Psychological services:
PATHS offers a comprehensiverange of psychological services which include assessment, therapeutic intervention/counselling and educational consultancy for children, adolescents and their families.
Assessment areas:
- Developmental, Intellectual and Educational assessments
- Identification of learning and /or processing difficulties
- Identification of giftedness
- Identification and diagnosis of developmental disorders including autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and intellectual disability
- Behavioural and adaptive functioning assessment
- Support for school based funding applications - DEECD, CEO and Independent schools
- Support for VCE special arrangements
Therapeutic counselling and intervention areas:
- Managing challenging behaviours, including those arising from ADHD, ODD or associated with ASD
- Developing self regulation
- Mental health, stress, anxiety and depression
- Dealing with trauma, grief and loss
- Family relationships and parenting support
- School and social difficulties
- Bullying
- Self esteem and assertiveness
- Sleep and toileting issues
- Specific ASD interventions under FaHCSIA funding arrangements
- Outreach behaviour support and counselling for adults with ID or ASD
What does assessment involve?
Cognitive and educational assessment or psycho-educational assessment, involves the completion of a range of visual and verbal problems and school-based tasks over two to three sessions. The psychologist will then use the information gained, in addition to the history provided by the parent and pre-school/school, to identify the individual’s particular learning or developmental strengths and weaknesses.
Following a feedback session with the parents and where appropriate the student, a written report will be completed with recommendations for ongoing support or programming for the child or student.
For young children, or complex assessments, an observation of the child at pre-school, child care or school may also be recommended.
How can counselling help?
Counselling can assist the child or adolesecent to sort through personal or family issues. By talking through the issues with a psychologist your child or adolescent can gain a new perspective on a problem and develop strategies for working through it. The psychologist can help to set short and long term goals and to implement strategies to achieve them. Counselling is tailored to individual needs and establishes skills that can be used longer term for the wide range of difficulties that people encounter in their daily lives.
