As I see it, Psychology isn’t about telling people what to do or giving advice. Psychology seeks to facilitate clients to discover their own truths through effective questioning and insightful observation and reflection. I often describe to clients that being a psychologist in some ways is like watching a sports match, I sit on the outside looking in – I am not on the field in the game. Sometimes when you watch a game, you can see an opening on the left of the field, and yell at the team as you might, the pass goes right… the players in the game cannot see the gaps. By sitting outside of the client’s world, with the privilege of being a witness to it, I, as a psychologist, can often identify the gaps or ways forward that the client can’t see as they are in their own game.

I also understand that there is often a perceived stigma associated with accessing a mental health professional, with the thought that if you are seeking help then you must be crazy – the mad, the bad and the sad. The reality is that psychologists don’t just see people in crisis, we are able to assist people in all aspects of their life, and we often find clients who come in for one thing, may find they are able to use the skills and techniques learnt in sessions across many aspects of their lives.