Surrey Hills and Coburg North

Therapy for Depression

Therapy for depression helps you understand what sits underneath the low mood, not just how to push through it. Our psychologists work with depression and persistent low mood at our Surrey Hills and Coburg North clinics, and online. Medicare rebates are available with a referral from your GP.

What depression actually is

Depression is more than having a low week. It is a shift in mood, energy and interest that settles in for weeks or months and starts to affect how you function. It changes how you think about yourself, how much you can manage, and how much anything feels worth doing.

It is physical as much as emotional. You might be sleeping far more than usual or lying awake at four in the morning. Appetite changes in one direction or the other. Concentration becomes unreliable. Everything costs more effort than it used to, and that effort becomes proof that something feels wrong with you. That loop is one of the hardest parts of it.

Depression is also common, and it is not a weakness of character or a failure of willpower. It is one of the most frequent reasons people come to see a psychologist.

Depression does not always look like sadness

People often describe feeling flat, numb, irritable, or like they are running on autopilot rather than feeling sad. Some are performing perfectly well at work and unravelling at home. Some have been managing at this level so long they have stopped noticing it is unusual.

This is the version that gets missed, by GPs, by families, and most often by the person living it. It rarely announces itself. It settles in slowly, and by the time someone reaches out they will often say they have felt like this for months without being able to say when it started.

Signs you might recognise

• Low mood or flatness most days, for weeks at a time
• Losing interest in the things you used to look forward to
• Feeling tired no matter how much you sleep
• Feeling like you have lost your spark, or that you are going through the motions
• A short fuse with the people closest to you
• Trouble concentrating, remembering things, or making small decisions
• Being harder on yourself than you would ever be on anyone else
• Pulling away from friends, then feeling worse for being on your own

If you need support right now

If things feel unsafe or unmanageable today, please reach out now rather than waiting for an appointment. In an emergency, call 000. For support at any hour, Lifeline is 13 11 14, Beyond Blue is 1300 22 4636, and 13YARN is 13 92 76 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander callers. Kids Helpline is 1800 55 1800 for anyone aged 5 to 25. All of these are free.

Shouldn’t I be able to sort this out myself?

It is the most common thing that keeps people away, and it is worth answering directly. Psychologists have their own psychologists. We have supervisors, and we use them, because none of us can see our own blind spots from the inside. Needing another perspective is not evidence that you are failing at something everyone else manages alone.

Depression also makes this harder than usual, because low energy and low motivation are symptoms rather than character traits. Asking for help while depressed means doing the difficult thing with the fewest resources you have had in a while.

How we work with depression

We use evidence-based psychological approaches, and we pair them with understanding what your low mood is responding to. Practical work to rebuild energy and re-engage with life matters a great deal, and it holds far better when you also understand how things arrived here.

Depression usually makes sense in context. Sometimes that context is obvious: a loss, burnout, a relationship ending, chronic pain, or a run of years where you carried more than anyone could reasonably carry. Sometimes it is less visible and sits in your history, your family, your culture, or expectations you absorbed so early that you never consciously agreed to them.

Part of the work is separating what is genuinely yours from what you have been carrying for other people. People often arrive having done everything they were told would add up to a good life, and feeling hollow anyway. That deserves to be taken seriously rather than explained away.

For some people, undiagnosed neurodivergence turns out to be part of the picture. Years of working twice as hard to meet a standard that was never built for the way you are wired take a toll, and that toll often looks like depression. If that sounds familiar, our ADHD assessments and psychological assessments can give you a clearer answer.

We are also not aiming to return you to neutral. Getting the worst of it to ease is a fair place to start, and it is not the whole goal. Bamboo grows in sections, and at each joint it has to push through something before the next length can grow. People are not so different. What you come through tends to teach you something about your own capacity that you would not otherwise have known, and the aim is a life that fits what matters to you rather than one that simply stops hurting.

How long does therapy take?

More than a handful of sessions, and probably less than you fear. Low mood usually builds over a long stretch, often years, and the patterns holding it in place take a similar amount of time to unlearn.

Anyone who offers a fixed number of sessions is guessing. You and your psychologist will work out a realistic pace together, and revisit it as you go rather than settling it in the first hour.

What to expect at your first appointment

Your psychologist will want to hear what brought you in, how long things have felt this way, and what you would like to be different. There is nothing to prepare and no right way to answer. You decide what you talk about and when.

If leaving the house feels like more than you can manage at the moment, say so when you book. That is part of depression rather than an obstacle you need to solve before you are allowed to come in, and telehealth is available.

Nothing you bring will shock us. If you have seen someone before and came away feeling like nothing shifted, mention it early, because it tells us a lot about what needs to be different this time.

Who we work with

We work with children from around six years of age, teenagers, and adults of any age. Depression at fourteen looks very different to depression at sixty, and we match the practitioner and the approach to the person.

• Medicare rebates are available with a Mental Health Care Plan or a Chronic Condition Management Plan referral from your GP
• We work with NDIS participants who are self-managed or plan-managed
• Telehealth sessions are available if getting to a clinic is difficult
• You can book without a GP referral if you are not claiming a Medicare rebate or using private health insurance

Low mood and worry often arrive together. If both feel true for you, it is worth reading about anxiety and social anxiety therapy too, or looking through everything we offer on our services page.

Common questions about depression therapy

How do I know if it is depression or just a rough patch?

Duration and impact are the useful markers. A rough patch tends to lift when circumstances change. If low mood has stayed for several weeks and is affecting your sleep, your work, your relationships or your interest in things, it is worth talking to someone rather than waiting to see.

Do I need to be on medication to have therapy?

No. Psychological therapy can be used on its own or alongside medication, and that decision sits with you and your GP or psychiatrist. Your psychologist can work with you either way, and can liaise with your GP if you would like them to.

How much does therapy for depression cost with Medicare?

With a referral from your GP, Medicare rebates part of each session and you pay the difference. How many rebated sessions you have depends on which referral pathway you are on. Our reception team can give you current fees and rebate amounts before you book.

What if I cannot face talking about it?

That is a normal place to start, and it does not stop you booking. You are not required to explain everything in the first session, or to arrive with your thoughts already in order. Many people begin by saying they do not know where to start, and that is a perfectly workable beginning.

Can I do sessions online?

Yes. We offer telehealth by video, which suits people managing work hours, travel or caring responsibilities, and anyone for whom getting out of the house is part of what is hard right now. Medicare rebates apply on the same terms, and you can choose telehealth when you book an appointment.

Where to find us

Both clinics are straightforward to reach from the surrounding suburbs.

Surrey Hills
Suite 4, 407 Canterbury Road, Surrey Hills VIC 3127
Serving Box Hill, Camberwell, Balwyn, Blackburn, Mont Albert, Mitcham and surrounds.

Coburg North
120 Sussex Street, Coburg North VIC 3058
Serving Coburg, Pascoe Vale, Brunswick, Preston, Northcote, Fawkner and surrounds.

Speak with our team

If you would like to talk to someone about how you have been feeling, you can book an appointment online or call us on 03 7002 6030. If you are not sure whether therapy is the right next step, call and we can talk it through.