SERVICES WE OFFER

Happy Minds focuses on the whole person, recognising your strengths rather than focusing on deficits or traditional disease-based models of mental illness. This holistic approach means that we understand our clients come to us with many skills already and are the 'experts' in their own lives. We build on this to work collaboratively towards achieving meaningful goals for the client.

Our team offers a wide range of services for children, young people, adults and families. In addition to those described in detail further below, we also offer:

evidence-based therapeutic interventions for most psychological presentations
comprehensive behaviour, social, emotional and academic assessments
diagnostic assessments and reports (including supportive assessment for Autism)
social skills and resilience programs
various workshops for parents and schools, and
individual or organisation supervision and training.

INDIVIDUAL THERAPY

Our individual therapy sessions focus on building resilience and wellbeing for children, young people and adults. We offer evidence-based interventions that are tailored to what works for each of our clients - what is helpful for one person may not fit for another.
Some of the therapy models we use are: Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), EMDR, and narrative/play based therapy. No matter which models we use, our goal is to approach sessions with flexibility, openness and authenticity.

COUPLES AND FAMILY THERAPY

We recognise that 'no one person is an island' and that our relationships are an essential part of what makes us human - especially our families. We understand that along the way there can be challenges with intimacy, parenting, marital separation, and stressful life events.
In therapy sessions, we’ll work to address unhelpful thinking and behaviours using an approach built on attachment and compassion. We will help you “re-frame” your thinking and provide you with valuable tools to cope with life’s obstacles together.

SCHOOL CONSULTATIONS AND LEARNING ASSESSMENTS

Children and young people may face challenges in the school environment. Adults may face challenges in higher education or work settings. Depending on the initial referral and the unfolding therapeutic journey, our work with you may at times involve – but not be limited to – counselling, advocacy, diagnostic assessment of learning or emotional needs, therapeutic intervention, liaison and consultation. Our whole-team approach may also at times involve sessions within the school context, as well as attending Happy Minds.

Some of the most common reasons that people seek a diagnostic assessment are:

identifying developmental needs and school readiness
trying to understand why a child is struggling with school and how to help
identifying learning disorders in reading (dyslexia), maths (dyscalculia), or written expression (dygraphia)
identifying giftedness
differential diagnosis such as ruling out or confirming an intellectual disability
verification for school funding
screening for neurodivergence, such as ADHD or autism
highlighting the unique profile of strengths and weaknesses in children with an existing diagnosis such as ADHD or autism in order to individualise their learning plan
adults seeking an assessment to identify reasonable adjustments for TAFE, university, or work settings

We work hard to make sure that each child and adult we work with is respected as a strong and capable individual. Please contact us to find out more about our services. You can also read more about our assessments from our FAQs.

CREATIVE ART THERAPY

Art making offers a natural form of communication and is often considered useful in helping young people with a variety of needs and goals. It can provide emotional safety for young people to share their experiences, to develop their self-expression without high reliance on verbal communication, and improve overall wellbeing.

Creative Art Therapy is offered individually for all ages. It is a sensory-safe and mindful environment, and a lot of fun!

Art Therapy can be claimed under the NDIS as a therapy that improves quality of life.

SECRET AGENT SOCIETY
SOCIAL SKILLS PROGRAM

The Secret Agent Society program is a 9 week group intervention created to help children between the ages of 8-12 with their social skills. The program is designed to help children learn about emotional regulation and social skills using fun and engaging methods based on the children being SAS cadets. It includes online interactive workbooks, a video game and 'gadgets' to help transfer the lessons to the child's home and school environments. The 'Cadet Meetings' are supplemented with parent training and school resources. We are taking expressions of interest so why not contact us today to find out more.

NDIS SERVICES

We believe that everyone deserves to have a fulfilling and meaningful life - including people with disabilities.

Happy Minds is proud to support National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants, offering Therapeutic Support to eligible clients under the scheme. We also provide relevant assessments and support with NDIS applications.

We welcome opportunities to work collaboratively with other providers and aim to be flexible to suit each individual participant's plan.