Psychology

Psychologists at Peninsula Health provide a vital service, supporting the mental health and wellbeing needs of our local community.

What we do

Peninsula Health’s psychology workforce is made up of clinical psychologists, clinical neuropsychologists, generally registered psychologists and psychology clinical educators.

Psychologists evaluate a person’s psychological needs and work with the team to provide advice, evidence-based therapy and interventions that support the client’s health and well being. Psychologists typically work with people with emotional, cognitive and/or behavioural challenges related to medical conditions and/or mental health conditions. Psychologists consider the person at the core, as well as their social context and medical situation.

Our psychologists are committed to continuing professional development to ensure the most up-to-date care for our community. A dedicated psychology education team collaborates with the Learning Hub to deliver psychology-specific training across the organisation, ensuring the highest standard of professional development for our team.

Services we provide

• Specialist assessment and diagnosis
• Individual and group intervention options
• Behaviour support
• Risk assessment and safety planning
• Supporting other healthcare professionals and treating teams to understand mental health and cognitive presentations
• Consultation, education and training
• Research and quality improvement

You may see a Clinical Psychologist or Generally Registered Psychologist if you are experiencing:

• Feelings of grief and loss, depression, anxiety, stress, fear or frustration
• Symptoms of trauma, such as nightmares, flashbacks or panic attacks
• Interpersonal relationship difficulties
• Difficulties coping with pain or addiction

You may see a Clinical Neuropsychologist if you are experiencing

• Changes to your attention, language, memory and/or other thinking skills
• Changes to your personality or behaviour
• Difficulties with making important decisions about your healthcare or other parts of your life

For assessment of intellectual functioning.

How to access this service

Our psychologists work across a range of programs and speciality services:

• Mental Health and Wellbeing Services, including infant, child and youth, adult & aged inpatient programs, community teams and the Frankston Health and Wellbeing Local
• Acute speciality medicine and surgery
• Subacute medical wards, including inpatient rehabilitation for adults and older adults and the palliative care ward
• At Home programs
• Community Counselling Team
• Community based services, including Community Rehabilitation Program, Children’s Team, Persistent Pain Management Clinic, Cognitive Dementia and Memory Service and Carer and Wellbeing Service.
• Other specialty services including Osteoarthritis Hip and Knee Services (OAHKS), Alcohol and Other Drugs (AoD), paediatric diabetes service, family violence services and Children’s Services Support Programs.

Who can use this serivce?

We do not accept direct referrals to a psychology department. How you access psychology services will depend on your program or referral pathway:

• If you are in an emergency, or at immediate risk of harm to yourself or others, please contact emergency services on Triple Zero (000) or present to your closest Emergency Department.
• If you need urgent help for your mental health or would like to access specialist mental health support through Peninsula Health please contact Mental Health Telephone Triage on 1300 792 977, 24 hours, 7 days per week.
• If you are 26-years old or over, you can access the Frankston Mental Health and Wellbeing Local, which is available for walk ins (454 Nepean Highway) or phone  support (1800 000 525).
• If you are admitted to a ward or already part of a community program at Peninsula Health and need psychological support, please discuss with a member of your treating team to understand your options.
• If you are new to Peninsula Health and require support in the community you can discuss what options with the ACCESS team on 1300 665 781.