Tag Archives: health

Creating Space

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“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Victor Frankl
Creating space, or just having time to reflect, seems at a premium in our 24-hour news cycle world. There just never seems to be enough time to take time out for you. Many clients tell me that they just don’t have enough time to practice the exercises, focus on their own self-care, or dedicate space for reflection. This evolves into feeling numb, disenfranchised, dissatisfied and stressed!


With the amount of information, we are consuming both intentionally, and sub-consciously through advertising, media streams and others gentle and not so gentle push notifications we are bombarded by “influencers” there is barely enough time left for us. So, I encourage you to take back your own power, find the space, and exercise some self-compassion daily, even if it is only 5 minutes!


Here is a 5-minute guided visualisation to practice placing automatic negative thoughts (ANTS) or intrusive memories (Flashbacks) into a metaphorical or imaginary container

This can be very empowering, allowing you to create space and control your thoughts, sensations and emotions. Artemis Psychology Services is now providing professional trauma-informed supervision to psychologists, social workers, counsellors, support workers, and other health professionals. Professional supervision means having regular consultations with a trained supervisor. It offers you a space to review your work practices and discuss client matters. During supervision, you can:
– Explore your feelings about work (e.g. excitement, frustration, anxiety, discouragement)
– Receive constructive feedback and strategies for work-related issues
– Identify and plan a self-care program for yourself/staff
– Advance your professional skills (e.g. prioritising competing tasks, managing boundaries,
avoiding procrastination, dealing with conflict, working to trauma-informed principles)

Do I need professional supervision?
You may benefit from regular professional supervision if you answer yes to any of these questions:
– Are you a psychologist, social worker, youth worker, welfare worker, or other allied health
professional providing direct client support?
– Do you manage or supervise teams of human services personnel or other allied health
professionals?

– Do you need independent supervision outside of your workplace to better review and reflect
on your work?
– Do you feel stressed or burnt out by your work?
Supervision is a critical part of safe, trauma-informed and effective practice, especially when you have direct client contact. Evidence suggests supervision leads to:
– Greater job satisfaction
– Improved workplace relationships
– Meeting CPD requirements
– Better service delivery to clients

Why choose us?
Artemis Psychology Services has experience in: providing professional supervision to diverse
clients in public health sector and not-for-profit organisations such as Regional DFV services,
1800RESPECT/DV Connect, Queensland Health, Community Mental Health Services, and
private practice.
Supporting human services personnel and allied health professionals across varied work
settings.

How do I arrange supervision?
If you’re interested in arranging supervision for yourself or an employee, please call us or fill
out our online enquiry form and we will be in touch shortly.
Cynthia is a Board Approved Supervisor and can meet AHPRA requirements.
Some workplaces fund professional supervision for employees—check with your HR team,
Manager, Team Leader, or Supervisor to see if this is an option for you. If you pay for your
own supervision, you may be able to claim it as a work-related expense on your tax return.

How do I attend supervision and how much does it cost?

Online via Zoom/Zanda and $180 plus GST

Is therapy worth it ?

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From The Sopranos to Frasier, TV loves a therapist. At home, everyone from AFL players to everyday Aussies now talks openly about getting help. But with mental ill-health affecting almost half of us, the real question is: is therapy actually worth it?

The short answer: yes — but only if you approach it properly.
Therapy is not a quick fix. It’s an investment, not an expense. And like any investment, the return depends on timing, commitment, and choosing the right professional.

Therapy works — the research is rock-solid

Across Australia, mental health issues now account for a massive share of our disease burden. Roughly one in three GP visits involve anxiety, stress or mood issues. Yet psychotherapy remains one of the most effective interventions we have — often outperforming medical treatments we take for granted.

When therapy works, people think more clearly, feel more settled, make better decisions, sleep more deeply and regain control. These aren’t abstract improvements: brain imaging shows real neurological changes, and measurable indicators — panic-free days, improved functioning, reduced symptoms — back it up.

But trauma therapy is not for the faint-hearted

Under a Mental Health Care Plan, you may receive 6 sessions, then a review, then 4 more — often capped across 12 months. That’s a helpful start, but real trauma work takes honesty about your limits:

  • family, study or work commitments
  • whether you’re in a safe and stable environment
  • whether your nervous system can stay within a workable window of tolerance

Big-T traumas (accidents, assaults, life-threatening events) can often shift in fewer sessions.
Little-t traumas (chronic neglect, emotional abuse, long-term instability) can take much longer — sometimes 12 months or up to 30 sessions. It depends on readiness, stability, and your ability to practice skills between appointments.

Therapy is best done in episodes

Practices like Artemis Psychology often recommend focusing on a few key memories or issues at a time, then pausing to consolidate — rather than pushing through a massive block of therapy all at once. These “episodes of care” allow you to learn tools, step back, practice them, and return when you’re ready for deeper work.

Choosing the right therapist still matters

Stick to evidence-based modalities — those recommended by AHPRA-registered psychologists, or by credible bodies like PACFA and ACA. Ask about their training, supervision, and outcomes. Therapy works best when you’re matched with the right person, the right approach, and the right timing.

The payoff

Therapy requires time, money, emotional effort and commitment — but the benefits are profound:

  • stronger self-awareness
  • clearer decision-making
  • better boundaries
  • more resilience
  • problem-solving skills that last for life

Done well, therapy helps you align your choices with your values, leading to greater clarity, purpose and fulfilment.

If you’re ready, motivated, and work with a qualified professional, therapy is absolutely worth it — for most people, most of the time, and for most problems.

BURNOUT: Strategies for Self-Care

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Burnout is a form of emotional exhaustion that can occur in response to persistent and unrelenting stress. Since COVID-19 lockdowns, many people struggled to establish boundaries between work and home, and, in some cases, to juggle the twin demands of work, home school and childcare with no supports in place – the perfect combination of stressors that could eventually result in burnout, even after restrictions eased.


Burnout encompasses a wide range of symptoms, including low energy, motivation or mood; feeling isolated or trapped; feeling cynical or disengaged from work; decreased life satisfaction;
procrastination; irritability; feeling exhausted or drained; disrupted sleep; and physical responses like headaches and body pain.


You don’t need to exhibit all of these symptoms to be experiencing burnout. Conversely, if you’re exhibiting some of these symptoms, it doesn’t mean you’re necessarily experiencing burnout. Burnout usually occurs when you experience some/all of these symptoms in combination with feeling emotionally overloaded. According to the World Health Organization, burnout is an ‘occupational syndrome’, which means


it’s often linked to work; however, new research from the Black Dog Institute and the UNSW School of Psychiatry found that it can also impact people undertaking unpaid home or care duties as well.In short, anyone can experience burnout, although not everyone will – researchers now believe that some personality types are more prone to burnout than others. Autistic Burnout is specific to neurodivergent people, however, the strategies to remedy it are similar, but in conjunction with, an inclusive plan & routine to mitigate triggers and sensitivities while still engaging in a rewarding and balanced lifestyle.


While burnout can feel overwhelming, the good news is that it’s highly manageable.
In fact, self-care – that is, activities you can do at home without the need for medical intervention – can be a good starting point for responding to the symptoms of burnout.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s important to be proactive about your emotional wellbeing, rather than hoping things will improve on their own.

Click to access Importance-of-selfcare-planning.pdf