Swinburne Psychology Clinic's Free E-Newsletter

Help is on the way: Support for individuals, couples and families in the community

The Swinburne Psychology Clinic’s electronic newsletter is designed to keep the general community, health professionals, past and present clients and counsellors informed about the Clinic’s upcoming events and activities. Over 700 community members, students and health professionals have already subscribed to receive this free service. If you would also like to subscribe, please send an email to the Project Officer at abrydon@swin.edu.au.

The Easter edition of our newsletter can be read below and can be downloaded in PDF format by clicking here.

Easter Edition
This edition of the Psychology Clinic's newsletter profiles our new group therapy program for Bipolar Disorder and an opportunity to be involved in the development of an individual treatment version of the Clinic's Mindful Moderate Eating Group. We would like to take this opportunity to wish our readers a safe and enjoyable Easter break.

Bipolar Group Therapy
In April, the Psychology Clinic, with the support of the Mental Health Research Institute, will be running a group therapy program for the treatment of Bipolar Disorder. The group aims to help individuals develop awareness of the psychological factors that affect mood and indicate changes in mood. The group also aims to help participants develop effective ways to monitor and manage the symptoms of Bipolar Disorder, which is estimated to affect 0.4-1.6% of the population.

The Bipolar Group Therapy program will run over 12-consecutive weeks and each weekly session is two hours in length. The facilitators of this program have completed specialised training in facilitating the group, are currently completing Masters or Doctoral studies in Psychology and, as a minimum, are registered as provisional psychologists. Further information about the group is listed below.

Group Size: 6-8 participants

Cost: $25 assessment fee, $240 group fee

Commences: Monday 7 April, 1pm-3pm

Location: Hawthorn Campus of Swinburne University

Further information/referral: (03) 9214 5528

Evaluating a mindfulness-based therapy for binge eating in women: A multiple case study
Rebecca Wickham is a provisional psychologist at the Swinburne Psychology Clinic and, as part of her doctoral degree, she is currently seeking women, between 18 and 55 years of age, who are experiencing binge eating problems. Rebecca's study involves participating in an individual mindfulness-based therapy program and the aim of the research project is to develop, implement, and evaluate this mindfulness-based therapy for the individual treatment of women experiencing difficulties managing their eating behaviour. The therapy is manualised and is based on the Mindful Moderate Eating Group (MMEG) program, developed by Dr Naomi Crafti, a group program that has been running at the Swinburne Psychology Clinic since 1995.

The therapy is suited to someone who has a desire to address some of the psychological and emotional issues associated with their eating problem, whether mild or severe, and who would prefer to work individually rather than in a group setting. An initial assessment interview will be conducted, to discuss the individual's concerns and help determine whether the therapy is the most suitable option.

Participants in the study will be invited to complete a series of questionnaires throughout the course of therapy that ask about personality, coping styles, self-awareness, emotions, attitudes and eating habits. Following completion, participants will also be invited to take part in an interview, to provide feedback on their experience. The data collected in the research will be presented as a series of ‘case studies.' The therapy is to be carried out at the Swinburne Psychology Clinic over approximately 12-18 sessions.

If you, or someone you know, is looking for help with binge eating concerns, and would like to find out more about the therapy and its evaluation, please contact Aisha at abrydon@swin.edu.au or 9214 5528 to obtain an information pack. Interested participants will then be contacted by Rebecca to discuss potential involvement and address any queries.

Cost: $25 assessment, $400 program fee

What is included: 12-18 counselling sessions, therapeutic workbook and Mindfulness CD's.

Referral information:

(03) 9214 5528 or abrydon@swin.edu.au

Thank you for your support: Promoting the clinic with poster and pamphlet packs
In last month's newsletter we asked for our readers' assistance in informing the community of the low-cost psychological treatment options available at the Psychology Clinic. We wish to thank the readers of this newsletter who obtained a poster and pamphlet pack for their workplace. Your support has been reflected in an increase in the number of individuals accessing our low-cost counselling service and group therapy programs. If you would still like to obtain a Poster and Pamphlet Pack for your workplace, or if you would like additional client information for any of our group therapy or psychological assessment services, please send an email to abrydon@swin.edu.au

Have you, or do you, experience panic attacks?

The ORYGEN Research Centre and the University of Melbourne are currently completing a project to create general guidelines for members of the public to provide Mental Health First Aid for someone having a panic attack. Once created, these guidelines will be applied in training courses and made available on websites.

Dr Claire Kelly is currently looking for the assistance of those who have experienced panic attacks to assist with the creation of these guidelines. If you would like further information about this project, or if you would like to participate in this project, please contact:

Dr Claire Kelly by email ckel@unimelb.edu.au.

Important Dates

10 March Labour Day
The Psychology Clinic will be closed on Labour Day.

19 March Group Therapy for OCD
On 19 March the next OCD STOP Therapy Group will commence at the Swinburne Psychology Clinic. The Group will be facilitated by clinical psychologist, Dr Nicole Redlich. If you, or someone you know, would like to access this treatment services please contact the Clinic a.s.a.p. on 9214 8653.

21-25 March Closed for Easter
The Psychology Clinic will be closed from 21-25 March inclusive, for the Easter break.

7 April Group Therapy for Bipolar Disorder
On 7 April a 12-week cognitive behavioural treatment program will commence for individuals living with Bipolar Disorder. If you, or someone you know, would like to access this treatment service, please contact the Clinic a.s.a.p. on 9214 8653.

Tuesday 6 May No Diet Day
In May, the Psychology Clinic will host a free public movie screening to raise awareness of No Diet Day and promote a community focus on wellbeing and health, rather than weight and shape. The event will commence at 5.30pm. Further information will be released in later editions of the newsletter.

Saturday 13 September ACT and Mindfulness Workshops
In August the Psychology Clinic, in conjunction with Dr Russ Harris, will run an introductory workshop in the use of ACT and Mindfulness in therapeutic settings. The introductory workshop will be followed by a sequence of three development workshops. The training will be open to all counselling and health professionals. More information about these workshops can be found at the following link of the Psychology Clinic's website: www.swinburne.edu.au/lss/psychology/pc/mindfulness_and_acceptance_and_commitment_therapy_pd.htm

We hope you have enjoyed this edition of our newsletter. This month joke has been collected from the internet.

Q. What's the difference between a psychologist and a magician?

A. A psychologist pulls habits out of rats!

If there is a seasonal or psychology-related joke that has made you smile, please share it with us by submitting it to: abrydon@swin.edu.au.

About the Newsletter
This newsletter is an initiative of the Psychology Clinic to provide you with the information you need to keep up-to-date with the activities and services we provide. Currently, over 700 community members, students and health professionals subscribe to this newsletter, which is produced by Aisha Brydon. We welcome any feedback and ideas you have about this publication and if there is a topic, query or segment you would like to see in future editions please send an email to: abrydon@swin.edu.au.

To subscribe, send an email to: abrydon@swin.edu.au.