A GP Therapist brings together the experience of medical training as a General Practitioner with extended skills in psychological therapies or counselling.

A GP Therapist has had medical training in caring for the mind and body and understands how these have bidirectional influences on health and wellbeing. Having broad generalist experience also allows us to understand the relational and situational contexts that can positively or negatively influence an individual’s health.

A GP Therapist offers whole person care unique to the scope of Specialist General Practitioners. It requires the commitment of a minimum of 10 years of training to qualify in Australia as a Specialist General Practitioner.

As a GP Therapist, I have completed extended mental health training that allows patients to access Medicare rebates under a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan (Focussed Psychological Strategies). FPS are specific mental healthcare treatment strategies, derived from evidence-based psychological therapies. GP’s skilled in FPS are better equipped in managing stressful situations and supporting individuals experiencing difficulties with their mental health.

A GP Therapist has the capacity when it is deemed clinically appropriate to prescribe medication.

Generalist mental health skills are distinct from psychiatric and psychological skills.

Although working within the same broad sphere, the scope and type of training requirements to qualify as a Psychologist or a Psychiatrist are different to a GP Therapist.

Sessions are for people who are medically stable but are experiencing psychological distress, having difficulty coping with daily life, feeling disconnected or wanting help managing difficult emotions.

Whether you have a formal mental health diagnosis or not, strategies can be developed in session that can help you to manage your concerns. There is always a way to find hope and navigate a way forward despite any challenges you are facing even if everything seems overwhelming right now.

If you are experiencing symptoms such as low mood, hypervigilence, feeling stuck in a rut, excessive stress, insomnia or low motivation then taking a whole person approach really helps to start to join the dots and assist you with finding the motivation to make modifications that you can implement to change the situation.

If you have a formal DSM or ICD diagnosis such as Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Depression or PTSD then evidence based therapy can assist with managing these conditions under a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan.

Therapy can also help with life transitions such as accepting changes in physical capacity, living with chronic health conditions, grief, moving, childbirth, relationship difficulties or any life situations that you are struggling to cope with.

Generally weekly to fortnightly sessions are recommended when you start therapy but the time between sessions can be increased over time when you have strategies in place that support your wellbeing. There will be tasks for you to do out of session to consolidate the work done in therapy sessions.

If your clinical status deteriorates and you are assessed as requiring acute level care then you will be referred back to your regular GP urgently or directed to the nearest Emergency Department for assessment.

The first 1 to 3 sessions will comprise a comprehensive assessment of your current circumstances. Through exploring your current concerns and obtaining your personal and family history, I will formulate a plan of what I can offer from different modalities that I think may help you to manage what you see as your present difficulties or assist you to find a way come to terms with things that have happened in the past. Subsequent sessions will be based around the work required to enact this plan. My emphasis in therapy sessions is on creating a sense of safety and enhancing emotional regulation through skill building using a strengths based focus. The integration and acceptance of previous life experiences is an important part of understanding yourself. Making these connections and building your tool box of what works specifically for you to help you to navigate your way forward is our objective.

Implementing strategies will require you to do some work yourself outside of therapy sessions. There is no standard formula for success and your motivation to prioritise yourself by doing this work might fluctuate but this is actually also part of the awareness and skill building process of being in therapy.

Generally for treatment to start to be effective and to consolidate any changes, it will be somewhere in the order of 3 to 12 months duration. This will be discussed in session and negotiated with you periodically. Sometimes the timing or situation won’t seem to be right for you and you may wish to discontinue treatment earlier but this is at your discretion. For therapy treatment to be effective it often requires a reasonably long term regular time commitment and a willingness to open up and really come to terms with elements of your past that could be the basis for difficulties with emotional regulation or be why there are recurring patterns of maladaptive coping strategies.

Therapy is absolutely not a quick fix, the work can seem quite difficult, trigger what seems like more short term emotional instability and even might seem irrelevant or intrusive before you start making breakthroughs in understanding yourself. It may seem at times like progress is slow as there is no set correct single way of how to do therapy, so what works for one person may not for another which is why having a range of therapy paradigms to draw from is beneficial. The focus of therapy is on examining, processing and integrating your life story to date and building a robust tool kit that will help you to cope with the inevitable future challenges. Cultivating a sense of safety in your world, understanding your values, creating meaningful connections and supports will help you feel “in the drivers seat” of your life story. Knowing and accepting yourself in a compassionate way, having confidence in yourself and feeling optimistic about your future path is the outcome that I see as the ultimate end game from working through the therapy process.

I am unable to provide family therapy, clinical care to people under the age of 16 years or provide diagnostic assessments for ADHD or Autism. I can assist with the psychological aspects of managing ADHD but I do not manage or prescribe stimulant medication for ADHD.

I don’t offer in home substance detoxification services or home visits.

I don’t provide cognitive assessments for capacity, medico-legal assessments or court mandated treatment sessions.

If I don’t feel I am best placed to assist you with managing your clinical condition or concerns I will discuss this with you and suggest other clinicians that might be a better fit.

I am a member of ASPM that aims to connect, train and support medical practitioners in the complex work of caring for the whole person through trauma-informed, strengths focused and culturally respectful approaches. More information can be found here.