A day in the life of a Psychologist

What does a Psychologist do?

Suzanne Woods, a Registered Psychologist with Therapy Focus, shares her professional journey and walks us through her role.

How it all started

I embarked on my path with Therapy Focus during my time as a postgraduate psychology student undergoing practicum placement. This journey remained throughout my 12-month internship and continues today as a Registered Psychologist.

No two days are the same

Every day differs as a psychologist at Therapy Focus, with a variety of clinic-based customer sessions, school visits, and sessions delivered via teletherapy. Working in a multidisciplinary team in the NDIS sector also involves regular meetings with external stakeholders (including schools and support staff) and opportunities for internal consultations with therapists from other disciplines, fostering collaboration, teamwork, and ongoing learning opportunities.

Support across the lifespan

Working at Therapy Focus provides opportunities to work with individuals across the lifespan, with my current caseload ranging from 6 to 61 years of age. This allows direct intervention with customers, as well as indirectly through parent sessions. These parent sessions often consist of providing relevant psychoeducation, parent coaching, behavioural management strategies, as well as strategies to promote connectedness, secure attachment, and positive emotional development.

Diverse caseload

Customers at Therapy Focus present with a diverse range of disabilities and support needs, allowing me to continuously learn and develop my clinical skills. I currently support customers with a range of social, emotional and mental health difficulties. These include anxiety, depression, stress and perfectionism, self-esteem, grief and loss, interpersonal or relationship difficulties, sleep hygiene (sleep habits), and emotional literacy and regulation skills related to their disability. It is such a privilege to work with wonderful customers and families to set meaningful, functional goals and support them through psychological intervention to achieve these.

More than the usual benefits

There are so many benefits to working within a multidisciplinary team at Therapy Focus, including the ability to share ideas and strategies for therapy, being well-supported and part of a team, and, most importantly providing comprehensive care to customers. I regularly consult with Occupational Therapists regarding the sensory needs of shared neurodivergent customers, or with Speech Pathologists to collaborate and explore strategies to adjust psychotherapy to meet the customer’s communication needs. I also often have the opportunity to provide consultation and strategies to other therapists who may have concerns about their customers presenting with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

Connected care

The psychology team at Therapy Focus is widespread across the Perth Metro and South West region; however, we remain well-connected through regular team meetings, opportunities to debrief, and access to high-quality clinical supervision. Belonging to the psychology team while also being situated within a local multidisciplinary team provides the ideal blend, offering the benefits of both worlds by fostering a supportive environment with access to a wealth of therapy expertise!

Learn more about our Psychology services and how our Psychologists works as part of our transdisciplinary therapy teams.