Many young adults report feeling isolated and often find it difficult to open up about the issues that occur as they navigate through their life. COPE is a safe, nurturing and non-judgemental environment, and having a place you can go to, can be a healing process. We are accepting all of who you are, even the parts you think are ‘bad’.
Signs of mental health difficulties
- Lowered self-esteem (or self-worth)
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Changes in appetite or weight gain
- Inability to control emotions such as anger, guilt, irritabilioty and anxiety
- Increased substance use
- Becoming more withdrawn and not accessing friends
- Family conflict
- Complaining of physical symptoms and not going to school
- Recurring conflict with family and friends
- Increased distress with daily activities (i.e. school, university, work)
- Anxiety (social anxiety, specific phobias, obsessions or performance anxiety
Issues we work with
- Depression/ low mood
- Anxiety Disorders
- Separation Anxiety
- Panic Disorder
- Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Social Anxiety
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Health Anxiety
- Relationship and peer issues
- Low self-esteem
- Perfectionism/ high standards
- Study Stress
- Family Conflict
Support in strengthening and improving
Nervous about attending?
Meeting a new person and talking openly can be daunting especially if you are experiencing mental health difficulties, which makes withdrawing and isolating very easy. We make it as easy-going and comfortable as possible. The first session is always the hardest, but once you make it into our room, it gets easier. Many clients report that after their initial session they feel instant relief and reduced anxiety. Our clinicians are highly experienced and skilled in working with young adults and offering a delicate and warm approach to support you in opening up about difficult issues.
What can I expect at my first session?
During the initial session, you will start the rapport building process with your clinician and they will ask you questions about what brought you in. You don’t need to prepare anything advance. Our clinicians are experienced in making this process warm and inviting. We will get a detailed assessment to understand your concerns and difficulties, as well as strengths and goals for therapy.
At the end of the first consultation, you will have most likely worked together to identify a treatment plan. You will also receive some feedback on your clinician’s understanding of what the main problem is, how it most likely came about and what can be done to help resolve the problem. All sessions, including the first session are scheduled to last 50 minutes.
Young Adults
We help you explore and connect with your own strengths and skills to enhance relationships, overcome mental health issues and life’s challenges.
Children
We work with children to help them regulate their emotions and improve behaviors to strengthen relationships within the whole family system.
Adolescents
We give adolescents a voice and help them discover their own identity so they can grow into healthy and balanced adults.
Our Approach
Our goal is to help clients gain insight into both past and present experiences in order to empower themselves to make informed choices that lead to meaningful change.
What does treatment involve?
We do our best to cultivate a safe, relaxed and confidential environment when working with our clients. We have a strong commitment to use evidence-based assessment tools and therapies within our consultations – ones that are supported by up-to-date clinical research. We treat clients with compassion and respect in order to help yield effective and positive change.
We utilise a range of evidence-based therapeutic approaches including, but not limited to: Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Schema Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Attachment-based therapies and Play Therapy. There is really no “typical” therapy session as there are different methods of treatment for different problems. Our clinicians make every effort to develop a strong connection with you. We believe the key is the ability to connect and form a trusting a therapeutic relationship with you. We will listen, ask questions gently and try to make sense of the difficulties you experience.
The extent to which a parent is involved in treatment will depend on the client’s presentation, age, and their preferences.
How long does treatment last?
The number of sessions needed varies from person to person. Immediate, short-term interventions are available, as well as longer-term, ongoing therapy for more complex issues.
Fees
Michiel Gonzales charges a flat fee of $160, with a Mental Health Care Plan, Medicare will pay $89.65 for the session, making the out-of-pocket cost $70.35
A $10 discount is offered to those receiving Centrelink
Is every session confidential?
Every session and all information communicated to your psychologist is confidential unless we are worried about someone being at risk of harm or if there is a legal obligation for us to disclose information. We talk with young adults about privacy and about the things that are important to share with parents, if required.
How do I claim through Medicare?
Here to help you
MICHIEL GONZALES
Michiel is a registered psychologist and has over seven years of experience in the mental health field. Michiel’s approach to therapy is to help clients gain greater insight and awareness into their internal world and patterns of behaviour. He assists his clients in meeting their needs and goals by helping them effectively relate to themselves and other people.
Michiel has experience working with a range of concerns including (but not limited to); anxiety (panic, OCD, agoraphobia, social anxiety and other anxiety disorders), depression, interpersonal difficulties, personality disorders, self-criticism, self-esteem and trauma. My background and experience is working as youth counsellor at Youth Focus and working with participants from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) who experience severe and enduring psychosocial disabilities. You are welcome to book an appointment to explore ways that we can work together to enhance your well-being.
Get in touch with our friendly team to discuss the best treatment for you. Our passion for helping people means we go the extra mile, we care about the big things and little things. Whether you’re looking for support through some challenges you’re facing or need help getting to the right state of mind, we are here for you. Feel comfortable starting your journey with COPE.
Our focus is to help individuals heal, energize, and become aware of their inner strengths. We achieve this by providing a compassionate safe space.
CONTACT DETAILS:
Phone No: (08) 6556 6460
E-mail: [email protected]
Location:
Level 3, Suite 5/1111 Hay Street, West Perth WA 6005