Psychotherapy is the formal word for therapy. You might think of it as talk therapy, although it can be so much more. Generally, psychotherapy is practiced by mental health care specialists to treat mental, emotional, personality, and behavioural concerns.

There are hundreds of different therapeutic models. At Loop, we take an integrative approach because choosing the model before you meet the person inhibits flexible and individualised care. We see mind and body as one and always tailor our treatment accordingly.

Firstly, let’s acknowledge that it’s great you have decided to pursue therapy. The first step will be for you and your therapist to get to know each other. Once you feel comfortable and have established a relationship, things will feel more seamless. Together, you will work to figure out your goals and discuss the best ways of achieving them, leveraging your unique strengths and interests. As you continue, your therapy sessions will become a space for you to reflect on your life, ideas, challenges and aspirations. Your therapist will help you to see what might be out of your view. They will listen and help you to develop an inner curiosity to take outside of the sessions.

There are many different therapeutic models, techniques, and tools that involve working with both the mind and the body, specific to each individual and their needs.

Generally speaking, counselling is short term and specific, psychotherapy is long term and deep. Psychotherapy works towards personality change where as counselling works towards solving a problem.

Psychotherapists usually undergo more vigorous training including counselling skills. Not all counsellors study psychotherapy.

Traditionally, a psychoanalyst would see their patient multiple times a week. This is unrealistic in our busy modern lives.

Research suggests the weekly therapy yields the fastest results and is the most cost effective in the long run. Weekly therapy provides the opportunity for consistency, continuous insight and accountability that is hard to maintain with fortnightly or monthly sessions.

With that in mind, we are here to serve your individual needs. Therapy frequency is always discussed collaboratively in our first session.

At Loop Wellbeing, we believe that the most important quality to look for in a therapist is the person behind the title. Research suggests that therapeutic efficacy is 60% dependant on the therapeutic relationship. Finding a person that you like and trust will ultimately deliver you the best results.

Understanding the differences between the various types of mental health professionals in Australia can be confusing. Here are some key differences to be aware of.

A psychiatrist is an extensively trained medical doctor who is licensed to diagnose, treat and prevent mental illness, often through prescribing medication.

A psychologist and psychotherapist undertake different kinds of training. A clinical psychologist must have completed a Master's or Doctoral degree plus a period of supervised clinical practice. A typical psychology training in Australia focusses on mental health skills, in particular Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and generally approaches therapy through a medicalised lens. Psychologists are recognised under Medicare and can both diagnose and accept mental health care plans.

As a minimum, psychotherapists have an undergraduate degree plus extensive specialised training in psychotherapy. Additionally, most psychotherapists undergo a period of their own personal therapy to ensure they have sufficient self-awareness and self-experience. Psychotherapists tend to avoid categorisation, instead seeking to understand the minds and contexts of their clients from a developmental and philosophical lens. Psychotherapists are not yet recognised under Medicare and cannot offer rebates, however sessions are typically cheaper than a psychology.

Therapy is all about providing ongoing solutions, not just a quick fix. This can be challenging considering we live in a world filled with instant gratification. The course of therapy differs from person to person, depending on the issues you’re working through and how frequently you attend.

Research suggests that 50% of people show improvements in as little as 8 weekly sessions, and 75% of people are measurably improved by 26 sessions.

With that in mind, we want you to not need us. Our aim is to get you to a baseline of wellbeing that allows you to move forward in the world, as quickly as possible.

The short answer: you don’t. Finding the right therapist can often take time and depends on your unique circumstances, personality, and goals of therapy. This is why we offer a 20 minute introductory call so that we can get to know each other, and decide together, whether the relationship dynamic feels right.

Unfortunately, psychotherapists cannot currently offer medicare rebate sessions. However, the cost of psychotherapy tends to reflect the typical gap fee for a medicare-funded psychology session.

We require 24 business hours notice for cancellations. Our offices are closed on weekends and public holidays. Any cancellations outside of this window, may may result in charges for the full session fee.

At this point, we only see individuals.

We offer both in-person or online sessions. We’re big believers in the power of real human contact, and also a big fan of convenience. If you can, drop into the office, if not, we’ll see you online.

Sessions currently cost $150 inc. GST

The average session is 50 minutes long.

We keep this process nice and easy. If you’d like to book a free introductory call, simply click the ‘book a call’ button.

If you are not quite ready to chat, please reach out via the contact page and we can help you feel ready to take the next step.

If you are ready to dive right in, please reach out via the contact page and we will be in touch to schedule your first session.