Cova Psychology:
Experienced Psychologists in Melbourne

Our Clinical Psychologists, located in the Melbourne CBD, are part of a renowned Melbourne psychology clinic, dedicated to providing high quality and evidence-based therapy to enhance your mental health, well-being, and overall quality of life. 

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Take the first step today.
Getting started with a Psychologist in Melbourne is easy.

Friendly Chat

Friendly chat

Book an appointment

Book an appointment

Access Medicare Rebates

Your psychologist will work with you on a personalised treatment plan, set goals and
schedule in further sessions as needed. You can be rest assured that
it will be tailored to your pace and specific needs.

The evidence-based treatments we use empower you to enhance wellness, build resilience, and foster meaningful changes into your life

Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR)

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)

Mindfulness-based therapies

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

Schema Therapy

Getting to Know Cova Psychology

This Week On Our Socials
Melbourne Clinical Psychologist Dr Chris Coleiro talks about how to keep your progress going, and what to do if your therapist suddenly leaves the group practice where you see them.
This week, Melbourne Clinical Psychologist Dr Sarah Valentine posts about family estrangement, with a focus on parental relationships. She defines what it means to be estranged, explores the root causes, and how to take care of yourself.
Follow Us On Tiktok, Instagram, Or Facebook
For regular updates from our Melbourne psychologists about the latest psychological research, emotion regulation skills, all things trauma therapy, and news about our practice.
EMDR Therapy Myths

Dispelling Myths About EMDR Therapy Melbourne

EMDR therapy, a well-researched treatment for trauma, is often misunderstood. Contrary to myths, it’s not a “new age” therapy or hypnosis, but a structured, evidence-based approach. It doesn’t erase memories but helps reprocess them, reducing distress. Effective for various mental health issues beyond PTSD, EMDR integrates with other therapies and requires commitment, not a quick fix.

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Come see our clinical psychologists in the Melbourne CBD or we can come to you via telehealth

Expertise and Experience

Our Melbourne psychologists have extensive experience in working with a broad range of mental health issues including mood disorders, trauma and PTSD, personality disorders, couples, and neurodivergence assessment and support.  See the comprehensive list of mental health issues we treat, here.

Research informed treatment

Cova psychologists are passionate about providing assessment and treatments which are validated by sound psychological research. We are keen for the science of psychology to help you better manage your mental health, improve wellness and foster a better quality of life. All of our Melbourne psychologists are trained in trauma processing therapies, including EMDR.

We listen!

From intake through to your first session, our terrific admin team go above and beyond to provide you with support that is sensitive to your needs. Cova’s processes are based on what clients have told us works best. We love client feedback and actively encourage it!

Trauma informed care

Although our psychologists recognise that managing symptoms is important, we are passionate about helping our clients get to the heart of psychological issues they are experiencing. This means recognising that trauma or adverse life events may be underlying our mood. Whether it’s unpacking that in therapy or engaging in more formal trauma processing, we can help! 

High quality care

To ensure that our practice and level of expertise is high quality, our team are dedicated to ongoing professional development. Cova provides supervision and training to ensure that the psychological interventions of our psychologists are always informed by innovative and best-practice guidelines.

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Frequently asked questions

Getting Started

Most people find their Melbourne psychologist either through online searches, word of mouth, or through referral from their doctor.

If you’d like help with being linked in with a Melbourne psychologist and/or trauma therapist who is well suited to your needs, the Psychologist Melbourne Services team at Cova Psychology can help! Our intake staff take into account your preferences, specific mental and physical health issues, as well as the type of psychological treatment you’re seeking, to match you to the best psychologist for you.

Upon your first contact with Cova Psychology, our warm and experienced reception team will explore the following questions with you:

  • What are the mental health issues you are seeking therapy for?
  • Any specific treatments that you are particularly interested in or have been suggested to you?
  • Any factors that you really do or really don’t want in your therapist? (gender, age, experience etc)
  • What days / times you are available for appointments?

This initial contact is intentionally structured to maximise the potential for strong therapeutic alliance with your psychologist.

Of course, we cannot guarantee that you will feel your psychologist is the right fit for you. If this is an issue, we encourage you to discuss this with your therapist or our admin team, and we can help you to resolve this.

The cost of a psychology session in Melbourne can vary based on several factors, such as the length of the session, the experience level of the psychologist, and the type of therapy provided. At Cova Psychology, we offer a range of services with varying fees to reflect these differences. For detailed information regarding our fees, please reach out to our office.

Psychological services can be partially covered by Medicare or private health insurance. New clients with a mental health care plan and referral from a GP or psychiatrist can receive a Medicare rebate for up to 10 sessions with a psychologist within a calendar year. This helps make psychological treatment for mental health issues more affordable.

Medicare rebates generally do not apply to sessions for couples counselling or ADHD assessment testing.

Private health insurance may also cover part of the cost for psychological treatment, depending on your policy. We recommend checking with your insurer to understand your coverage for mental health services.

You don’t need a referral to start seeing a psychologist in Victoria, or Australia-wide. Although, without a referral you will not be able to claim any Medicare rebates and therefore would not be reimbursed any of the session fee by Medicare.

In your first session, your psychologist will explore what has brought you to therapy, your current situation, as well as a history of the issues you are wanting to address. The initial stages of therapy are sometimes referred to as a “psychological assessment” and will generally carry over at least the first two sessions. This process ensures your therapist has a good understanding of your experiences, enabling you and your therapist to create a treatment plan which is tailored to you. 

Sessions will typically last for 50 minutes.

You may also benefit from our comprehensive blog post covering tips on how to make therapy work.

We typically see people aged over 18. We have some limited availability for young people between the ages of 13-18 years. We provide support for individuals as well as couples counselling.

At Cova Psychology, we understand that seeking support for mental health is a significant step. Our experienced team, led by Principal Clinical Psychologists Sarah and Chris, offer a compassionate and professional approach to therapy, emphasising evidence based treatment plans tailored to each individual.

The Cova psychologists are a team who enjoy working with complexity and service a wide range of mental health issues. We are committed to staying abreast of the latest psychological research to ensure that our practices are effective and informed. 

Client feedback and satisfaction is deeply important to us, and we regularly seek this out. The input of our clients helps us to shape our practice so that we can best meet the needs of the people we treat.

The Melbourne CBD can be quite busy during peak travel times and throughout business hours. Understandably, many people feel some trepidation (or stress and anxiety!) about travelling or parking in this area. 

Fortunately, Cova’s rooms are located at the “Paris End” of Collins Street, very close to Parliament train station. As such, many of our clients opt not to travel or drive directly into the Melbourne CBD, and instead hop off public transport or park in East Melbourne. This area is much less congested and is only a short walk to our rooms. If you need any support with finding us as you navigate the streets of the Melbourne CBD, don’t hesitate to reach out to our friendly reception team who will be happy to help!