Peter J. Allen & Associates in Blacktown | Psychotherapist

Peter J. Allen & Associates

Locality: Blacktown

Phone: +61 2 9621 7775

Address: PO Box 8185 2148 Blacktown, NSW, Australia

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

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• Medical and health
• Mental health service
• Psychologist
• Psychotherapist

23.01.2022 POSTNATAL DEPRESSION There is a growing awareness that a significant number of women become depressed following the birth of a child. Many factors may account for the development of depression including: hormonal factors, the stresses associated with parenting a young baby, difficulties adjusting to role changes, lack of sleep, relationship issues, a prior history of depression or negative life events, etc. Women who are depressed tend to develop irrational and unhelpful patt...erns of thinking. These negative or irrational thoughts tend to lead to further depressed feelings, the depressed feelings lead to further negative thinking, and so on. This cycle can often accelerate over time so that a persons depression deepens. A similar pattern can occur with a their behaviour. Once depressed people tend to lose motivation, energy, and interest. As a result they become less active and engage in less activity. Doing things makes us feel a sense of achievement which enhances our mood - hence decreasing our activity level can lead to an increase in depressed mood. As well as impaired motivation, people who are depressed often feel emotionally fragile and therefore avoid social interaction - they feel too vulnerable to mix with others. However we are social beings, and mixing with others is important to our sense of self-worth and self-confidence. The tendancy to avoid social interaction therefore becomes another factor to feed the depression. So the effects of depression also become things that maintain it, and a depressed person becomes caught in a vicious cycle. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) for Post Natal Depression involves teaching a person skills to break out of that cycle. In CBT people learn to challenge their negative thoughts and beliefs.

22.01.2022 Can Stress or Anxiety Exacerbate or Even Cause Vertigo, Dizziness or Balance Disturbances? Our practice provides psychological treatment to many individuals with vertigo, dizziness, and balance problems that are induced or exacerbated by stress or anxiety. In some cases vertigo and related phenomena can be caused entirely by anxiety-induced physiological changes, such as with panic attacks. In these cases brief psychological therapy can often eliminate the problem. In other c...ases psychological factors exacerbate the problem and hence CBT therapy can reduce symptoms and reduce their impact an a persons lifestyle. It appears that stress or anxiety can produce dizziness or disrupted balance via a number of different processes some of which include: shifts in blood-oxygen levels due to anxiety-induced increases in respiration rate, altered perception associated with anxiety-related changes in selective attention, and kinaesthetic changes associated with shifts in selective attention. Psychological therapy can be extremely effective in the treatment of these dizziness and balance problems, sometimes with only a few therapy sessions. Psychological treatment involves learning CBT techniques to: manage anxiety, control the physical symptoms and desensitise yourself to the anxiety-related physical sensations. However some forms of vertigo and balance problems have a purely physical cause. Therefore it is important to have your symptoms investigated by your local doctor before seeking psychological treatment.

18.01.2022 COMMON SYMPTOMS of DEPRESSION * feeling down, sad or "blue" for significant periods * loss of interest in things that previously created interest * loss of enjoyment in things that previously produced pleasure... * loss of energy * feelings of fatigue * loss of appetite (or sometimes increase) * significant weight loss of gain * poor concentration or forgetfulness * feelings or hopelessness or suicidal thoughts * inappropriate or excessive feelings of guilt * feelings of worthlessness * insomnia or excessive sleeping Most people with depression have only some of the symptoms above. Of course all of us experience some of these symptoms from time to time. Just because you have some of these symptoms of depression doesnt mean you have depression. However, if you are experiencing some of the above symptoms of depression in a way that is producing marked distress, or interfering with life functioning, or the symptoms continue for many weeks, it is strongly recommended that you consult a GP, psychologist, or other mental health professional ASAP. If you have thoughts that life is not worth living or thoughts of death it is essential that you consult a doctor or mental health care professional.

15.01.2022 Do you ever experience: an intense fear that comes out of the blue, heart palpitations or arrhythmia, feelings of light-headedness, vertigo or dizziness,... tightness of chest, difficulty breathing, hot or cold flushes, numbness or tingling? Do you ever worry that: you might die, you may be having a heart attack, you are going crazy or losing control, you might make a fool of yourself, you may pass out or collapse? Then you may be suffering from panic attacks or Panic Disorder.

14.01.2022 If you think anyone may need more info on their fears and/or concerns or just need someone to talk to, please share this page with them. You just might change someones life.

11.01.2022 Anger Management courses with completion report can be done with Peter at our Blacktown and Parramatta offices

07.01.2022 Medicare rebates available

05.01.2022 http://www.pjapsych.com.au/

01.01.2022 POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) has been shown be many research trials to be the treatment of choice for Postraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related emotional problems. CBT treatments for trauma usually involve training in many different psychological techniques and typically involve some or all of the following components: training in relaxation and anxiety management skills, techniques which desensitise people to the traumat...ic memory and reduce the frequency of intrusive thoughts, nightmares, etc., and techniques to overcome negative thinking patterns. Fees - the following services usually involve no up-front fee to the client since we bill the relevant party directly: * Workers Compensation claims (provided you have a referral from their GP or prior approval from the insurer). * Motor Vehicle Accidents (provided you have a referral and have a CTP claim).