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Welcome to the Talking Room
Written by Muriel Cooper   
Tuesday, 24 October 2006

Muriel Cooper at the Corbett National Park, India
Muriel Cooper
I’m Muriel Cooper, a fully registered psychologist in Melbourne, Australia and I hope that by visiting this page you’ll be informed, entertained and most importantly helped.

Are you stressed, anxious or depressed? Not coping at work or in relationships, or do you have any of the issues listed below ? – then welcome to ‘The Talking Room’!

You can take advantage of this page by making an appointment with me for counselling or clinical psychology, enjoying the articles and my writings on my blog, and enjoying guest appearances from other experts from time to time on living well, loving well and working well.

I specialise in Stress, Anxiety and Depression – the S.A.D. cycle - but I deal with most psychological and emotional problems. I also do training, groups and workshops.

Apart from Stress Anxiety and Depression (SAD), some of the areas I encounter are:

  • Adjustment issues (getting used to new circumstances in life)
  • Generally how to achieve contentment and happiness in life
  • Eating disorders
  • Phobias
  • Grief and Loss
  • Helping individuals and families adjust to a mental or emotional unwellness
  • Relationship and couple counselling
  • Workplace issues
  • Self development
  • Obsessions or habits (like nail biting and hair-pulling)

I like to use Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Psychotherapy, Hypnotherapy, and lesser-known techniques like Gestalt Therapy if I feel it will benefit the client. I’m also interested in Emotional Intelligence and Positive Psychology.

Are you eligible for Medicare rebates?

Australian citizens with Medicare cards are eligible for rebates through Medicare for psychological services. To qualify for rebates you need to contact your GP for an appointment. Make sure you ask for a long appointment as he or she will need to do a Mental Health Care Plan. They will ask you some questions and fill our forms to forward to Medicare. If you wish to be referred to me ask them to refer you to Muriel Cooper.

You will need to bring the care plan and the referral letter to your first session with me. You may begin claiming from the date on the referral/plan. You will receive $78.40 back from Medicare for each session you attend. You will be eligible for six rebatable sessions with your first referral and after that, a further six sessions if you attend your GP for a brief review; a total of twelve rebatable sessions for the calendar year (January 1 to December 31). In some circumstances you may be eligible for a further six sessions taking it to eighteen sessions in all.

Contact me if you would like to make an appointment. If you’re in Melbourne call now on 0414 526 118.

Click here for details of my services and fees.

The Talking Room is situated in Melbourne’s Eastern suburbs, and invites clients from all over the Melbourne metropolitan area.

I welcome your input into this web site and invite you to contact me by email or make a comment on the site. All your contributions are valued as long as they’re relevant to the point and aren’t aggressive (please). We can all learn from each other.

Thank you for visiting. Please bookmark us and Come back soon!

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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 17 March 2009 )
 
Ten Ways for Teenagers to Cope with School/Uni Stress
Written by Muriel Cooper   
Sunday, 14 June 2009

Girl studying textbookWhat are you stressing about?

1. Getting back to study

Remember what’s worked for you in the past and make a list to remind you now. For new students, try and get into a routine that works for you and stick to it.

Choose a study place and set it up to suit you with all your study materials organised so you can easily find stuff.  When you settle down in your study place it’s much easier to get into study mode.

2. Not coping with the material

If you’re floundering with the material and feeling overwhelmed, identify the key areas where you’re not keeping up and either allocate more study time to those areas or ask for extra help from teachers, parents and maybe even a short period of tutoring. Sometimes peer tutoring works for short periods of time (that’s asking a fellow student who’s breezing through the stuff you’re struggling with and getting them to help out to get you on track).

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Last Updated ( Sunday, 14 June 2009 )
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Ten Ways to relieve depression and cheer up
Written by Muriel Cooper   
Sunday, 14 June 2009

Women meditating by a lakeWhen life is ‘the pits’, there are ways to take control and help yourself work out of it. Here are 10.

1. Breathe

Conscious breathing can assist in reducing stress and anxiety. Focusing on your breathing keeps your mindfulness on the current instance and is a common integral part of reflection and meditation, an evident stress reducer. Breathe deeply and leisurely down into your stomach, noticing each breath you inhale and exhale. Make your out-breath longer than your in-breath – breathe in for 3 counts – out for 5.

2. Smile

Smile deep down into yourself and up into your mind – physically smile at the feelings of stress, anxiety or depression – smiling releases endorphins (natural feel good chemicals).

3. Self talk

Give yourself a good, positive self-talking to - give yourself a motivational talk – tell yourself all the good things about you – all the things you’re good at – encourage yourself by reminding yourself that this feeling will pass, nothing lasts forever. Until it does you CAN cope.

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Last Updated ( Sunday, 14 June 2009 )
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