Across the span of one's life, a person can experience difficulties in coping with various circumstances that can give rise to poor functioning in day-to-day living. Sometimes this results in patterns of negative emotions such as sadness, anxiety and anger, that can be accompanied by unhelpful patterns of behaviour (e.g. avoidance, withdrawal, lashing out, over drinking, procrastinating, etc) and negative thoughts. When severe, these patterns can develop into psychological disorders that can be disabling for an individual.

In our clinical psychology work, we focus on identifying unhelpful patterns of thoughts, emotions and behaviour that are interfering with an individual's ability to live well. Generally this is achieved through assessment of the presenting problem and the possible contributions in one's circumstances or personal make-up. What follows is counselling regarding potential solutions and approaches. For some individuals (particularly those with long-standing problems) therapy may be recommended, which is tailored to the individual's problems and concerns, and directed towards achieving specific outcomes. This is a collaborative process which involves the individual in deciding which approach will be taken, the steps they are prepared to take, and the outcome they are aiming for.