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IMPORTANT MESSAGE REGARDING THE COVID -19 (Corona Virus)

Due to the Corona Virus we respectfully request that all clients and and prospective clients who have recently travelled overseas, have flu like symptoms or have been in contact with someone who has contracted Virus to please reschedule or make an appointment after the 2 week quarantine period in accordance with the WA Health Department guidelines.

We appreciate your co-operation in the interest of the community and staff at Thinkwell Psychology.

Hope Is Key to Recovery From Anxiety Disorders

11/28/2019

 
Re-published from TechnologyNetworks. Original story from the University of Houston
Hope Is Key to Recovery From Anxiety Disorders
Credit: Photo by Miguel Bruna on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/@mbrunacr
University of Houston associate professor of clinical psychology, Matthew Gallagher, has added his voice to a debate that spans the ages — the importance of hope. Gallagher reports in Behavior Therapy that hope is a trait that predicts resilience and recovery from anxiety disorders.

The concept of hope has long stirred opinion. In the sixteenth century, Martin Luther celebrated its power, claiming “Everything that is done in this world is done by hope.” Two centuries later, Benjamin Franklin warned that “He that lives upon hope will die fasting.” Into the conversation, Gallagher reports that psychotherapy can result in clear increases in hope and that changes in hope are associated with changes in anxiety symptoms.

More than pure philosophy, Gallagher has empirical evidence. His study examined the role of hope in predicting recovery in a clinical trial of 223 adults in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for one of four common anxiety disorders: social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

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Just a Gut Feeling: IBS, SIBO and the Gut-Brain Connection

10/30/2019

 
Re-published from TechnologyNetworks
IBS, SIBO and the Gut-Brain Connection
Credit: Photo by VanveenJF on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/@vanveenjf
​People often talk about their “gut instincts” or how they just “felt it in my guts” or that stress can give you “butterflies in the stomach” or make you nauseous to the point of vomiting.

Are these just figures of speech?

It turns out that the gut – the digestive system – has its own nervous system that is often referred to as our “second brain”. This “second brain” is called the enteric nervous system (ENS) and research is revealing that the ENS is in direct communication with the brain and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (part of the central nervous system or CNS), the gut microbiota, the hormonal and the immune systems.

These are two-way communications systems, so that, for example, the microbiota – the combined pattern of microbes in the gut – can affect the stress response, the immune response, hormonal control of digestion and the predisposition to various conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, obesity, diabetes, depression and anxiety. In turn, the ENS – and likely the CNS – can affect the pattern of bacteria in the microbiome as well as the digestive processes of the gut. However, it is becoming clearer that this is only the tip of the iceberg – the ENS, CNS and the microbiota can interact to produce dysfunction in the digestive, neurological, immune and hormonal systems, and to affect mental health.

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How Sugar Affects the Brain

10/16/2019

 
Original video from TED-Ed via YouTube
When you eat something loaded with sugar, your taste buds, your gut and your brain all take notice. This activation of your reward system is not unlike how bodies process addictive substances such as alcohol or nicotine -- an overload of sugar spikes dopamine levels and leaves you craving more.

​Nicole Avena explains why sweets and treats should be enjoyed in moderation.

​Lesson by Nicole Avena, animation by STK Films.

New Therapeutic Target for Depression Identified

5/24/2019

 
Re-published from "Neuroscience News" magazine from TechnologyNetworks.
Original story by the University of Malaga
New Therapeutic Target for Depression Identified
Photo by Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash
Depression is one of the most widespread disorders that affects society, according to the World Health Organization. In fact, it is estimated that 4 million people are affected in Spain.

There are different pharmacological treatments for depression, mainly therapies that act on the serotonin system -the so-called SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). However, it has been evidenced that these antidepressants take around two weeks to have an effect and, what's more, around 30% of patients are resistant to this drug.

Researchers of the Department of Human Physiology of the UMA Faculty of Medicine have taken a step closer to a new therapeutic target to face this mental disorder.

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Childhood Trauma Can Impact Our Gut Bacteria

4/30/2019

 
Re-published from "Neuroscience News" magazine from TechnologyNetworks.
Original story from Columbia University
Childhood trauma can impact our gut bacteria
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
A Columbia University study has found that adversity early in life is associated with increased gastrointestinal symptoms in children that may have an impact on the brain and behavior as they grow to maturity.

The study was published online March 28 in the journal Development and Psychopathology.

“One common reason children show up at doctors’ offices is intestinal complaints,” said Nim Tottenham, a professor of psychology at Columbia and senior author on the study. “Our findings indicate that gastrointestinal symptoms in young children could be a red flag for future emotional health problems.”

Scientists have long noted the strong connection between the gut and brain.

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Be Yourself at Work — It’s Healthier and More Productive

4/1/2019

 
Re-published from "Neuroscience News" magazine from TechnologyNetworks.
​Original Press Release from Rice University
Be Yourself at Work -- It’s Healthier and More Productive
At work, it’s healthier and more productive just to be yourself, according to a new study from Rice University, Texas A&M University, the University of Memphis, Xavier University, Portland State University and the University of California, Berkeley.

The study, “Stigma Expression Outcomes and Boundary Conditions: A Meta-Analysis” will appear in an upcoming edition of the Journal of Business and Psychology. It examines 65 studies focusing on what happens after people in a workplace disclose a stigmatized identity, such as sexual orientation, mental illness, physical disability or pregnancy.

Eden King, a co-author of the study and an associate professor of psychology at Rice, said the decision to express a stigmatized identity is highly complicated.

“It has the potential for both positive and negative consequences,” she said.

However, the research overwhelmingly indicates that people with non-visible stigmas (such as sexual orientation or health problems) who live openly at work are happier with their overall lives and more productive in the workplace. King said self-disclosure is typically a positive experience because it allows people to improve connections, form relationships with others and free their minds of unwanted thoughts.

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Brain Scans Shine Light on How We Solve Clues

3/18/2019

 
Re-published from "Neuroscience News" magazine from TechnologyNetworks.
Original Press Release from Aalto University
Brain Scans Shine Light on How We Solve Clues
What’s an s-shaped animal with scales and no legs?  What has big ears, a trunk and tusks? What goes ‘woof’ and chases cats? The brain’s ability to reconstruct facts – ‘a snake’, ‘an elephant’ and ‘a dog’ – from clues has been observed using brain scanning by researchers at Aalto university. Their study was published today in Nature Communications.

In the research, test subjects were given three clues to help them guess what familiar objects the clues described. In addition to well-known animals, the clues depicted vegetables, fruits, tools and vehicles. The familiar objects and concepts described in the clues were never presented directly to the test subjects.

The researchers at Aalto University demonstrated that brain activation patterns contained more information about the features of the concept than had been presented as clues. The researchers concluded that the brain uses environmental clues in an agile way to activate a whole range of the target concept’s properties that have been learned during life.

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The Brain Cells Behind Insomnia

3/10/2019

 
Re-published from "Neuroscience News" magazine from TechnologyNetworks.
​Original Press Release from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Picture
Credit: Unsplash
An international team of researchers has identified, for the first time, the cell types, areas and biological processes in the brain that mediate the genetic risk of insomnia. This was made possible by assessing DNA and sleep features in no less than 1.3 million people. The findings are a major step towards getting a grip on the biological mechanisms that cause insomnia.

Insomnia is one of the most common disorders. Many people occasionally have a bad night of sleep. One out of ten people chronically experience poor sleep and suffer severely from the daytime consequences. Worldwide, 770 million people have chronic insomnia.

Read More

One in four girls is depressed at age 14

3/30/2018

 
One in four girls is depressed at age 14
Photo credit: Troy Benson, source: Flickr

New research shows a quarter of girls (24%) and one in 10 boys (9%) are depressed at age 14.

​
Researchers from the UCL Institute of Education and the University of Liverpool analysed information on more than 10,000 children born in 2000-01 who are taking part in the Millennium Cohort Study.

At ages 3, 5, 7, 11 and 14, parents reported on their children’s mental health. Then, when they reached 14, the children were themselves asked questions about their depressive symptoms.

Based on the 14-year-olds reporting of their emotional problems, 24 per cent of girls and 9 per cent of boys suffer from depression.

The research, published with the National Children’s Bureau, also investigated links between depressive symptoms and family income. Generally, 14-year-olds from better-off families were less likely to have high levels of depressive symptoms compared to their peers from poorer homes.


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Witnessing trauma at work takes an emotional toll

3/26/2018

 
BY THE PSYCHLOPAEDIA TEAM - THE AUSTRALIAN PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY
witnessing-trauma-at-work-takes-an-emotional-toll
Many professions - paramedics, police, firefighters - involve helping people in traumatic circumstances but witnessing trauma has its own effects that can haunt people for life.

When we think about workplace safety, we often think about introducing or improving initiatives to ensure the physical safety of workers.

In recent years, there’s also been a growing awareness around ensuring not just the physical but also the psychological wellbeing of employees, with more organisations now working to manage the impact of vicarious trauma in the workplace.
​
While vicarious trauma will never be eliminated from trauma-exposed workplaces, it is possible for organisations to effectively manage it, which has been shown to reduce attrition rates and unplanned absences, and boost the workplace culture.

Read More
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Thinkwell Psychology Perth


15B / 550 CANNING HIGHWAY
ATTADALE  (ATTADALE BUSINESS CENTRE)

PH: (08) 6361 1275   |   FAX: (08) 6361 1318 
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Dr Teresa D'Amato
TERESA D’AMATO
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
B.A. Psych (Hons) | M. Psych (Clinical) | MAPS | MACPA | MIACN
Professional Membership Thinkwell Psychology

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  • Home
  • Services
  • Approaches
    • Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
    • Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)
    • Mindfulness
    • Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
    • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
    • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
    • Neuropsychotherapy
    • Schema Focused Therapy
    • Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
    • Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT)
  • Our Team
    • PRACTICE GALLERY
  • NEWS
  • Booking
  • Contact