(02) 4703 9880
Evidence-based treatment in Penrith
by Clinical Psychologists
Welcome to Boyce & Dale Anxiety and Mood Disorders Clinic, located in the heart of Penrith and providing psychological therapy locally and beyond.
Our Clinical Psychologists provide practical, tailored, evidence-based treatment to help you overcome your challenges and take control over your mental health.
We look forward to working with you.
Our Approach
We provide gold-standard, evidence-based, and effective psychological therapy in the Penrith area.
Anxiety and mood disorders are almost always best treated by Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). No need to complicate matters; that’s the framework we’ll very likely be using.
Sometimes clients tell us they’ve already tried CBT, and it didn't help. There are a few reasons why this might’ve occurred, and these aren't necessarily due to the CBT framework itself. You can be assured that our Clinical Psychologists are thoroughly experienced in the optimal application of CBT; practical, structured, and individually-tailored.
For some people, a variation of CBT is more appropriate: Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). We’re equally comfortable tailoring your psychological therapy using this approach, as your unique circumstances demand.
Most importantly, our Penrith Clinical Psychologists take an efficient and effective approach that is personalised, practical, and targets your specific concerns.
Our Penrith Clinical Psychologists
Our Clinical Psychologists, Mark Boyce and Erin Dale, have practiced in the Penrith area for over a decade, offering psychological counselling across a range of domains. In addition to their Penrith psychology clinic, they have each worked in other practices specialising in the treatment of severe anxiety and OCD presentations.
Our Clinical Psychologists can see you face-to-face in our Penrith psychology practice, or you are welcome to attend sessions via video-link (telehealth) if you can’t make it to Penrith. Telehealth sessions remain a popular option for a range of reasons. One of these is that Penrith is for some a long way from home! Our experience with severe anxiety and OCD has led to us seeing clients far beyond the Penrith area. We take clients from across Sydney, throughout rural NSW, interstate, and internationally; so, wherever you are, you’re welcome.
Practice Areas
See our Services and Treatment page for more information about the range of anxiety and mood disorders treated by our Clinical Psychologists
Anxiety is often a natural, healthy response to potential threats or challenges. It's meant to help keep us safe by keeping us alert, focused, and prepared.
Unfortunately, anxiety can become unhelpful and unhealthy.
Instead of being temporary, it can become prolonged or chronic.
Instead of matching the level of the perceived threat or challenge, it might be disproportionately intense. It may even occur in the absence of any clear threat at all.
Sadness is quite normal, and often quite a healthy response. We generally bounce back well from it, whether it's from loss, disappointment or most other stressors.
However, sometimes sadness becomes deeper and more persistent.
Sometimes it casts too great a shadow over your thoughts, moods, and daily activity.
Depression can be accompanied by poor sleep, changes to appetite, fatigue, poor concentration, and reduced interest in usual activity.
OCD and related disorders (such as Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Trichotillomania and Skin Picking Disorder) are extremely challenging conditions to live with.
OCD is certainly not a quirk, and it’s not about liking things tidy. It’s like having a smartphone app that’s meant to alert you to important tasks or dangers, but malfunctions and instead sends repetitive notifications, usually for no reason and often with disturbing or irrelevant content.
Panic attacks are like having an internal alarm system that's far too sensitive, and often malfunctions.
This alarm doesn't make a noise; instead, it brings about a rapidly escalating set of physiological symptoms: shortness of breath, racing heart, dizziness, and more.
Panic attacks may occur in response to a known stressor, or simply 'out of the blue'.
The alarm system may then interpret these symptoms (it's own response!) as a threat, further escalating it's response.
We all worry, and it's usually quite healthy or barely a problem. However, being 'a bit of a worrier' can become a problem.
Indeed, you may become 'a lot of a worrier', and your worry may get in the way of healthy functioning.
Your worry may be accompanied by general tension or agitation, by disrupted sleep or appetite. You might be a bit of a reassurance-seeker, or perhaps find that you need to rely upon others to help you make decisions.
These symptoms are some of these often found in people with Generalised Anxiety Disorder.
Everyone will have traumatic experiences throughout their lives. It's part of life, and one most are equipped to deal with, well enough, most of the time.
However, sometimes following a traumatic event, your threat radar might become hypersensitive, especially to things that remind you of your trauma, even if the thing itself isn’t immediately dangerous.
PTSD occurs when anxiety symptoms and memories don’t go away or reduce as would usually be expected after a traumatic event, such as an accident, injury, assault, natural disaster or combat exposure.
ANGER & EMOTIONAL REGULATION
Just like anxiety, anger is a normal, healthy emotion. They are both part of your innate 'fight or flight' response, and both help to keep you safe.
However, you may find these emotions come too frequently, too intensely, and last too long. Worse, they may also come when they're really not necessary at all.
You may find these emotions difficult to control, and that they control your behaviour.
Dysregulated emotions can have a significant impact on relationships, career, and general well-being.
Sleep is not just a rest. It's a crucial component of your mental and physical well-being.
When the quality or quantity of your sleep is compromised, the impact of your life can be significant.
Poor sleep can impact emotional regulation, cognitive functions, physical health, and engagement in usual behaviour.
Fortunately, it's a behaviour you can work on and improve.
Good sleep hygiene practices and psychological therapy can be immensely beneficial in improving the quality and quantity of your sleep.
Health Anxiety is like having an overly sensitive smoke detector in your body, where even the smallest hint of a physical change sets off an alarm, suggesting a major health crisis. This isn't just being attentive to your health; it's a constant state of false alarm that can overshadow everyday life.
Health anxiety is often accompanied by repeated visits to your doctor (or any doctor!), and far too much on-line research. The problem is, you may not be satisfied with what you learn, or you may not be satisfied for very long.
You may find yourself thoroughly preoccupied, and as a consequence your quality-of-life diminishes.