie Mackesy's artwork beautifully captures our collective vulnerability at this time. A gentle reminder that our children get their cues from us, so consider their perspectives and feelings, and allow them to express their worries and fears. You don't need to have the answers, you just need to be a safe space, where they feel heard and acknowledged.

03.01.2022 Children's Health Queensland have made this lovely book available to assist our children to understand what is going on at the moment. Take a moment to read it with your younger child. https://www.childrens.health.qld.gov.au//natur/storybooks/

03.01.2022 We are available for consultations in Charters Towers and Ayr (a breezy day there!).

03.01.2022 The 'Not-Shit List' Something that really seems to resonate with many of my clients is the principles of Positive Psychology, particularly during lockdown when our independence and freedom to do the things we love may be restricted. Although psychology has typically focused more on the 'bad' sides of our mental health and how we can cope with negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviours etc., there is an emerging field of study focused on happiness. Martin Seligman, one of th...e leading voices in the field of positive psychology, has suggested that "curing the negatives does not produce the positives" and has recommended a range of ways in which we can increase our quality of life. The one I want to focus on here is the act of identifying 3 'good things' every day. Now I should fully disclose that, for a majority of my life, I have been your classic pessimist. When I first heard of this idea I honestly thought it was nonsense, and struggled to see how finding three silver linings would make any impact - not just myself but also for my clients who were experiencing tremendously difficult circumstances. However when I tested the waters with this idea it surprised me and thankfully proved me wrong. For me, it has helped to phrase it in a slightly less cheesy and slightly more British way - the 'Not-Shit List'. When we're in a low mood, it's suggested that our brain is searching for evidence to support our hypotheses (e.g., "everything is rubbish, I can't cope now and I never will, remember XYZ instances?"). However, this disregards all the instances where we DID cope and everything wasn't total rubbish. In accordance with cognitive-behavioural principals which suggest we need to challenge these 'cognitive errors', finding three good things in our day is basically like saying to our brain "hey, look, there's evidence here that proves your negativity wrong". It's not intended to disregard the difficulties we're facing with at the time, but once we are able to balance the scales a bit more we will then ideally feel more hopeful about the future, see our current state and situation as temporary, and increase our self-efficacy. Items on the list can be big-ticket wins, but it can also (and will most likely) include day-to-day wins. Some examples could include: - The weather was great today - I made some progress on my assignment - I went for a walk - My boss complimented my work - I tidied my room - I had a good discussion with my friend - My dinner was really nice - The neighbour decided to give their construction work a break today - I was able to feel more comfortable with recognising my strengths - Mum didn't nag me today It's hard to give examples as it will often be very individual what is on your list, but having 5 minutes at the end of the day to reflect on your Not-Shit List might be something that works for you. - Laura

01.01.2022 Forget-me-not. Self-care is crucial to our personal and professional survival. Do we actually see it as that crucial?... We need to look after ourselves: 1) for own emotional wellbeing 2) to ensure we provide the best care/service for others Definition of self-care: looking after our own health and wellbeing in a personal and professional capacity. We need to: 1) Recognise that, in some professions we face more risks, vulnerabilities (e.g: burnout, vicarious trauma, physical exhaustion, compassion fatigue). 2) Intentionally look at OUR or THE barriers to self-care. 3) Assess how effective our self-care practices really are. Our own barriers, often these are our own doings, eg: not want to disappoint, can’t say no, put others first, not valuing self What makes you so good at your job, may be the very thing that makes you so bad at your job The barriers, are things outside us as a person, but things we need to have influence on or some element of control over. Self-care is not about going Oh flip! The wheels have fallen off, let me grab for and do a few flaky self-care things to try take the edge off this burnout. Because that is all it will do, we just ease things for a few days and then back to burnt-out again. We need to be INTENTIONAL, and DELIBERATELY have PROACTIVE things in place to foster a LIFE-STYLE of self-care.

01.01.2022 As we prepare to stay at home in NQ, and most of us have a full pantry of food it's time to start thinking about how you will manage spending so much time in isolation with your partner. Sadly we know from the rest of the world that isolation is putting strain on people's relationships, Times will be tough enough without also having to deal with the hurt from arguments with partners. What can you do? PUT EFFORT IN by talking about how you are going to manage soooo much tim...e together under strain. 1. Agree on spending time together and apart on a daily basis. Put a routine in place to spend time together and apart. 2.Don't look to/expect your partner to entertain you; you need to find your own sense of purpose in every day. 3. If you have a disagreement take total time out from each other for a minimum of 30 to 60 minutes/or until you are both calm again. 4. Get connected on a physical and emotional level. When you are spending time together make it sexy, fun and interesting. When was the last time you shared a bubble bath or had a candlelight dinner on the deck? 5. LAUGH and talk. Reminisce about the old times, what attracted you to each other when you first met or how great your first night as a married couple was, what your most hilarious memories of each other are and what were the most embarrassing things you 2 have experienced together? See more

01.01.2022 Free counselling for vulnerable groups in this tough time. To continue to support Australians during the Coronavirus, we are able to provide counselling support for FREE over the phone or video-conferencing as part of the Australian Government COVID-19 National Health Plan. This means all people who meet the below criteria can access essential health services from their home during the Coronavirus and reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 for vulnerable people in the commun...ity. parents with new babies and people who are pregnant. people with chronic health conditions or who are immunocompromised people aged over 70 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged over 50 people isolating themselves at home on the advice of a medical practitioner, in accordance with home isolation guidance issued by the AHPPC, and people who meet the current national triage protocol criteria for suspected COVID-19 infection after consultation with either the national COVID-19 hotline, state COVID-19 hotlines, registered medical or nursing practitioner or COVID-19 trained health clinic triage staff. The Referral process: Step 1: Call your GP, who can assess you for a Mental Health Care Plan over the phone now under the COVID-19 Measure. Step 2: The GP faxes your referral to Leading Change Psychology fax: (07) 47959810 Step 3: Leading Change Psychology calls you to make a phone or video-conference appointment time. Need more information or help to get a referral? Call 07 47245619, message us or email [email protected]

01.01.2022 Free counselling for over 70's in this tough time. To continue to support older Australians during the Coronavirus, we are able to provide counselling support for all people aged 70 and over for FREE over the phone or video-conferencing as part of the Australian Government COVID-19 National Health Plan. This means all people aged 70 or over can access essential health services from their home during the Coronavirus and reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 for vulnerable pe...ople in the community. The Referral process: Step 1: Call your GP, who can assess you for a Mental Health Care Plan over the phone now under the COVID-19 Measure. Step 2: The GP faxes your referral to Leading Change Psychology fax: (07) 47959810 Step 3: Leading Change Psychology calls you to make a phone or video-conference appointment time. Need more information or help to get a referral? Call 07 47245619, message us or email [email protected]