Self-Harm Psychologist Melbourne

Self-harm is a powerful short-term emotional regulation strategy — it works, quickly and reliably, to reduce emotional pain. This is why it is so difficult to stop without developing effective alternatives. Effective treatment replaces self-harm with safer distress tolerance strategies while addressing the underlying emotional pain driving it (Linehan, 1993).

Effective treatment addresses:

• Building a comprehensive set of distress tolerance and emotional regulation alternatives
• Identifying the specific emotions, situations, and triggers driving self-harm
• Addressing underlying conditions — BPD, depression, trauma, anxiety
• Reducing shame about self-harm and its role as a coping strategy
• Developing a collaborative safety plan

DBT reduces self-harm significantly more than standard treatment for people who repeatedly self-harm (Linehan et al., 2015).

Our psychologists use approaches with the strongest evidence for self-harm:

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

The gold standard evidence-based treatment for self-harm (Linehan et al., 2015). DBT was specifically developed for people who self-harm. It builds distress tolerance, emotional regulation, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness — replacing self-harm with safer alternatives and addressing the underlying emotional dysregulation.

Trauma-Focused Therapy

For self-harm rooted in trauma — as is common in people with histories of abuse, neglect, or adverse childhood experiences — trauma processing is an essential part of treatment. EMDR and TF-CBT address the traumatic experiences driving self-harm.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Builds the capacity to experience intense emotions without acting on them — through defusion, acceptance, and values-based engagement with life as an alternative to self-harm. Particularly useful for self-harm driven by experiential avoidance and self-critical thoughts.

CBT for Self-Harm

Identifies the thoughts, emotions, and situations triggering self-harm and builds effective cognitive and behavioural alternatives. Addresses the self-critical beliefs and negative self-appraisals that contribute to self-harm urges.

You do not have to stop self-harming before starting therapy — reducing and eventually stopping self-harm is often one of the key goals of treatment. You are welcome as you are.

WorkCover, NDIS or TAC approved? YOU PAY NOTHING.
If your claim has been approved, we bill your funder directly. Zero out-of-pocket cost — no gap, no upfront payment, nothing.

• WorkCover approved — $0 out of pocket, we bill directly
• NDIS plan-managed or self-managed — $0 out of pocket, we bill directly
• TAC claim approved — $0 out of pocket, we bill directly
• DVA — Gold Card holders are fully covered with no session cap (clinically justified). White Card holders covered for accepted conditions, plus all current/former ADF members can access fully-funded psychology for any mental-health condition under NLMHT. GP referral required.
• Medicare rebate (Mental Health Care Plan) — rebates same-day or next day
• Private Health Insurance — itemised invoice provided
• No funding / self-pay — affordable rates from $50 per session, no referral needed

Our psychologists are trained in a wide range of evidence-based approaches across many presentations. Browse our full directory of conditions and therapies we work with.