blogs
ADHD in Adults: Understanding, Identifying, and Seeking Support
By Lyndsay BabcockPrincipal Psychologist and Director at The Self Centre Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is often associated with childhood, but for many, it continues into adulthood, sometimes without ever being diagnosed. Adult ADHD presents...
How to find a Therapist who is right for you
By Lyndsay BabcockPrincipal Psychologist and Director at The Self Centre How to Find a Therapist That's Right for You Finding the right therapist can be a pivotal step towards personal growth and mental well-being. With so many options available, it can feel...
Understanding Stress: Breaking the Cycle for Better Mental Health
STRESS – we all deal with it in different ways, but understanding how to manage it can make a huge difference in our lives.
Embracing Strength: A Call to Action for Men’s Mental Health
By Lyndsay BabcockPrincipal Psychologist and Director of The Self Centre Psychology We often hear that men should "open up" and "be vulnerable," but what does that really mean in a world that’s constantly pushing men to their limits? Men’s mental health isn’t just...
How to Support a Loved One in Seeking Mental Health Support: A Guide for Everyone
by Lyndsay BabcockPsychologist The Self Centre Psychology Encouraging a loved one to seek mental health support can be a challenging but profoundly impactful conversation. Recognising the signs that someone may be struggling and offering support in a caring and...
Helping teenagers build resilience
by Lyndsay Babcock Principal Psychologist & Director It is not new news that many of our teens are experiencing anxiety, depression, stress and more. And while it is crucial that our children develop self-awareness and langue to be able to identify when they are...
What is ADHD?
by Lyndsay Babcock Psychologist and Practice Owner ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurodevelopmental condition often associated with challenges in attention, impulse control, and hyperactivity. However, individuals with ADHD also possess...
Nurturing Well-being: A Guide to Stress Reduction and Burnout Prevention
by Lyndsay BabcockClinic Director As we start, and are well into the new year, it's essential to reflect on the past and consider how we can set ourselves up for success while prioritising our well-being. Stress is a common companion in our fast-paced lives, and...
Maintaining Good Mental Health through the Holiday Season: Nurturing Your Wellbeing Amidst the Festivities
by Lyndsay BabcockClinic Director The holiday season, often celebrated as a time of joy and togetherness, can also bring a unique set of challenges that impact our wellbeing. Amidst the festive hustle and bustle, it's crucial to prioritise self-care and address...
BRING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH INTENTION
by Lyndsay Babcock Psychologist & Clinic Director As the new year unfolds, there's a prevailing eagerness to embrace change, growth, and fresh beginnings. Rather than succumbing to the traditional resolution-setting frenzy, consider ushering in the year with a...
Leaning into Care
by Lyndsay Babcock Principal Psychologist and Practice Director Leaning into Care: The Vulnerability and Growth in Accepting Support Being cared for, accompanied, and supported by another individual can sometimes feel like an intimate dance; one where the steps are...
The Profound Benefits of Kindness Towards Others and Yourself
Kindness is a universal language that transcends cultural boundaries and connects us on a fundamental human level. Beyond its inherent moral value, kindness has far-reaching benefits that extend to our mood, brain, and relationships, both with others and with...
What is EMDR?
by Lyndsay Babcock Psychologist & Director – The Self Centre Ever wonder what EMDR is and why you may be hearing more about it lately? Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapeutic approach that was developed by Francine Shapiro in the...
FACING FEAR
by Naomi Holdt Psychologist and Speaker I have been doing a lot of thinking about fear over the past few months… Where it begins… (REALLY begins), how it impacts our relationships, and all it holds us back from… The thoughts have been as deeply layered as stratified...
REDEFINING PERFECT
by Naomi Holdt Psychologist and Speaker The world has lied… It says: “Be Perfect… Dress in these clothes Have this body Buy this car Eat this food Choose these friends… This is a happy life. This is a perfect life.” So we strive for perfection out of...
FIRE WALKERS
By Naomi Holdt, Psychologist and Speaker It is our human instinct: Run from fire. But resilience isn’t born from the ability to successfully avoid life’s fires. Life cannot be lived, embraced, enjoyed while we are breathlessly sprinting away from the...
Financial Anxiety
by Lyndsay Babcock Psychologist & Director – The Self Centre I avoid the news. That is not to say that I don’t know what’s happening in the world. I do. But I don’t read or watch the news with regularity. I do this purposely to minimise the doom and gloom in my...
A New Twist on an Old Tradition
by Lyndsay Babcock Psychologist & Director – The Self Centre This year instead of making a new year’s resolution I will be doing something a little different. I will be reflecting on my gratitude and setting intentions for my year…here’s why. I have spent many...
Boundaries in the Holiday Season
by Lyndsay Babcock Psychologist & Director – The Self Centre What are boundaries? I like to think of personal boundaries as being like the door to your life, similar to the front door of your house, you get to decide when you open the door, who you invite...
Feeling a bit Negative lately? Just be Grateful …
by Lyndsay Babcock Psychologist & Director – The Self Centre Have you ever paid attention to whether you tend to be pessimistic or optimistic in our outlook on things? Did you know that you can influence your orientation? You may not get to choose whether you’re...
Coping Outside Your Comfort Zone
There has been so much change in recent years, and it reminds me that change is the only real constant. Recently at The Self Centre, we have been supporting clients going through a range of changes. Some of these changes included job losses, new careers, starting a...
Anger
by Lyndsay Babcock Psychologist & Director – The Self Centre Do you ever find yourself thinking “I’m so angry and I don’t know why”? There is a very good reason for that. Anger is one of our most primitive feelings. It exists to tell us that our boundaries have...
Anger Management Tip Sheet
How Self-Compassion Can Heal Distress and Build Resilience
by Lyndsay Babcock Psychologist & Director – The Self Centre We all experience difficulties in life and experience emotional pain or distress. While none of us can stop distress entering our (sometimes daily) lives, we can learn the skills necessary to...
The Gift of Loving Kindness Meditation
This beautiful and powerful mindfulness script offers us all a moment to pause, be kind and show ourselves genuine self-compassion.
The Value of Rest
by Lyndsay Babcock Psychologist & Director – The Self Centre “Rest is for the weak” ... or is it? How many times have you found yourself thinking “I'll rest later”, or “I’ll rest when I’m done”, or “when I’ve just completed one more task”… or even “I...
Tween Anxiety
by Jo Mansergh Consulting Psychologist – The Self Centre Tweens worry: about starting a new school year with a different teacher, new classmates and different expectations; about performing at school; about fitting in with friends, about unfamiliar situations...
Supporting your Child through Therapy
Children do better in therapy when they have a parent supporting them. Click here to download your FREE PDF resource for supporting children & teens through therapy.:
Why Psychometric Testing is so Helpful for Children
by Satty Singh Clinical Psychologist - The Self Centre Have you found yourself needing to repeat instructions multiple times to your child? How often have you found yourself wondering whether your child is listening or even paying attention? Do you wonder why they may...
The Awful Truth About Not Finishing Things We Start – A Gentle Perspective on New Years Resolutions
by Carey Little Clinical Psychologist - The Self Centre Not finishing something is okay! Yup…turns out that it is fine to not finish all our projects. Especially or perhaps despite that they were started with enthusiasm, good will, good intentions, or a...
So, this is Christmas…or at least the holiday season…isn’t it?
by Carey Little Clinical Psychologist - The Self Centre No matter who you are, or your religious denomination or lack thereof, the Christmas season takes over in December in ways both wonderful and exhausting. It’s a time of gift giving and showing appreciation of...
Dropping the Routine of Lockdown
by Carey Little Clinical Psychologist - The Self Centre Have you noticed, the return to school and work from the recent Covid lockdown has been different to the first? What has surprised many, is how tiring the return to school and work has been for everyone....
Smile! It’s World Smile Day…Every Day!
by Carey Little Clinical Psychologist - The Self Centre Did you know there was such a thing as World Smile Day? No? Me neither until I was asked to write this blog 😀. And given the designated day is 1st October, you are likely reading this after the celebration has...
R U OK? How finding Joy is a mindfulness practice
by Carey Little Clinical Psychologist - The Self Centre The dictionary tells us that “Joy” is a feeling of good pleasure; or someone or something that provides a deep and internalised sense of well-being. “Enjoy” is to take delight or pleasure in an action, activity,...
Supporting Teenagers – Resources to help support your teenager towards good mental health
By Lyndsay Babcock Principal Psychologist Director The Self Centre Our ‘tweens’ & teens are struggling! Reports of stress, distress and mental health concerns are on the rise, and COVID has compounded an already complex and difficult landscape for this population....
Being a Teenager
by Carey Little - Clinical Psychologist at The Self Centre “omg1 idk2…irl3 be like my p4 so in the olden day5!” (Don’t understand the lingo? Follow the numbers and check below 😊) “Oh, my gawd. I do not understand my teenager! When did they become an...
Catastrophic Thinking
by Carey Little - Clinical Psychologist Are you an “over thinker”? Do you see the worst happening in almost every issue or situation in your life? Do you spend time re-hashing something you did or said and each time seeing worse outcomes and everyone seeing...
Boys will be Boys – But There’s Nothing weak About Seeking Help
One in eight men in Australia will experience depression and one in five will experience anxiety at some point in their life. But guess what? If you are reading this blog to find out about how to access face to face mental health support, chances are you identify as...
Struggling with negative thinking?
At The Self Centre, we work with a lot of people experiencing negative thoughts and low mood. It is not uncommon to have negative thoughts, or even low mood from time to time, but when these experiences show up regularly in our daily lives we begin to suffer....
Clear the clutter from your life
The mornings are a little bit darker and a welcome coolness is creeping in to our nights. Autumn is coming and it always makes me think about the changing seasons of our lives, with the beautiful transformation of the leaves changing colour and falling to the ground....
But I’ve already tried everything …
By Satty Singh Consulting Psychologist & Clinical Registrar Sometimes it is hard to seek help, especially when we feel like we have tried everything and ‘nothing has worked’ This is one of the most common things I have seen in private practice to date. People...
Down in the Depths: Let’s talk about Depression
(Written by Carey Little, Clinical Psychologist for The Self Centre 2021) When thinking about depression most people imagine someone stuck in a continual blur of sadness, crying all the time, unable to be happy about anything, having no hope and no desire to engage in...
Find and Live your Values
At The Self Centre we spend a lot of time working with people to discover their values, and live a life aligned with them. When you identify your values, you can set meaningful goals that are congruent with who you are, and this means you are much more likely to...
Mental Health Checklist
Self Care means taking care of all aspect of yourself - from your thoughts to your actions. Please feel free to download our Mental Health checklist to assist in tracking each aspect:
How sleep affects your emotions
Has anyone ever told you that you were moody when you were feeling tired? Even though you may not want to hear it – it’s probably true. Lack of sleep does not only make you feel horrible, it also affects your emotional well-being. After a sleepless night, you are more...
It is OK to not be OK
2020 – what a year so far! A year unlike any others in living memory. As we slowly shift into a ‘COVID normal’ reality, many of us are experiencing the symptoms of stress, anxiety and low mood as we learn to live in this new world. Many people are finding themselves...
Values That May Resonate With You
Abundance Courage Fortitude Passion Sincerity Acceptance Courtesy Freedom Peace Skilfulness Accomplishment Creativity Friendliness Perceptiveness Solidarity Achievement Credibility Fun Perfection Solitude Acknowledgement...
A conversation with Lyndsay
Lyndsay, tell us about your current role as a psychologist. What does your role involve and what does a typical day look like for you? I am the Director of The Self Centre. I oversee all the goings on at the practice, and help to ensure that everyone is engaged in...
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
“I just can't turn off my thoughts…. There are so many things that can go wrong.” “I wake up in the middle of the night with a pounding heart and dry mouth- I am almost to scared to fall asleep every night.” “Why hasn’t my friend replied to my message? What if...
The Benefits of Sleeping Well
“If only I could sleep all night!” Anyone who has had disrupted sleep knows the power of a good night sleep. However, for those who struggle nightly the consequences are quite huge. We can become so used to broken sleep that we don’t even realise the impact it...
Top Tips for Self Care
In times of change and transition, we are more prone to feeling the symptoms of stress. All the more reason to take good care of yourself when you are going through times of change, and COVID-19 has certainly brought about change for us all. Here are our top 5 tips…
Active Self Compassion – what is it?
Every year there is a new pop-psychology catch-phrase that takes the world by storm. A few years ago it was ‘mindfulness’, then ‘wellness’, and now it seems to be ‘self-care’. In many ways I love that we are building these words into our language and everyday living,...
Why Your Feelings Matter – and What to Do About Them
An Article describing why our feelings are so important to our mental and Psychological health and how to respond to them accordingly.