The Talk Shop psychologists are trained across a broad range of evidence-based psychological therapies. The right approach depends on your presentation, history, and goals — not a single method applied to everyone.
We work across four Melbourne clinic locations and via Telehealth. This page is a living reference — we update it as our psychologists extend their training in additional evidence-based approaches.
If your claim has been approved, we bill your funder directly. Zero out-of-pocket cost — no gap, no upfront payment, nothing.
No single therapy works for everyone. Your first appointment is a thorough assessment of your history, current difficulties, and goals — from which your psychologist recommends the approach or combination of approaches most likely to be effective for your specific presentation.
Most of our psychologists are integrative practitioners — drawing on multiple evidence-based approaches rather than a single model. The approaches below are not a menu of options to choose from; they are the toolkit our psychologists draw on to build an individualised treatment plan.
The most extensively researched psychological therapy in the world. CBT identifies the connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviours and uses structured techniques to change unhelpful patterns. First-line treatment for depression, anxiety, OCD, phobias, health anxiety, and insomnia.
A third-wave cognitive-behavioural approach focused on psychological flexibility: learning to hold difficult thoughts and feelings differently, connecting with your values, and committing to meaningful action. Highly effective for depression, anxiety, chronic pain, and stress.
Developed by Marsha Linehan, DBT combines CBT with mindfulness and acceptance to treat emotional dysregulation. Structured around four skill modules: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. First-line treatment for BPD and effective for eating disorders, chronic self-harm, and complex PTSD.
Developed by Jeffrey Young, Schema Therapy identifies and addresses deep-seated patterns — Early Maladaptive Schemas — formed in childhood that drive chronic difficulties in mood, relationships, and self-worth. Particularly suited to personality difficulties and treatment-resistant depression.
An integrative, time-limited therapy that maps the repetitive relational patterns driving current difficulties. Combines cognitive and psychoanalytic principles with a distinctive collaborative reformulation process including a personalised letter and visual diagram.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing — a WHO-recommended, extensively researched treatment for PTSD and trauma. Uses bilateral stimulation to facilitate the brain’s natural processing of traumatic memories. As effective as Trauma-Focused CBT, often in fewer sessions.
An umbrella of evidence-based approaches specifically designed to process traumatic experiences — including Trauma-Focused CBT, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET). The right approach depends on the type, complexity, and nature of the trauma.
Evidence-based mindfulness approaches including MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) and MBCT (Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy). MBCT is NICE-recommended for prevention of depressive relapse in people with three or more previous episodes. Mindfulness is also a core component of ACT and DBT.
Developed by Paul Gilbert, CFT is specifically designed for people with high levels of shame and self-criticism — particularly those for whom CBT works intellectually but not emotionally. Draws on evolutionary psychology and neuroscience to develop the soothing system and build genuine self-compassion.
Developed in Australia and New Zealand by Michael White and David Epston, Narrative Therapy helps people separate themselves from their problems and rewrite the stories they tell about their lives. Non-pathologising and person-centred. Particularly effective for depression, trauma, grief, and identity-related difficulties.
A structured, time-limited, first-line treatment for depression that focuses on the connection between interpersonal functioning and psychological distress. Addresses four problem areas: grief, interpersonal disputes, role transitions, and interpersonal deficits. Also effective for eating disorders and postnatal depression.
A collaborative, evidence-based approach developed by Miller and Rollnick that strengthens a person’s own motivation and commitment to change. Designed for ambivalence — used for addiction, depression, eating disorders, and any situation where the desire and resistance to change coexist.
A recognised therapeutic modality using creative processes — drawing, painting, collage, sculpture — to explore psychological experience. Particularly suited to trauma, children and adolescents, and presentations where verbal processing is difficult or insufficient. No artistic ability required.
Evidence-based hypnotherapy delivered by registered psychologists as part of an integrated treatment plan. Research shows hypnotherapy added to CBT produces significantly better outcomes than CBT alone. Used for anxiety, chronic pain, phobias, sleep difficulties, habit change, and performance anxiety.
You do not need to know which approach is right for you before booking. Your psychologist’s first role is assessment — understanding your history, current difficulties, and what you want to change. The treatment plan, including approach selection, follows from that.
If you have had therapy before and want to try a specific approach, or if you have heard about a particular therapy and want to discuss whether it suits your situation, mention this when you book or at your first appointment. Our psychologists will give you an honest assessment of what is likely to help.
If your claim has been approved, we bill your funder directly. Zero out-of-pocket cost — no gap, no upfront payment, nothing.
No. Most people do not arrive knowing which approach they need. Your psychologist will assess your presentation and recommend the most appropriate approach or combination. If you have a preference or have heard about a particular therapy, mention it — your psychologist will discuss whether it fits your situation.
Yes — most do. Effective psychological treatment is rarely a single method applied rigidly. Most of our psychologists are integrative practitioners who draw on multiple evidence-based approaches depending on what is most useful at each stage of treatment.
Yes. All psychological therapy delivered by a registered psychologist is covered by Medicare rebates via a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP — regardless of which specific approach is used.
Registered psychologists complete a minimum of six years of university training plus supervised clinical practice and are registered with AHPRA. The titles “therapist” and “counsellor” are not legally protected in Australia — anyone can use them. Only registered psychologists can provide Medicare-rebated psychological services.
You don’t need to have the answers before your first appointment. We do the assessment — you just need to show up.
