What is psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is an in-depth form of talking therapy that helps you understand and change the deeper patterns behind how you think, feel, and relate. Where some support focuses on managing a specific problem in the here and now, psychotherapy also looks at the roots, the experiences, relationships, and beliefs that have shaped you, so change can happen at a deeper and more lasting level.
Psychotherapy is really an umbrella term, covering a range of in-depth approaches. What they share is a focus on genuine understanding and meaningful change, usually over a somewhat longer period, within a trusting therapeutic relationship. It is well suited to long-standing difficulties, recurring patterns, and a wish to understand yourself more fully, not just to manage symptoms.
At Integro Health, psychotherapy is delivered by registered clinicians and qualified therapists in a warm, non-judgemental environment in South West WA, in person or online.
How psychotherapy helps
Many of the difficulties we carry as adults, in our moods, our relationships, and how we see ourselves, have roots that reach back further than the current situation. We develop ways of coping, and beliefs about ourselves and others, that once made sense and now quietly shape our lives, often outside our awareness. Psychotherapy brings these into the light.
Working within a safe, trusting relationship, psychotherapy helps you explore what is really going on, understand where your patterns came from, and see how they play out today. That understanding is powerful in itself, but the therapy relationship also becomes a place where change can happen, where old patterns can be felt, questioned, and gradually reworked. Many people who come are also living with depression, anxiety, or the effects of trauma and difficult early experiences.
The aim is not just relief, but genuine, lasting change, and a fuller understanding of yourself.
How psychotherapy works in practice
Psychotherapy is usually longer-term work, built on a trusting relationship. It unfolds gradually, always at a pace that feels right for you.
Building a trusting relationship
Psychotherapy rests on trust, so we take the time to build a safe, genuine relationship. This relationship is not just the setting for the work, it is part of how change happens.
Exploring beneath the surface
Together, we look beyond the immediate problem to the patterns, experiences, and beliefs underneath. There is no rush and no pressure, only a shared curiosity about what is really going on.
Making sense of your story
As understanding grows, the way you feel and relate begins to make sense in the context of your life. That understanding, held with compassion, often loosens the grip of old patterns.
Reworking old patterns
Within the safety of the therapy, long-standing patterns can be felt, questioned, and gradually changed, in a way that reaches deeper than insight alone.
Lasting change
Over time, you develop a fuller, kinder understanding of yourself and new ways of being, so change takes root in your life well beyond the therapy room.
Meet our practitioners
At Integro Health, psychotherapy is delivered by registered clinicians and qualified therapists with genuine warmth and years of experience. Take a moment to read about our practitioners and find the right fit for you.
Dr Paul King
General Practitioner
MBBS Bachelor of Medicine/ Bachelor of Surgery
FRACGP Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
Jools Fordyce
Social Worker & Family Therapist
Bachelor (Hons) – Applied Social Science with Diploma in Social Work
Postgraduate Diploma in Family and Relationship Therapy
Brooke Eden
Psychologist
Bachelor of Psychology
Graduate Diploma of Education
Member of the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc.
Nicholas Kerr
Psychologist
Masters of Psychology (Organisational)
Bachelor of Arts
Member of the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc.
Carli King
Office Administrator
As Practice Manager, Carli keeps the daily operations of Integro Health running smoothly, ensuring our clients always receive the highest standard of care.
What psychotherapy can help with
Depression
Warm, judgement-free support for depression and persistent low mood, helping you find your way back toward feeling like yourself. In…
Depression →
Anxiety
Practical, evidence-based help for worry, racing thoughts, and constant unease, so you can feel safe in your own life again.…
Anxiety →
Trauma
Gentle, trauma-informed therapy that helps you work through the past at your own pace, so it stops running the present.…
Trauma →
Complex PTSD
Careful, relational therapy for complex trauma that builds safety and trust first. Support in Bunbury or online across the South…
Complex PTSD →
Relationship Problems
Understand the patterns that keep repeating in your relationships and build the connection you are looking for. Support in Bunbury…
Relationship Problems →
Low Self-Esteem
Build a steadier, kinder relationship with yourself and quieten a harsh inner critic. Psychological support in Bunbury and online across…
Low Self-Esteem →Why Integro Health
Registered, experienced clinicians
Your therapy is delivered by registered clinicians and qualified therapists trained in the approach. Experience and genuine care come as standard.
A whole-person approach
We look at every part of you, your thoughts, feelings, relationships, and circumstances, because difficulties rarely sit in just one area of life.
The right approach for you
We use psychotherapy where it genuinely fits, and draw on other evidence-based approaches when they would help, rather than forcing a one-size formula.
In Bunbury and online
See us in person at our Eaton clinic near Bunbury, or by secure telehealth anywhere in South West WA and beyond. The choice is yours.
Is psychotherapy effective? The evidence
Psychotherapy is one of the most established forms of mental health treatment, and its effectiveness is well supported by research. Talking therapies are recognised and recommended parts of the mental health system in Australia and internationally, and there is strong evidence that they help across a wide range of difficulties.
One of the most consistent findings in decades of research is that the quality of the therapeutic relationship is among the strongest predictors of a good outcome, often more important than the particular model used. This is central to psychotherapy, where the depth and safety of the relationship are part of what makes change possible.
Psychotherapy usually involves a longer commitment than briefer, symptom-focused approaches, and it asks for a willingness to explore and reflect. It is a significant piece of work, and for many people a genuinely transformative one. Where a briefer or more structured approach would suit you better, we will say so.
What to expect in psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is more open and exploratory than some structured therapies. Rather than following a fixed programme, sessions create space to talk, reflect, and understand, guided gently by your therapist as themes and patterns emerge over time.
This does not mean it is aimless. Your therapist listens closely, notices connections, and helps make sense of what comes up, while the trusting relationship itself supports change. Psychotherapy usually involves regular sessions over a longer period, and the depth of the work tends to grow as trust builds. Sessions run for around 50 minutes.
You can read more about what to expect on our first session page.
Is psychotherapy right for you?
Psychotherapy may be a good fit if you want to understand yourself at a deeper level, if the same patterns keep recurring in your life or relationships, or if briefer approaches have helped the surface but not reached the root. It suits people who are willing to explore and reflect over time, within a trusting relationship.
If you need focused, practical help with a specific current problem, a shorter approach such as CBT or counselling may suit better, and where trauma or deep early patterns are central, we might draw on EMDR or schema therapy. If you are not sure what you need, reaching out is a good first step, and we can help you find the right path together.
Your questions answered
The terms overlap and are often used interchangeably. Broadly, counselling tends to focus on specific difficulties and the here and now, often over a shorter period, while psychotherapy tends to go deeper into long-standing patterns and their roots, usually over a longer time. In practice the two blend, and our practitioners draw on whatever suits you. What matters most is the right support and the right person, not the label.
Psychotherapy is usually longer-term work than briefer, symptom-focused approaches, because it reaches deeper. Some people work over many months, others longer, and the depth of the work grows as trust builds. That said, many people feel benefit early on from being genuinely understood. We review with you regularly and there is no fixed course.
Psychotherapy provided by a registered psychologist can attract a Medicare rebate if you have a Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP, which covers up to 10 individual sessions per calendar year. We are happy to explain what applies to you and talk through the options and costs before you begin.
Not unless it is helpful, and never before you are ready. Psychotherapy is interested in the roots of your patterns, which often reach back, but the past is explored gently and only where it sheds light on the present. You are always in control of what you share and when.
It is talking, but far from just talking. A skilled psychotherapist listens in a particular way, noticing patterns and connections you may not see, and the trusting relationship itself becomes a place where change can happen. Being deeply understood, over time, is a powerful thing, and quite different from talking to a friend.
Yes. We offer sessions by secure telehealth across South West WA and Australia-wide, as well as in person at our Eaton clinic near Bunbury. For most people online sessions are just as effective, and they are especially helpful if you are in a regional area or short on time. You can read more on our online therapy page.
No referral is needed to book a session. You can contact us directly to arrange a first appointment. If you would like to access a Medicare rebate through a Mental Health Treatment Plan, you will need a GP referral first, and we can guide you through that.
Psychotherapy helps with a wide range of concerns, and is especially valuable for deeper or recurring difficulties, including depression, anxiety, trauma, complex PTSD, relationship patterns, and low self-esteem. If you are not sure whether it fits, we are happy to advise.
Medically reviewed by
General Practitioner
The clinical information on this page has been reviewed for accuracy by Dr Paul King, General Practitioner at Integro Health. It is general information, and not a substitute for personal medical or psychological advice.
