Welcome To Psychology for Health!
Christchurch-based Clinical Psychologist Sandra Fowler.
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It seems to me that mental or psychological health is a gift that some people seem to achieve with little effort, while other people have problems occasionally, often, or constantly. This parallels physical health, where some people may have a health problem for a while, while others have chronic physical health issues (like diabetes for example). The mind and body are inseparable, and each affects the other.
Both physical and mental health are important parts of living the best and happiest lives we can. Psychological therapy can assist in managing changes to physical health through ageing, accident and illness. In particular, psychology has a great deal to offer people suffering due to chronic pain.
Mental health problems such as anxiety and depression can significantly affect quality of life, and psychological treatments are both effective, and involve learning skills that can protect against future reoccurence. This is a key benefit of psychological treatment over medication, although both have an important place in treatment, and can be used together.
Health is not just the absence of disease, but is a sense of positive well-being. Happiness is something we all strive for, and seeking assistance from a psychologist can be a positive step along the path to this goal. Psychology has a lot to offer people struggling with both physical and mental health issues, as well as people simply wanting to improve the quality of their lives and relationships.
Clinical Psychologists train extensively (minimum 7 years of tertiary education) in the nature of mental health problems, and how people experiencing such problems can be helped through psychological treatments. Thus a clinical psychologist is qualified to assess, diagnose, and treat mental illness. A clinical psychologist is also well qualified to help people with other, more every-day types of problems, such as managing stress, making important decisions, parenting problems, relationship problems, etc. Whilst a Clinical Psychologist cannot prescribe medication, they can be part of the treatment team, and liase with other health professionals, including your GP or a treating psychiatrist, as appropriate.
A clinical psychologist is a psychologist who as part of their training, receives a grounding in both adult and child/adolescent psychopathology. Clinical Psychologists are training to both assess and then treat mental health issues, using evidence based treatments. That is, approaches that have been researched and shown to be effective. Clinical Psychologists complete at least seven years of tertiary study, and are closely supervised and required to pass examinations to demonstrate their competency and ability to practice safely.
I work primarily from a cognitive-behavioural framework, but with significant influence from other therapeutic frameworks, including systemic and attachment models. I have also trained in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprogramming (EMDR), a well-validated treatment for trauma.
My belief is that working alongside people rather than doing treatment to people, is very important. I help people to identify and strengthen their own ideas and resources, as well as providing additional skills and ideas where these are needed. I believe that liaison with others involved in the health care of my clients, including GPs and other mental health providers, is best practice, and I encourage my clients to consent to this. I am also happy to involve family and significant others in treatment if my client wishes. Sometimes effective treatment requires this.
At the beginning of treatment, a period of assessment is necessary in order to develop an individualized and effective treatment plan with my client(s).
This framework is very flexible, and allows me to work
with a wide range of clients and difficulties. I see couples as well as individuals. I
have experience in helping couples and individuals with sexual problems,
including low libido, sexual pain, and compulsive sexual behaviours (such as
pornography use). I also work with people with Gender Identity issues, and
complete assessments where these are sought by individuals wishing to be seen
by an endocrinologist in order to be prescribed feminizing or masculinizing
hormones.
I am ACC registered to work with people who have made a Sensitive Claim to
ACC for sexual abuse. I also work with people who have made an ACC claim as a
result of a physical injury, who may benefit from psychological input.
I completed my training as a Clinical Psychologist at the University of Canterbury in 1997. It is a job I love, and it is a privilege to work with people, to be trusted with their personal information, and to have the opportunity to assist people to make important changes to improve their lives.
+ Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (University of Canterbury)
Master of Arts (Hons.) in Psychology (University of Canterbury)
+ Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Psychology (University of Canterbury)
+ Advanced Training in Sex Therapy (Goodfellow Unit, University of Auckland
I am registered with the New Zealand Psychologists Board in the Clinical Scope of Practice. See www.psychologistsboard.org.nz
+ Sexuality and Intimacy
+ Gender Identity issues
+ Couple therapy
+ Trauma, including sexual abuse
+ Psychological impact of (and adjustment to) physical health issues
+ Chronic pain
+ Depression, anxiety
+ Stress and adjustment
+ Peer Supervision
Full member of the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists (NZCCP) since 1998. This is the professional body for Clinical Psychologists in New Zealand. For more information, see www.nzccp.co.nz
After completing my clinical training in 1997, I worked in
public mental health for many years. I also spent 5 years on the staff of the
Clinical Psychology training programme at the University of Canterbury.
In more recent years I have developed an interest in working with both
couples and individuals who are experiencing problems with their sexual and
intimate lives. This can include problems such as sexual pain, problems with
desire, arousal and orgasm, and issues concerned with gender identity, and
sexually compulsive behavior (sometimes called sexual addiction). I also work
with couples around broader relationship and intimacy issues (couple
therapy).
I have presented to my peers on Sex Therapy in November 2013, and I have
also presented various workshops on Stress and Recovery following the
Christchurch earthquakes, in 2012 and 2013.
I have worked in public mental health, and University settings, and in 2012 I started working in private practice. I have now left my position at the University of Canterbury to focus on my private practice and thus return to what I enjoy most about my profession - working directly with a wide range of people, and assisting them to solve their problems and improve their lives.
I have worked with a number of different client groups during my career, including adult mental health setttings (A specialist Anxiety Disorders Service, a hospital Psychiatric Consultation consultation service), and child and adolescent mental health settings (Child and Family Specialty Service, Tertiary student counselling service, Residential treatment programme for male youth with sexual offending histories).
There are lots of different types of psychological treatment, and no psychologist
can be an expert in all of them. My training was predominantly cognitive-
behavioural, but I am also influenced by other approaches, including Attachment
models and Mindfulness approaches. Metacognitive therapy and Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy are also very helpful for some clients, and I will offer these
as appropriate.
I have trained in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprogramming, which is a
useful treatment for trauma.
Personally I don’t like this term, as I think it over-emphasises sex, and maybe
sounds a bit sleazy. I prefer to say that I am a psychologist who works (amongst
other things) with people, both individuals and couples, experiencing difficulty
with sex, sexuality and/or intimacy.
As with any other problem, it is important to get a clear idea of the nature of the
problem through a thorough assessment, before launching into treatment of the
particular problems.
I have always had a particular interest in sexuality and intimacy, and I enjoy
working in this area. I am comfortable talking about any sort of sexual problem
you may come to me with. There is nothing sexual about what happens in the
therapy room with me, but we will talk specifically about all aspects of your
sexual life, as relevant. Although most people find this uncomfortable and
embarrassing at first, people are usually relieved to get things off their chest, and
it is an important first step towards making things better!
I work with both individuals and couples where there are issues with emotional
and sexual intimacy, gender identity issues, and specific sexual problems. These
include problems with desire, arousal (including erectile problems) and orgasm,
and sexual pain problems.
Is my sex life good enough? When love hurts (help for problems with sexual pain)
The Mental Health Foundation has a great website with lots of useful information
and resources. See www.mentalhealth.org.nz
You can find out more information about Clinical Psychology on the website of
our professional college: www.nzccp.co.nz