Psychology

Clinical psychology assessments to identify and treat psychological factors limiting medical recovery, engagement with treatment, or discharge.

Our services

We provide:

• neuropsychological assessments to help with diagnosis, medical treatment and discharge planning and rehabilitation and care planning.
• clinical psychology assessments to identify and treat psychological factors blocking medical recovery or engagement with treatment.
• psychological therapies to assist with adjustment and grief and loss relating to medical conditions.
• assessment and treatment of neurodevelopmental, learning, and behavioural difficulties including, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, and emotional concerns.

We also offer specialised psychological interventions to help you with difficulties such as:

• pain management
• stress management
• mood management
• trauma, fears and phobias relating to being in hospital or having medical procedures
• problems with body, identity, or role changes after surgery.

Our team

We have clinical and health psychologists and clinical neuropsychologists in our team.

Our clinical and health psychologists are specialists in:

• the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of major mental illnesses and common psychological problems in medically unwell patients.
• administering a range of assessments that can help with diagnosis and treatment planning.
• the provision of brief psychological interventions that target factors that are impacting on a patient’s medical recovery.

Our neuropsychologists are specialists in:

• looking at the relationship between brain function and behaviour.
• diagnosing a range of neurocognitive disorders and dementia syndromes.
• assessing the changes in cognition (memory, language, intellect) and behaviour, which may arise from brain dysfunction, such as head injury, epilepsy, brain infection, stroke, dementias and other neurological disorders.
• providing strategies to optimise everyday functioning in people with memory and cognitive difficulties.

We care for

The Psychology Department supports many patient units across the hospital as well as specialist outpatient clinics. We provide care in:

• oncology
• cystic fibrosis
• heart and lung transplant
• congenital heart disease
• rehabilitation and acute stroke
• advanced cardiac and/or respiratory illness
• general medicine
• internal medicine
• geriatric evaluation and management
• sleep disorders.

How to access this service

No external referrals are accepted for psychology services. You can only access psychology when you are staying in hospital or if you have been referred by a hospital clinician.

For patients requiring care in the community, we recommend a referral to an appropriate psychology service within the community. You do not need a referral to see a psychologist in private practice, however you will need a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP if you wish to access the Medicare rebate for psychology.

What to bring

Clinics