Victoria University Psychology Clinic

Welcoming our community – shaping future psychologists.

Welcome to the Victoria University Psychology Clinic. We’re here to support you and your family while also helping train the next generation of psychologists.

We offer individual psychological therapy, group programs, and cognitive and learning assessments (including neurodiversity screening) at low cost.

Support for a range of concerns

Anxiety
Challenging life transitions
Child behaviour
Depression
Family relationships, parenting and caring
Grief and loss
Learning challenges
Living with neurodivergence
Poor sleep
Stress and burnout

Psychological therapy & cognitive assessments

Individual psychological therapy (in person and online)
Group programs
Cognitive and learning assessments, including neurodiversity screening

Group programs

: Our eight-week Mindfulness Program is offered online or face-to-face for anyone interested in learning about stress and wellbeing. Facilitated by our professionally trained provisional psychologists, the program introduces practical mindfulness skills for people interested in awareness, focus, and emotional balance in daily life.
Explore: the features and benefits of mindfulness
Practise: mindfulness of the senses, emotions, and thoughts
Consider: everyday ideas for compassion and integrated mindfulness
This program aims to provide a supportive space for slowing down, connecting, and exploring wellbeing.
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: Our five-week group and individual Stress Management Program is designed for people who feel overwhelmed by strong emotions or unsure how to cope in stressful situations.
Drawing on Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), the program aims to teach distress tolerance and crisis survival skills for managing intense emotions more effectively.
Each week includes a one-hour group skills session and a one-hour individual session with a provisional psychologist.
Practical DBT-based skills: mindfulness, exploring pros and cons, STOP and TIP skills, WISE MIND distraction, self-soothing using the five senses, and IMPROVE-the-moment strategies.
Explore confidence: in responding to emotional crises without making situations worse.
The program seeks to provide a supportive environment for those interested in developing emotional regulation skills under the supervision of psychologists.
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: Our Parenting Skills Group is a five-week program (available online or face-to-face) designed for parents of children aged 5–12 years. Run by our team of professionally trained provisional psychologists, this supportive, skills-based group aims to help parents strengthen relationships and manage everyday challenges.
Insights: explore your child’s behaviour and how to encourage positive habits
Skills: learn about giving clear, effective instructions and managing sibling conflict
Responses: find out about strategies for misbehaviour and strong emotions
Prioritise: your own wellbeing and self-care as a parent
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: The VU Psychology Clinic offers well-established Social Skills Groups for children aged 5–14 years with challenging behaviours or Autism diagnoses. Each child completes an intake assessment with one of our provisional psychologists to identify learning goals and tailor-make group activities – together.
Groups of 4–8 children meet weekly for two hours, led by our professionally trained provisional psychologists, aiming to build the foundation skills needed for everyday relationships.
Children explore
In their own group of peers, children explore skills such as:
social interactions, greetings, farewells, non-verbal language
sharing and cooperative, collaborative play, “joining in”
understanding and responding to bullying or mean jokes
emotional regulation and frustration tolerance
relaxation or mindfulness training.
Parents participate
In a group alongside, parents explore practical strategies for their own wellbeing. Topics include:
adjustment to parenting, the role transition to being a parent
self-care skills for high-demand jobs (such as parenting!)
practical mindfulness activities for your care and your parent-child relationship
implementing social skills training at home and school
parent behaviour regulation strategies.
The program aims to provide a supportive environment for both children and parents to explore, connect, and grow together.
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: Our six-week Sleep Clinic is an online evidence-based Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) program for people who have struggled with poor sleep for months or longer – such as difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early.
The program is delivered online, for your convenience, with small group sessions and weekly one-to-one support from our provisional psychologists.
Who it’s for: Adults whose sleep problems affect their daily life; self-referrals and professional referrals accepted.
Before you start: A brief phone screening checks for untreated sleep apnoea or other conditions needing medical care.
Program format: Two group sessions weekly (education + relaxation), plus a personal follow-up session with a professionally trained provisional psychologist.
Commitment: Six weeks of participation, including keeping a daily sleep diary and completing pre- and post-program questionnaires.
Research opportunity: Participants may consent to include their data (confidentially) in VU research on online CBT for sleep concerns.
Next intakes: Late June and October each year – registrations close two weeks prior.
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Who we are

VU Psychology Clinic - transcript

About our services

At the Victoria University Psychology Clinic, we offer low-cost assessments and counselling services for children aged six and over young people, and adults of all ages in Melbourne's west.

: Since 1993, we’ve been here to support Melbourne’s west – aiming to promote mental health and wellbeing, learning and growth – together.
Over that time, we’ve trained more than 900 postgraduate psychology students in our clinic, as they prepare for a career in professional or clinical psychology.
: At the VU Psychology Clinic, you’ll be supported by students who are provisional psychologists registered with AHPRA, closely supported by a team of experienced psychologists and board approved supervisors.

About our fees, policies & referral

At the VU psychology Clinic, our low cost-services are provided after a one-off payment, with no ongoing fees – and you don’t need a GP, psychiatrist or paediatrician referral to book in.

Individual counselling (in-person or online): $20
Group programs (Mindfulness, Stress, Parenting, Kids’ Social Skills and a Sleep Clinic): $20
Cognitive and learning assessments, including neurodiversity screening: $300 ($100 with health care card). A 25% discount applies to additional family members who are assessed within 12 months.

As a training clinic, we do not offer Medicare rebates, bulk billing, or accept referrals through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Transport Accident Commission (TAC), Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) or the Workers’ Compensation Scheme (WorkCover).

We also do not provide independent assessments for legal purposes, specialist school eligibility, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) or the Disability Support Pension (DSP).

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Questions often come up, when you’re starting therapy or assessment. To help you, here are some common questions that we receive from our clients.

: Remember the VU Psychologic Clinic is not a crisis service.
For emergency help, call 000 or go to your nearest hospital emergency department.
For 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
: To book an appointment, just complete our enquiry form or email [email protected] .
You’ll receive a call from one of our intake team.
This is a chance for us to explore what you’d like help with.
It’s not a counselling or assessment session, but a chance to see if we’re a good fit and whether we can support you.
If we both decide to go ahead, one of our provisional psychologists will call to book you in.
: As a training clinic, we do not offer Medicare rebates, bulk billing, or accept referrals through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Transport Accident Commission (TAC), Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) or the Workers’ Compensation Scheme (WorkCover).
: We also do not provide independent assessments for legal purposes, specialist school eligibility, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) or the Disability Support Pension (DSP).
: Our provisional psychologists support children aged 6 years and older with individual psychological therapy, cognitive and learning assessments and neurodiversity screening. We also run a Social Skills Group designed for children aged 5-to-14 years.
: For individual psychological therapy you can choose online or in-person sessions, whatever suits you best. Some of our group programs, such as the mindfulness and parenting programs and the Sleep Clinic, are also delivered online, for your convenience.
For cognitive and learning assessments, including neurodiversity screening, you’ll need to come into the clinic. These assessments use specialised materials that we keep on-site. It also lets our team offer the best support for you and your family in a calm, private space.
: Please let us know at least 48 hours before, so we can fill your appointment.
We understand that life gets busy, so there are no fees for late cancellations or changes.
: At the VU Psychology Clinic, our provisional psychologists are professionally trained to assess and treat mental health disorders, assess cognition and learning, and screen for neurodiversity.
They have 5 years of full-time university training in psychology, including their current masters studies in professional or clinical psychology.
The provisional psychologists at our clinic are all closely supported by a team of experienced psychologists and board approved supervisors. All provisional psychologists are registered with the Psychology Board of Australia and follow strict ethical guidelines.
: There’s no set number of sessions. It depends on your goals and needs. For counselling, we usually recommend starting with six sessions, while for assessments, we usually recommend four sessions.
Although we make recommendations, you decide how often and how long you continue. Most people start with weekly or fortnightly sessions, then move to monthly check-ins when they start feeling more confident and supported.
: Yes. everything you talk about with your provisional psychologist is confidential.
They will need to discuss your information with their supervising psychologist, but beyond this information is only shared if you or someone else is at risk of serious harm, or you give permission for us to share information with another person or healthcare provider.
You can read more in our Privacy Policy.

Location

47 Paisley Street, Footscray
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Opening hours

Days: Monday–Friday
Times: 9am–5pm

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Victoria University Psychology Clinic

Psychological counselling & assessment for you & your family in Melbourne’s west.

Support for a range of concerns

Psychological therapy & cognitive assessments

Group programs

Children explore

Parents participate

Who we are

About our fees, policies & referral

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Location

Opening hours

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