- Clinical THERAPY
Interventions for Therapy
Understanding the different psychological types of treatment or interventions available can help you make informed decisions about your mental health care.
Michelle Barratt Psychology & Administrative Services (MBP) connects clients with independent Brisbane psychologists and allied health professionals who provide evidence-based therapies tailored to children, adolescents, adults, couples and families, both in-person and online Australia-wide.
Clinically informed Support
Michelle Barratt Psychology provides a neutral, professional hub that connects you with the right clinician — so therapy can stay focused on you.
Table of Contents
Evidence-Based Psychological Interventions
Psychological interventions are evidence-based approaches designed to help people improve their emotional well-being, develop healthier coping strategies and create meaningful, lasting change. Every person has unique experiences, goals and challenges, which is why there is no single therapy that suits everyone.
Independent psychologists supported by Michelle Barratt Psychology & Administrative Services (MBP) utilise a variety of therapeutic approaches depending on your individual needs.
Some interventions focus on changing current thoughts and behaviours, while others explore relationships, emotions or past experiences that continue to influence daily life.
Whether you are seeking support for anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship concerns, behavioural challenges or emotional regulation, your psychologist will recommend the intervention—or combination of interventions—that best supports your recovery.
Helping You Find the Right Therapeutic Approach
Knowing where to begin can feel overwhelming, especially when there are many different types of therapy available. MBP provides the administrative support that helps connect individuals, families and referrers with experienced independent psychologists and allied health professionals across Brisbane and online Australia-wide.
Our role is to coordinate enquiries, provide information about treatment pathways and help ensure you are matched with a practitioner whose experience and therapeutic approach align with your goals.
What support does MBP provide?
Practitioner Matching
Helping connect clients with psychologists experienced in evidence-based interventions.
Referral Support
Providing administrative assistance with referrals and treatment pathways.
Appointment Coordination
Managing bookings and communication between clients and practitioners.
Treatment Information
Providing educational resources to help you understand available therapy options.
Ongoing Assistance
Supporting clients throughout the administrative process before and during treatment.
Flexible Access
Connecting clients with psychologists in Brisbane and online Australia-wide.
How do I get started?
If you are seeking a respectful and professionally managed pathway to treatment, please complete your details on our Contact Form >
We will respond within 24 to 48 hours, and help you find a Brisbane psychologist or allied health practitioner who specialises in borderline personality disorder and long-term recovery.
You may also view our Practitioner Page and select the clinician of your choice.
If in crisis, please call 000.
Contact Us on the Form Below
*Your personal information will be handled in the strictest confidence in accordance with the Allied Health Privacy ACT, 1988.
Important safety note
If you are in immediate danger, experiencing severe distress, or having thoughts of harming yourself, contact emergency services on 000 or a crisis service right away. If you are concerned but not in immediate danger, please mention this when you contact us so we can prioritise an appropriate, timely response.
Learn More About Common Therapy Interventions
Understanding Psychological Interventions
Psychological interventions are structured therapeutic approaches that help individuals understand their thoughts, emotions and behaviours while learning practical strategies to improve wellbeing. Your psychologist may recommend one approach or integrate several, depending on your concerns, goals and stage of treatment.
Child & Adolescent Therapy
Children and adolescents experience emotional and behavioural challenges differently from adults. Therapy is tailored to their developmental stage and may involve play, creative activities, family involvement and age-appropriate therapeutic techniques.
Child and adolescent therapy commonly supports:
- Anxiety
- School refusal
- Emotional regulation
- Behavioural concerns
- Bullying
- Family separation
- Social difficulties
- Trauma
- Depression
Parents and carers are often included in the therapeutic process to help reinforce positive outcomes outside the therapy room.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness teaches people to focus their attention on the present moment without judgement. Rather than becoming overwhelmed by difficult thoughts or emotions, mindfulness encourages greater awareness, acceptance and emotional balance.
Mindfulness may assist with:
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Emotional regulation
- Chronic worry
- Depression relapse prevention
- Sleep difficulties
Mindfulness techniques are frequently integrated into therapies such as CBT and DBT.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is one of the most researched and widely used psychological interventions. It helps individuals identify unhelpful patterns of thinking and behaviour that contribute to emotional distress and replaces them with healthier, more balanced responses.
CBT may be recommended for:
- Anxiety disorders
- Depression
- Panic attacks
- OCD
- Phobias
- Stress
- Sleep problems
- Low self-esteem
About Cognitive Behaviour Therapy:
Fundamentally, CBT focuses on supporting clients to reflect on the thought patterns in their lives that particularly drive negative thinking patterns that are dysfunctional and often distorted by deep wounds, which in turn trigger and perpetuate negative emotions and behaviours.
Cognitive Behaviour therapy therefore helps to develop more positive thinking patterns, which in turn improves emotional regulation and thus find more positive coping strategies/helpful behaviours that improves a clients overall functioning.
This therapy was initially designed to treat depression, but has been proven to successfully improve symptoms for many disorders, including anxiety, stress, and couples therapy.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) combines cognitive behavioural strategies with mindfulness and acceptance techniques. It is particularly effective for individuals who experience intense emotions or difficulty managing distress.
DBT teaches practical skills including:
- Emotional regulation
- Mindfulness
- Distress tolerance
- Interpersonal effectiveness
- Healthy coping strategies
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based psychological therapy intervention developed by Marsha Linehan, a clinical psychologist from Seattle, USA. This intervention was developed primarily to support highly suicidal young women who engage in persistent self-injurious behaviour and who struggle with intense and poorly controlled emotions.
It is a behavioural treatment that teaches women who meet the criteria for a disorder called Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and have co-existing mood disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, and alcohol and drug problems.
How is Dialectical Behaviour Therapy DBT different from standard cognitive and behavioural treatments?
The major innovation in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy DBT is the incorporation of the notion of dialectics. In short, it refers to the practice of considering strategies in which opposing views of a situation or extremes of a feeling are considered, and an attempt is made to identify “a middle path” of thinking and behaving which incorporates or combines elements of both opposing positions, that is, achieving an integration or synthesis of opposites.
The main dialectic in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy DBT is that of acceptance and change. Marsha and her team realised that previous, largely unsuccessful, treatments for Borderline Personality Disorder often stalled because clients struggled with the essentially change-based focus – clients felt invalidated, become upset and angry and /or withdrew from treatment when they felt continually pushed to change.
A balance between acceptance and change was introduced and is a central theme of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). Therefore, DBT therapists acknowledge people’s wish to be accepted as they are, and a simultaneous wish to change. These positions are opposite, but in dialectical terms can both be true at the same time i.e. the person wants to both change and not change.
Fundamentally, therapists communicate acceptance of clients as they are, while also acknowledging that in order to build a life worth living, they have to change. Clients are validated, and it is made explicit that their behaviours, even deliberate self-harm, make sense in real ways. Therapists actively communicate that clients’ thoughts, feelings and behaviours are valid and that they can learn how and when to trust and use their own internal experiences and judgement.
A central component of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy DBT is skills training, with four modules of skills:
- Mindfulness is taught because it focuses on improving a person’s ability to accept who they are and to just be present in the present moment.
- Interpersonal Effectiveness consists of techniques that allow a person to communicate with others in a way that is assertive, maintains self-respect, and strengthens relationships.
- Emotion Regulation is important as it is fundamental for people to stay in the prefrontal cortex; they thus need to develop strategies where they learn to manage and change intense emotions that are causing problems in a person’s life.
- Distress Tolerance has been engineered to teach skills to increase a person’s ability to tolerate negative emotion; to stand back from it, and allow it to ‘wash’ through you rather than to try to avoid or escape it.
These skills are taught because they primarily provide individuals with new coping strategies to manage painful emotions and reduce conflict in relationships.
Skills acquisition is therefore a significant component of the effectiveness of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy DBT and is implemented to support clients to feel more in control and thus empowered to manage their emotions.
Clients will begin to feel like they can deal with future problems more effectively because they learn to control their attention and awareness of the present moment, use interpersonal skills that are effective, start new relationships and improve current ones, understand how to regulate emotions, and tolerate emotional pain without feeling compelled to resort to behaviours that may be self-destructive.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy DBT may be a suitable treatment for people struggling with:
- Substance dependence
- Eating Disorders
- Trauma-related difficulties
- Difficulties with mood management
- Feelings of emotional numbness or overly intense emotions including anger/emotional dysregulation
- Turbulent or otherwise difficult interpersonal relationships
- Urges to self-harm
- Frequent suicidal thoughts
If you or someone close to you is experiencing any of these kinds of problems, please consider making an appointment with our specialised psychologists who can support you through therapy.
Behaviour Modification Therapy
Behaviour Modification Therapy focuses on changing behaviours by identifying patterns, reinforcing positive behaviours and reducing behaviours that interfere with everyday functioning. It is commonly used with both children and adults.
Behavioural approaches may support:
- ADHD
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Behavioural difficulties
- Habit change
- Parenting strategies
- School-based concerns
Understanding EMDR Therapy:
A Powerful Tool for Healing Trauma
Behaviour Modification Therapy focuses on changing behaviours by identifying patterns, reinforcing positive behaviours and reducing behaviours that interfere with everyday functioning. It is commonly used with both children and adults.
Behavioural approaches may support:
- ADHD
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Behavioural difficulties
- Habit change
- Parenting strategies
- School-based concerns
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a type of psychotherapy designed to alleviate distress associated with traumatic memories.
Developed in the late 1980s by Francine Shapiro, EMDR is now widely recognized as an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related conditions. The therapy helps individuals process and reframe disturbing memories by using a structured, eight-phase approach that incorporates guided eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation.
The Eight Phases of EMDR Therapy
EMDR therapy is structured around eight phases that guide the healing process. These phases ensure that the trauma is addressed in a safe, gradual, and controlled manner.
- History Taking: The therapist conducts a thorough assessment of the individual’s history, including any past traumatic experiences. The therapist also explains the process of EMDR and develops a treatment plan tailored to the individual’s needs.
- Preparation: In this phase, the therapist helps the individual build coping mechanisms and establish a sense of safety. This phase is crucial for ensuring that the client feels comfortable and supported throughout the therapy.
- Assessment: The client identifies specific memories or events related to their trauma. The therapist will ask the client to think about the memory, rate the level of distress, and identify negative beliefs they may hold about themselves (e.g., "I am powerless," "I am not safe").
- Desensitization: The therapist guides the client through a series of bilateral stimulations while they focus on the traumatic memory. This process helps reduce the emotional intensity of the memory and encourages new, healthier associations to form.
- Installation: In this phase, the therapist helps the client replace negative beliefs with positive ones. For example, if the negative belief is "I am powerless," it may be replaced with a more empowering thought such as "I am in control."
- Body Scan: The client focuses on any physical sensations they experience while thinking about the trauma. The goal is to identify and release any residual tension or discomfort in the body that may be connected to the traumatic experience.
- Closure: Each session concludes with the therapist helping the client return to a state of calm. This phase may include relaxation techniques to ensure the client feels grounded and stable before leaving the session.
- Reevaluation: During subsequent sessions, the therapist reassesses the client’s progress, revisiting any unresolved issues. The reevaluation phase helps ensure that the healing process continues and that any remaining trauma is addressed.
Who Can Benefit from EMDR Therapy?
EMDR therapy is suitable for anyone who has experienced trauma, whether recently or in the past. It is particularly beneficial for individuals with PTSD, but it can also help those dealing with anxiety, depression, addiction, and phobias. People who have experienced various forms of trauma, such as abuse, accidents, natural disasters, or combat exposure, can find significant relief through EMDR therapy.
Play Therapy
Authored By Yun Wei Chai
Registered Counsellor, ACA Level 2
MCoun, BA Psych, Certificate in Play and Art Therapy, Cert III Early Childhood Education
Play is a child’s natural language. Play Therapy provides a safe environment where children can express emotions, process experiences and develop healthy coping skills using play, art and creative activities.
Play Therapy may support children experiencing:
- Anxiety
- Trauma
- Behavioural difficulties
- Family changes
- Grief
- Emotional regulation challenges
Play therapy is a well-founded method to help children (also applicable to youth and adults) express feelings and make meaning of experiences through play.
Just as adults feel better when being listened to and understood, children want their feelings to be heard and acknowledged too. Without having access to a range of words, playing and ‘acting’ out becomes children’s most instinctive way of telling us what’s happened to them and how they feel inside.
Children are free to choose what they play, how to play, and when to play in play therapy. The sessions are guided by the child, at the child’s pace.
Based on a sound therapeutic relationship, play therapy can help children develop self-understanding, self-control, decision-making, responsibility, creativity and confidence.
In play therapy, children may use toys and expressive materials, including
- Figurines
- Doll houses
- Stuffed toys
- Role play toys
- Costumes
- Puppets
- Masks
- Clay
- Soft balls
- Construction toys
- Art materials
- Sensory materials
- Sand
- Musical instruments
- Therapy cards
Play therapy has effectively helped children dealing with:
- Trauma
- Worries / Anxiety
- Sadness / Depression
- Anger management
- Conduct disorder
- Loss and grief
- Self-confidence
- Sleep difficulties
- Bonding and attachment
- Family separation
- Family violence
- Physical and emotional abuse
- Sexual assault
- Sensory processing challenges
- ADHD
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Selective mutism
- Chronic illness
Narrative Therapy
Narrative Therapy helps people separate themselves from the problems they are experiencing. Rather than defining themselves by their difficulties, individuals learn to recognise their strengths, values and resilience while creating new, more empowering life stories.
Narrative Therapy may be beneficial for:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Trauma
- Relationship issues
- Identity concerns
- Grief and loss
Family Therapy
Family Therapy focuses on improving communication, understanding and problem-solving within families. Rather than treating one individual in isolation, family therapy explores how family relationships influence emotional wellbeing and works collaboratively towards healthier interactions.
Family Therapy may support:
- Parent-child conflict
- Blended families
- Separation and divorce
- Behavioural concerns
- Communication difficulties
- Mental health challenges affecting the family
Trauma and PTSD Therapy
Trauma can affect the way people think, feel, relate to others and respond to everyday situations. Trauma-focused therapies help individuals safely process difficult experiences while developing practical coping strategies and restoring a sense of safety and control.
Treatment may include evidence-based approaches such as CBT, EMDR, mindfulness and other trauma-informed interventions tailored to the individual’s needs.
Understanding Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy is a longer-term therapeutic approach that helps people understand how past experiences, relationships and unconscious patterns influence the way they think, feel and relate to others today. Rather than focusing only on current symptoms, psychodynamic therapy explores the deeper emotional processes that may be contributing to ongoing difficulties.
Many people find themselves repeating the same relationship patterns, experiencing intense emotional reactions or feeling “stuck” without fully understanding why. Psychodynamic therapy provides the opportunity to explore these experiences within a safe, supportive and confidential therapeutic relationship, helping to develop greater self-awareness and lasting emotional change.
How Can Psychodynamic Therapy Help?
Psychodynamic therapy recognises that emotional difficulties often develop over time and may be connected to earlier life experiences. Through regular sessions with a psychologist, clients are supported to explore thoughts, emotions and relationship patterns at a pace that feels comfortable.
As insight develops, many people begin to recognise recurring patterns, understand the origins of emotional distress and develop healthier ways of responding to life’s challenges. The therapeutic relationship itself becomes an important part of the healing process, providing a consistent environment built on trust, empathy and understanding.
What Can Psychodynamic Therapy Support?
Psychodynamic therapy may benefit people experiencing:
- Childhood trauma
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Relationship difficulties
- Grief and loss
- Low self-esteem
- Emotional regulation challenges
- Personality-related concerns
- Feelings of emptiness
- Repeating unhealthy relationship patterns
A Safe Space to Explore Your Experiences
Beginning therapy can feel vulnerable, particularly when discussing deeply personal experiences. Psychodynamic therapy respects that everyone has their own pace and there is no expectation to discuss difficult experiences before you are ready.
Working collaboratively with your psychologist, therapy provides a secure environment where trust can develop over time, allowing greater self-understanding, emotional resilience and healthier relationships.
Early Trauma and Psychodynamic Therapy
by Psychologist Timothy Rach
How can trauma affect your functioning?
Early experiences of trauma have a way of staying with a person. They can have a profound impact on one’s sense of self, one’s relationships, and the ability to connect to and express emotions. They can leave someone feeling stuck in patterns that may feel similar to those experienced in their early life. Trauma can also leave a person feeling unable to communicate not just their traumatic experiences, but the ways those experiences deeply affect them. It can feel like exposing oneself. Opening oneself up. Being totally vulnerable or unsafe.
How can Psychodynamic therapy support you through past trauma?
Psychodynamic therapy recognises not just the suffering that comes with early experiences of trauma, but also the vulnerability of connecting with another person to share those painful experiences. It aims to build a consistent and regular therapeutic environment where you can develop a firm sense of reliability and trust with your therapist. The work is long-term, allowing a therapeutic approach that takes its time exploring with you to create a mutual understanding of you and your experiences.
Crucially, psychodynamic therapy understands that it can take time to feel prepared to share your traumatic experiences. It offers a space where you can bring whatever you are ready to bring, when you are ready to bring it. In this way, psychodynamic therapy is focused on offering you a corrective and healing therapeutic relationship, with an attuned, empathic, and understanding therapist.
Positive change takes time. Encouragement, patience and open communication can make a meaningful difference throughout the therapy journey.
Supporting Someone Through Therapy
Supporting a family member through therapy can sometimes feel overwhelming. Parents, partners and carers often want to help but may not know the best way to provide support while respecting the therapeutic process.
Learning about different psychological interventions can help families better understand treatment goals, encourage participation and create a supportive home environment. Recovery is often strengthened when those closest to the individual feel informed and involved.
1 Learn About Therapy
Understand the intervention your loved one is participating in and how it supports recovery.
2 Encourage Consistency
Support regular attendance and ongoing engagement with therapy.
3 Reinforce Skills
Encourage healthy coping strategies learnt during therapy sessions.
4 Seek Your Own Support
Parents, carers and partners may also benefit from professional guidance while supporting a loved one.
5 Respect the Process
Recognise that meaningful emotional change often occurs gradually over time.
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If in crisis, please call 000.
*Your personal information will be handled in the strictest confidence in accordance with the Allied Health Privacy ACT, 1988.