About Allison
Dr Allison Cahill
Allison is a Senior Clinical Psychologist who has undertaken eight years of training to complete her combined Masters and PhD degrees in Clinical Psychology. With over 20 years of experience helping clients to build better lives she believes in the potential for all of us to continually grow, adapt and heal from the past. Helping clients to heal from trauma and connect authentically in their relationships, she brings curiosity, warmth and humour to her work.
Working from a holistic, person-centered and compassion-based approach, Allison feels privileged to accompany her clients on their journey to achieve their goals. By creating a safe and non-judgemental space, she has helped a diverse range of clients in various settings including public health, private practice, inpatient and outpatient clinics and tertiary education.
Allison is a member of the Australian Psychological Society’s (APS) College of Clinical Psychology and is registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) with clinical practice endorsement. She has also completed her accreditation as a Board-approved supervisor for psychologists at various stages of their career. As part of her professional practice she receives regular peer supervision and attends workshops and conferences to keep up to date with current research and practice.
Dr Allison Cahill, Psychology on the Park, Carlton, Clinical Psychology, Clinical Psychologist, EMDR
Services
Individual Psychotherapy
Allison sees adults of all ages for a range of diverse presenting issues. Please refer to the list below in the 'What is Treated' section. Depending on your needs and preferences, a variety of evidence-based approaches are on offer. These approaches are detailed in the 'My Therapy' section. The first 1 - 2 sessions will predominately focus on assessment to better understand you and your goals with each session lasting approximately 50 minutes.
Telehealth Services Available
Medicare now provides rebates for telehealth (video and phone -conferencing) sessions under your Mental Health Care Plan. If you have access to a computer, tablet or smart phone with a stable internet connection, that is private, video-conferencing can be an effective and convenient way to access the support you need, with or without a rebate. Please note, telehealth may not be the most appropriate medium of treatment depending on your goals.
Clinical Supervision
Allison has completed her accreditation as a Board-approved supervisor for psychologists at various stages of their career including registrars seeking clinical endorsement. Whilst aiming to strenthen professional self-confidence and encourage reflective practice, providing supervision has been a rewarding aspect of the roles she has held as a Senior Clinical Psychologist and Program Manager.
My Therapy
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Involves identifying and challenging unhelpful thinking that contributes to unnecessary distress and poor habits. By changing problematic thoughts and behaviours, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) has been shown to be effective in the treatment of many mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
The aim of ACT is to maximise human potential for a rich, full and meaningful life by learning to accept what is outside of your personal control, and committing to action that improves and enriches your life. Effective components of ACT is the practice of mindfulness and the identification of values and goals.
Schema Therapy (ST)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Schema Therapy (ST)
Is an integrative approach used to treat presentations caused by difficult childhood experiences and trauma. Schema Therapy's mode work is a compassionate and effective way to treat a number of chronic conditions and unhealthy relationship patterns by replacing maladaptive coping styles and helping individuals meet basic emotional needs.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Skills
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
This approach is designed to help people regulate their emotions and improve their interpersonal skills by learning about the triggers that lead to reactive states and helping to assess which coping skills to apply. Initially used to treat Borderline Personality Disorders, DBT is effective with mood disorders, addictions and other psycho-social difficulties.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR was designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. This therapy uses eye movements (or sometimes rhythmic tapping or audio tones) to change the way a memory is stored in the brain, allowing you to process it. EMDR is particularly effective for treating trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and can also help with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, addictions etc.
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Strongly recommended for the treatment of PTSD, this approach is a specific type of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy that helps people learn how to challenge and modify unhelpful beliefs related to their trauma. In so doing so, a new understanding and conceptualization of the traumatic event is created and the trauma processed to reduce its ongoing negative effects on current life.