⊕ Damian is a warm and compassionate clinical psychologist with over 17 years of experience in a variety of organisations.
Here to support Sydney city-dwellers and Mountain folk alike, across different locations.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/damian-rayner-a7410579/
Damian’s main areas of interest and experience include working with children (aged 0-12 years; and their caregivers); and working with a wide range of adult patients too, including a special interest in suicide prevention, hiking for mental health and destigmatising mental health issues for mental health professionals.
He has also presented on a variety of psychological topics to various audiences. These have included on a national Australian radio programme; at the Opera House; a Sydney University; in magazine articles as well as to groups of parents, adult, psychologists and students of psychology.
To discuss your needs please call or email Damian
0402476727 / damianrayner@live.com.au
A brief 5-10 minute phone call will help to make sure the service is the right one for you. You can discuss whether online or face to face services (at Homebush Medical and Dental Centre, NSW Australia) are most appropriate at the time you call (depending on needs, and Governmental or other policies, at the time).
Human Kind Psychology strives to work closely with any number of other services where appropriate, which may include preschool / school staff, speech pathologist, psychiatrist and general practitioners etc.
MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT DAMIAN RAYNER
⊕ Damian uses various methods to try to assist people with issues ranging from anxiety to depression, to childhood emotional and behavioural problems.
Some treatment options which may be used include:-
- cognitive-behavioural therapy
- acceptance and commitment approaches
- systemic family therapy approaches
- open dialogue
- parent-child relational strategies (like Circle of security programme), emotion-coaching and Marte Meo infant mental health approaches
- working with couples using solution focused and emotion focused approaches.
⊕ Services are provided with your individual needs in mind. Therefore there are some key things for you to consider when seeking services.
1. Clinical psychologists aim to support people with a wide range of psychological problems and mental disorders; trying to help them to reduce their symptoms or improve their wellbeing or functioning in certain ways.
Clinical psychologists are registered psychologists who have been granted an additional endorsement in an approved area of practice termed “clinical psychology”.
To do this, a registered psychologist must have either:-
A) an accredited Masters in clinical psychology plus work for two further years under supervision by an approved supervisor in clinical psychologist (which Damian has done); or
B) a Doctorate in clinical psychology plus one year of supervised experience; or
C) another qualification approved by the Psychology Board of Australia.
For more detail about this endorsed area of practice; it may be useful for you to know that clinical psychologists:-
- provide a wide range of psychological services to individuals across the lifespan and for mental health conditions that range from mild to severe and complex.
- hold particular skills to help them to try to solve complex clinical psychology problems requiring individually-tailored treatment.
- are trained in the assessment and diagnosis of mental illnesses and psychological problems and are qualified to provide advice in clinical and compensation areas.
2. Information that is kept about you is highly secure and confidential, with certain exceptions.
Some of the main exceptions to confidentiality include times where there are serious concerns about your safety or the safety of children who you know about; or where a legal subpoena validly requests information.
Additionally, you can always make a request to view any notes that I make in your file; and we can discuss the various options available for this.
More detailed information about consent and freedom of information can be found in a consent form I am able email to you on request.
3. Your expectations of services.
a) Please consider that the outcomes can vary depending on many factors; and not every psychologist can be the right “fit” for each patient’s needs. You should feel free to consider your options as your progress through assessment or therapy; including the freedom to choose a different psychologist. Discussing your concerns with your psychologist can often open up new opportunities for your psychologist to try different approaches to best try to help; as well as discussion of other options which might suit you best.
b) By choosing services with Damian you are acknowledging responsibility for active participation in assessment/consultation/therapy and for your own welfare. Damian will work to provide assistance. However, it is important to acknowledge that outcomes of consultation, counseling and psychotherapy are uncertain and that there can be no guarantees regarding improvement or progress. While therapy will be undertaken with consideration for your expressed hopes regarding length of time or number of sessions, prediction of these is also somewhat uncertain.
c) There also are potential risks to approaching feelings or thoughts that you have tried not to think about or that you have held without changing. Through the process, you may; experience emotional distress, re-examine long held beliefs, make changes in attitudes or behaviors, or experience disruption to relationships or work. You may find the relationship with a therapist to be a source of strong feelings, some of them uncomfortable at times. Consider carefully whether these and other risks are worth the potential benefits to you of engaging in a therapy process.
Many people who engage in this process have found that it is helpful to them, sometimes in ways that they had not previously imagined. However there can be lots of reasons why it may or may not be what you would like or need it to be. It is often helpful to keep an open mind and always try to talk about your concerns with your psychologist or your GP.
d) Be assured that appropriate boundaries will be observed. The therapeutic relationship is undertaken within a context of ethical and professional standards; and offers the security that, regardless of the nature of the issues you explore, no sexual relationship can ever occur with the therapist.
4. More about what happens in sessions.
Sessions often involve things like:- talking about your existing coping strategies and support networks; talking about your concerns and feelings; setting up experiments you can try out at home or at work (for example) to try to make changes in your life; setting homework reading; and perhaps developing reward systems to keep new goals going during hard times.
I know of many helpful smartphone apps and websites and support groups and activity groups in the local area which may help too.
5. Requests for support letters / reports (also see fees section)
** This section is a little complex – so it may be best we just speak about it when we meet, or on the phone prior if you like. However the following is some general advice.
- I often write brief letters to seek extra support for some patients with issues relating to education providers, workplaces, courts/solicitors or other purposes if appropriate.
- There are fees usually associated for reports and letters; and these are at full cost to you. The only way to claim any of this back would be potentially through legal or insurance processes if the case is in your favour). ** Medicare does not rebate assessments like those.
- This service is charged at the rate of minimum of one hour – which is a one page letter about symptoms, an opinion and how they have occurred and a brief plan. This may include assessment tools used, interview time, and writing time.
- If you are wanting a more comprehensive and independent opinion in a report, to be of more assistance for medico-legal purposes or a large support letter for work or study – then it is important for you to consider three things.
Firstly, the cost may be likely to rise to about $1000 to $3000 or more.
Secondly, I have specific areas of experience and skill; and there might be another psychologist who might be a better fit for your reporting needs – so it is important to discuss this with me as soon as you know you might need a report.
Thirdly, highly formal reports, such that a court would consider most credible, are best done when your psychologist is contracted from the beginning as your assessor, and not your therapist / counsellor. This also often applies for reports / letter which you might want for other organisations, such as an employer or university.
The reason for this is due to the potential for a perceived conflict of interest and/or other ethical or practical issues which I can talk to you about on the phone or in person.
Additionally, courts (and sometimes other organisations) might view my report as biased and not highly valid – if we have started in a counselling relationship and then move to a formal assessment relationship.
Despite these issues – many people do start working with me in a counselling relationship – and later on ask me to write various letters or reports for them. These have still sometimes been useful in helping to gain more support or leniency at work or university or in courts. However this section is just a warning that sometimes I do not feel able to write letters or reports in some situations. And also that some of the letters / reports I write may not be as useful (or not at all) in some situations. In those cases – it is often more useful to seek an independent assessing psychologist, while continuing with myself as therapist / counsellor.
Clinical Psychology at Human Kind Psychology Pty. Ltd. 