Counselling - Assessments -  NDIS -  Collaborative & Proactive Solutions

Counselling 

​Psychologists support children and teens who are experiencing concerns related to their overall wellbeing.  Some of the reasons a child or teen may attend counselling include:

• To assist with managing anxiety, anger or low mood/ mood disorders
• Challenging behaviour or risk taking behaivour
• Grief and Loss
• Chronic illness
• Family conflict or breakdown
• Self-esteem issues
• Friendship issues and bullying
• Trauma 
• Challenges at school or school refusal
• Neurodiversity  (i.e. Autism, ADHD) 
• Emotion coping
• Building resilience and identifying strengths

We offer in person and telehealth (online) counselling.  Coastal kids psychologists are trained in a range of evidence based therapeutic interventions. Counselling is delivered based on our philosophy of connection, curiosity and creativity. Some of the types of interventions we use include:

Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT-A) for adolescents and older children. IPT-A is suitable for children and teens 9 years and over. The focus is upon relieving symptoms (low mood, anxiety etc) and improving interpersonal functioning. IPT-A is a Medicare approved therapy. 

AutPlay Therapy is a play therapy and behavioural therapy based approach to working with children and teens with ASD, other neurodevelopmental disorders and developmental disabilities. The target areas of AutPlay therapy are: emotional regulation, social functioning and connection, sensory processing, anxiety reduction, and behavioural change. 

Child Centered Play Therapy (CCPT). CCPT is suitable for children 3 to 12 years old. It is based on the belief that every child has the ability to express their inmost feelings thoughts and challenges and that play is the language of children.  CCPT also assists children to learn to modulate their feelings and behaviours, develop a positive sense of self, problem solve and improve resilience.

We also utilize, Relaxation Techniques, Skills Training and Psycho-Education, Art Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)​and Narrative Therapy approaches.    ​ 

Assessments

​Cognitive Assessment - cognitive assessment are also called intelligence or IQ testing. This type of assessment provides information about an individuals memory,  thinking and reasoning skills. Cognitive assessment can help to identify learning strengths and weaknesses. It is also used to identify giftedness or developmental delay  and for diagnosing intellectual disabilities. The particular test used will be selected based upon the age of the person being tested. 

• WPPSI-IV (Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence) is an intelligence test for children age 2 years 6 months to 7 year 7 months. 
• WISC-V (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) is an intelligence test used with children 6 years to 16 years 11 months. 

• WAIS-IV (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale) is used to measure intelligence for those aged 16 years and over. 

Educational / Academic Achievement Testing - the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-III) is used to assess academic functioning in areas including spelling, reading, writing and mathematics. In combination with Cognitive Assessment the WIAT-III is used to identify specific learning disorders (SLDs). There are three main types of SLDs.

Dyslexia - a specific learning disorder in reading.

Dysgraphia - a specific learning disorder in the area of writing.

Dyscalculia - a specific learning disorder in the area of mathematics. 

Adaptive Behaviour Assessment - the Vineland-III and ABAS-III are used to assess the functional skills needed for daily living.  These assessments provide information about an individuals communication, self-care skills, motor skills, socialisation skills, community use,  and coping skills.  The Vineland or ABAS are completed by parents/caregivers or teachers.  

Behavioural Assessments - are used to determine if a young person exhibits challenging behaviours that are outside of the age expected range. A GP, Paediatrican, parent or school may request a behavioural assessment to determine if a child has a behavioural disorder such as ADHD or Oppositional Defiant Disorder.  Behavioural concerns might include, aggression, difficulty with attention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, disruptions to peer relationships and learning. Behavioural assessments include a detailed interview with parents to gather a developmental history, completion of diagnostic questionnaires, teacher interviews and/or school observations and a session with the child.
​The assessment tools commonly used include Conners Behavioural Rating Scale (CBRS), Behavioural Assessment Scale for Children (BASC-3), Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF) and Vineland-III. 

NDIS

We love to work in partnership with children and young people with a range of disabilities and developmental delay, such as intellectual disability and Autism.  Psychologists assist NDIS participants to achieve their goals through therapy supports such as skill development, emotional coping skills, AutPlay therapy, supporting mental health, developing play skills or managing transitions. The session length and frequency will be negotiated as part of your service agreement. 

Collaborative Proactive Solutions

Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) is an evidenced based treatment method for families of behaviourally challenged kids and teens. It is an effective alternative to traditional Parent Training programs.  CPS was developed by Dr Ross Green (The Explosive Child, Lost At School) and is used widely in the USA and Canada. The Lives in the Balance website has extensive information about the model along with many free resources. 

CPS is based on the idea that challenging behaviour occurs when the expectations placed on the child go beyond the childs ability to respond in an adaptive way. Challenging behaviour is viewed a resulting from a lack of skills to handle certain demands. It is based on the philosophy of 'kids do well if they can' not 'kids do well if they want to'. In CPS children are directly engaged in solving the problems that affect them. This model enhances relationships, improves communications and decreases the likelihood of conflict. It focuses on building skills related to the more positive parts of human nature, such as taking another persons perspective, honesty, empathy and resolving disagreements in collaborative ways.








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