Appointment availability:
Appointments are available on
- Tuesdays: 11:00 AM to 7:30 PM
- Wednesdays: 11:00 am to 5:30 PM
- Thursdays: 9:00 am to 5:30 PM
- every 2nd Saturday
A standard consultation is 55 minutes.
Making an appointment:
To request an initial appointment please call 0435 534 993 or send an email to hello@heartandmindpsychology.com.au with your contact number and name. You can also leave a message on the secure voice mail box. Please note that Bettina is only available to respond to phone calls or emails on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Bettina will then discuss with you the kind of support you are looking for. This initial contact phone call will take about 5 to 10 minutes.
What to expect in the initial consultation:
The aim of the initial consultation is to clarify the nature of your difficulties and your support needs. This may also involve completing some questionnaires. Bettina will also discuss with you your goals for therapy and your expectation for attending therapy.
Therapy for children and adolescents
For pre-school and primary school aged children an initial consultation will be held with both parents or guardians, if both parents/guardians are involved in parenting the child. Depending on the nature of the difficulties, Bettina will suggest observation of your child at school, and an individual appointment with the child, as well as for the parents to complete questionnaires. Following this, Bettina will provide feedback and recommendations for a treatment plan to the parents/guardians.
Child therapy will always require the involvement of the parents to practise strategies and skills taught in the session with their child between sessions. Regular parent sessions are also an integral part of child therapy to ensure fastest progress and optimal outcomes.
For older children and adolescents, the initial appointment will be with the adolescent; the parent can be present in the session if this is the adolescent’s preference. Parental involvement will be initiated if it is indicated, and I will plan this in consultation with the adolescent. Sometimes adolescents are not comfortable to attend with their parents or do not wish for a parent session to take place, and this is always respected.
Diagnostic assessment for autism for children and adolescents
A diagnostic assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) consists of the following:
– an initial parent interview and norm referenced screener for ASD
– an observation of the child at preschool, kindergarten or school
– an individual session with the child
– a standardised developmental interview with the parent(s)
– a standardised observational assessment of the child
– a written report
– a feedback session with the parent(s)