Insights and articles.
Practical, evidence-based writing on anxiety, trauma, therapy, and the everyday work of looking after your mental health.
Recent writing.
Anxiety & CBT · 10 min readExposure Therapy: Facing Fear Without Being Overwhelmed
Exposure therapy is a structured, evidence-based treatment that helps you face feared situations gradually rather than avoiding them. This guide explains how a fear hierarchy is built, the different types of exposure used, and what a session actually involves.
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Anxiety & CBT · 12 min readWhat a Panic Attack Really Feels Like (and What Helps)
A panic attack can feel like a heart attack, but it isn't dangerous and it does pass. This guide explains what a panic attack feels like, how it differs from panic disorder, and the grounding techniques and treatment options that genuinely help, including how Medicare rebates work in Australia.
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Anxiety & CBT · 11 min readCognitive Distortions: The Thinking Traps That Fuel Anxiety
If your mind keeps jumping to the worst outcome, a cognitive distortion might be behind it. This guide explains ten common thinking traps that fuel anxiety, how to spot them, and simple steps to start questioning them for yourself.
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Anxiety & CBT · 9 min readThe Anxiety Cycle and How to Break It
Anxiety often follows a repeating pattern of trigger, worry, and avoidance that brings short-term relief but keeps the cycle going. This article explains the five stages behind it, why avoidance makes anxiety harder to shake, and what evidence-based approaches can help you gradually break the pattern.
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Anxiety & CBT · 8 min readWorry vs Anxiety: Is There Actually a Difference?
Worry and anxiety can feel similar, but they're not the same. This article explains the key differences, when ordinary worry may have become an anxiety disorder, and what support looks like in Australia, including Medicare rebates and how to get a referral to a psychologist.
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Anxiety & CBT · 10 min readHow CBT Rewires Anxious Thinking, Explained Simply
Anxious thinking can feel automatic and hard to shift. This guide explains how CBT works in plain English, what a typical course looks like, and how Medicare can help cover the cost for people across Australia.
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Anxiety & CBT · 8 min readPhysical Symptoms of Anxiety You Might Not Recognise
Racing heart, jaw pain, or a stomach that never settles. The physical symptoms of anxiety often go unrecognised until they are connected to the mind. Here is how to spot them, and what to do next.
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Anxiety & CBT · 9 min readGeneralised Anxiety Disorder: When Worry Never Switches Off
Persistent, hard-to-control worry that won't switch off could be generalised anxiety disorder. Here's how to tell the difference from everyday stress, what treatment involves, and how Medicare rebates work for psychology support in Perth and WA.
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Anxiety & CBT · 7 min readWhat Is CBT and How Does It Help Anxiety?
A plain-English explanation of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: the anxiety cycle, what happens in a session, and why it is so widely recommended.
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Anxiety & CBT · 5 min read5 Signs It Might Be Time to See a Psychologist for Anxiety
There is no severity threshold for therapy. Five signs worth taking seriously, and the one thought that keeps most people waiting too long.
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Anxiety & CBT · 6 min readTherapy, Medication, or Both? Understanding Your Options for Anxiety
A balanced overview of what the research shows, so you can have a better-informed conversation with your GP. Not a recommendation either way.
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Therapy & Getting Started · 6 min readHow Many Therapy Sessions Do You Actually Need?
The honest answer: it depends. Here is what it depends on, what the research suggests, and how Medicare's ten rebated sessions fit in.
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Trauma & EMDR · 8 min readWhat Is EMDR Therapy and How Does It Work?
A therapy that sounds implausible until you understand the mechanism. The eight phases explained, what a session feels like, and what it treats.
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Trauma & EMDR · 7 min readSigns of Unresolved Trauma in Adults
Unresolved trauma does not always look like flashbacks. A careful, non-diagnostic look at how it can quietly shape adult life.
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Trauma & EMDR · 6 min readEMDR vs Talk Therapy for Trauma: Which Is Right for You?
How they differ, what each does well, and why the choice is less either-or than it appears. Most trauma work draws on both.
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Trauma & Anxiety · 6 min readIs It Trauma or Anxiety? Understanding the Difference
From the inside they can feel identical, but the treatments differ. Where each is pointing, and why the distinction changes what helps.
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Therapy & Getting Started · 6 min readFinding the Right Psychologist in Fremantle: A Practical Guide
How to choose a psychologist in Fremantle: checking registration, matching the approach to the problem, the questions worth asking, and the one factor that matters most.
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Therapy & Getting Started · 6 min readHow Medicare Mental Health Care Plans Work
The main way Australians access subsidised psychology. How to get a plan, how the six-plus-four sessions structure catches people out, and what you will actually pay.
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Therapy & Getting Started · 5 min readWhat Your First Psychology Session Actually Feels Like
The honest version: the ten minutes before, the fears people rarely mention, what the hour actually feels like, and how you might feel afterwards.
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When reading is not enough.
If something you have read here resonates and you would like to talk it through properly, Jacob is available for individual sessions in East Fremantle and by telehealth across Western Australia. You can book an appointment or get in touch with a question.