PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES

Counselling and Consultations

We provide individual and family sessions addressing a range of issues, including:

  • mood (anxiety, panic, depression and general mood management)

  • ADHD and focus issues

  • chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia. CFS

  • adrenal fatigue

  • eating disorders

  • relationship issues and patterns (dating, relationship and marriage coaching)

  • personality patterns and difficulties

  • career and workplace issues

  • inability to change patterns in your life

  • study, school and friendship issues

  • adolescent and childhood problems

  • stress, anxiety and panic

  • anything else you would like to change

Mood - managing anxiety, depression, panic, motivation, etc.

We will work with you to measure and boost your mood using a range of techniques and strategies, including:  

  • understanding your brain chemistry patterns

  • noting your mood pattern

  • learning how your thought processes may influence mood

  • assessing your nutritional pattern and its possible links to your mood

  • state management techniques - how to influence your nervous system for increased feelings of calm and positive moods

  • understanding the role of natural supplements and/or medication in managing mood issues

Executive Coaching

We work with a range of professionals in various fields to assist in areas such as:

  • working out what you want to achieve

  • understanding aspects of your personality that influence work patterns

  • improving your ability to influence other people

  • recovering after difficult or stressful incidents

  • developing a plan to achieve your preferred outcomes at work

  • career development and enhancement

  • work/life balance improvement

  • monitoring and improving physical or psychological health

  • working in difficult circumstances

Professional Development

Selina regularly provides seminars, workshops and conference presentations for various organisations.  Contact us to discuss your needs.

Training and Supervision

Selina conducts training and workshops for professionals in areas such as:

  • optimism development

  • personality

  • mood mapping

  • using hypnotherapy and meditation with clients

  • mood nutrition and effects of food patterns

  • overcoming fatigue and burnout

  • maintaining personal energy and wellbeing

  • boosting wellbeing in a professional work group

Schools & Education

Selina Byrne specialises in providing programs to address teacher and school staff wellbeing.  Selina can work with your school or education institution to assess how best to help your staff take responsibility for improving wellbeing and design a program or seminar to suit your needs in whatever time-frame you have available.

Some of the current programs we conduct for schools:

  • wellbeing toolkit for teachers

  • the truth about overload

  • optimism development

  • managing difficult interactions at school

  • parent programs - wellbeing for kids, optimism and resilience for kids/teenagers

  • assisting with transitions - grade six to secondary school  

We also provide individual or group consultations for staff in schools, including principals, teachers and support staff.  This includes:

  • counselling for stressed staff members

  • recovering from stressful incidents

  • career difficulties

  • personality issues and conflict

  • improving personal health and wellbeing

  • relationship issues

  • managing health conditions or emotional issues

  • consultations for kids with problems  

Brain chemistry – are you out of balance?

There are two main groups of chemicals that influence (and are influenced by) how we feel.  

Serotonin enables us to access states of contentment and wellbeing, and is known as a calming mood chemical. Serotonin imbalances have been associated with depression, anxiety, tearfulness, anger, irritability, eating disorders, low frustration tolerance, rejection sensitivity, addictions, feeling bullied, concentration/memory problems and suicidal feelings. Women are more likely to experience serotonin imbalance, as males make approximately 50% more serotonin.  

Our programs help people to promote serotonin release through psychological techniques, food and beverage choice, supplementation (e.g. vitamins, herbs, nutrients), music, specific physical exercise, leisure activities, work-based strategies and relationship behaviours.

The catecholamine group of brain chemicals (dopamine, adrenalin and noradrenalin) help us access states of energy and focus, and are known as activating mood chemicals. Imbalances will affect energy levels, attention span, concentration, sensitivity to boredom, the ability to follow through on tasks and tendency towards risk, addiction and thrill-seeking. Some studies have suggested that males are more likely to have dopamine imbalances due to increased dopamine receptors in the brain.

Our programs can help people boost activating chemicals through supplementation, psychological skills, music, food/beverage choice, behavioural strategies, exercise/sport choice, leisure choices and lifestyle strategies.

Optimism

Our level of optimism is a major factor in determining our psychological health, wellness, performance under stress, level of persistence and ability to recover after setbacks. Research suggests that our level of optimism is partly determined by genetic factors, along with early childhood and teenage experiences. We can measure optimism using several different psychological instruments that are quick and easy to administer.

Once we have determined your level of optimism, we can develop strategies to boost or maintain optimism. Strategies include changing thinking patterns, changing brain chemistry, mood nutrition, use of music and exercise, personality analysis and lifestyle management.

Some people have optimism blocks in certain areas of their lives (e.g. relationships or weight management) while others have an optimism block across different aspects of life. Research suggests that we can permanently improve our optimism levels through learning key strategies such as those in our programs.

Personality

Psychologists generally agree that there are five main traits measured in personality tests. One model, developed by Paul Costa and Robert McCrae in 1991 looks at the following five independent dimensions. Most people fall in the middle on most traits, with less people at each extreme. We use a personality profile to measure these factors for individuals and for organisations recruiting staff.

The five factors are:  

1. Emotional Stability – level of anxiety, depression, hostility, vulnerability to stress, self consciousness

2. Extraversion – level of gregariousness, positive emotions, activity level, assertiveness

3. Openness to experience – creativity, novelty seeking, openness to own emotions, conventionality, ideas and actions

4. Agreeableness – level of warmth, compassion, altruism, tough/tenderness, trust in others

5. Conscientiousness – degree of organisation, self-discipline, need for order, follow-through

Use of this personality measure has been found to be predictive of behaviour in the workplace and is used by many organisations to assist with recruitment as well as personal and professional development.