The Fresh Start psychologists offer a specialised approach to dealing with a range of psychological problems including addiction through having a comprehensive understanding of behavioural and mental processes and offering a range of techniques to address client issues.
Please note that sessions with our psychologists are limited in number. However, our counsellors and chaplains are able to provide additional longer term support to individuals and families. If required, we can also arrange for you to be referred to a mental health nurse.
Dr Dawson Cooke is committed to his role in helping people gain insight, find relief from distress and develop life skills. He utilizes a range of evidence-based interventions to support adjustment or manage mental/emotional difficulties. He has a genuinely open approach and provides a safe place to explore difficult issues. He provides therapeutic interventions for a range of difficulties such as:
Sam provides a warm and authentic, safe place for clients to explore positive changes to their drug use behaviours. He also supports clients to explore and build tolerance to the associated difficult emotions and experiences. His main approach is motivational and skills based, based on Motivational Interviewing and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). This involves building the desire to change as well as development of emotion regulation skills, healthy boundaries and coping skills. Sam also has knowledge of a range of other psychological intervention frameworks as well as addiction medicine theory and psychopharmacology.
