Cova Psychology

Cova Psychology We also provide assessments for autism and ADHD. We have a particular interest in working with trauma (both PTSD and complex trauma).

✨ Melbourne Psychologists and EMDR Therapists ✨
🧠 Trauma & PTSD 🧠
🙏🏽 Mental health tips & skills🙏🏽
🤓 Psychological research 🤓
🌱 Trauma therapists 🌱
👉🏾 CBT, ACT, Schema, EMDR, IFS, MBT 👈🏾 Cova Psychology is a Melbourne CBD psychology clinic providing evidence-based treatments, such as CBT, Schema Therapy, EMDR and more, for adults across a wide range of areas including anxiety, depression, OCD, bi

polar, eating disorders, trauma, PTSD, and personality disorders. Established in 2018, our team of experienced psychologists are passionate about helping people to overcome their mental health issues and live happier, more fulfilling lives. We offer a range of services, including individual therapy, couples therapy, and therapy via face to face or telehealth. We understand that finding the right therapist can be a daunting task. That's why our friendly reception team talk with you on the phone to match you with the most appropriate psychologist who is able to meet your needs. We also offer a range of flexible appointment options, so that you can find a time that works for you. If you're looking for a Melbourne CBD psychology clinic that can help you manage and heal your mental health issues, please contact Cova Psychology today.

Burnout and depression can overlap so much that people end up judging themselves instead of recognising distress.A lot o...
24/04/2026

Burnout and depression can overlap so much that people end up judging themselves instead of recognising distress.

A lot of people reach the point of asking, am I burnt out, depressed, overwhelmed, traumatised, or just failing to cope. When you are already depleted, that uncertainty can feel scary, and it can quickly turn into self blame.

Burnout often grows after stress has outweighed recovery for too long. Depression can also involve exhaustion and low drive, but it often spreads more broadly into mood, pleasure, sleep, self worth, and hope. Real life is not always neat though, and many people find the picture is more mixed than they expected.

The aim is not to force the perfect label. It is to understand the pattern well enough that the next step actually fits. Sometimes the question is whether pressure lifts when demand eases. Sometimes it is whether the heaviness follows you into everything.

Our latest blog explores the overlap between burnout and depression, why trauma, masking, and old survival patterns can blur the picture, and what support may need to focus on.

At Cova Psychology, we support adults in Melbourne and via telehealth across Australia.

Conflict can hit ADHD-ers hard.Not because they care less.Not because they do not want repair.But because overwhelm can ...
20/04/2026

Conflict can hit ADHD-ers hard.

Not because they care less.
Not because they do not want repair.
But because overwhelm can happen fast, thoughts can get messy, rejection sensitivity can flare, and finding the right words in the right order can suddenly feel out of reach.

That means the hardest part is not always the disagreement itself. Often, it is what happens afterwards, when one person wants repair now and the other is still trying to settle enough to come back clearly.

For many ADHD-ers, what helps is not more pressure, blame, or mind reading. It is structure. A clear pause. A clear time to return. One issue at a time. Simpler language. Enough steadiness for repair to actually happen.

Our latest blog explores why conflict repair can take longer than people expect for ADHD-ers, and how couples can work with that dynamic more compassionately.

At Cova Psychology, we support adults in Melbourne and via telehealth across Australia.

Medicare rebates for psychology can be helpful, but they are often more confusing than people expect.A lot of people beg...
17/04/2026

Medicare rebates for psychology can be helpful, but they are often more confusing than people expect.

A lot of people begin therapy assuming that “sessions under Medicare” means the full session is covered. Usually, that is not how it works. A rebate is money back after an eligible appointment, and there is often still a gap to pay.

There can also be confusion around referrals, how many sessions are available, what happens after the first block of sessions, and whether telehealth still counts.

Our latest blog explains Medicare rebates for psychology in 2026 in a plainer, more practical way, including the questions worth asking before you book so there are fewer surprises around cost and process.

If you have been putting therapy off because the Medicare side feels unclear, you are probably not the only one.

Sometimes the intensity of a reaction does not seem to match what is happening in the moment.A small shift in tone, dist...
15/04/2026

Sometimes the intensity of a reaction does not seem to match what is happening in the moment.

A small shift in tone, distance, conflict, disappointment, or feeling misunderstood can suddenly bring up shame, panic, dread, numbness, or collapse. People often judge themselves harshly when that happens. They tell themselves they are overreacting, being too sensitive, or making too much of things.

But sometimes the reaction is not only about the present. Sometimes something older has been stirred underneath it.

That is part of what can make emotional flashbacks so confusing. The body and emotions can respond before the mind has words for what is happening.

Our latest blog explores emotional flashbacks, why they can feel so sudden and disorienting, and what can help when these patterns keep returning.

Sometimes the shift is so sudden you barely understand it yourself.You might be going about an ordinary day and then fee...
13/04/2026

Sometimes the shift is so sudden you barely understand it yourself.

You might be going about an ordinary day and then feel a sharp drop into shame, panic, dread, numbness, or collapse. No clear story. No obvious memory. Just a feeling that something is suddenly very wrong.

That can be part of an emotional flashback.

Emotional flashbacks do not always look like vivid memories of the past. Often, they show up as body states, fear, old beliefs, and a sense of being unsafe, in trouble, rejected, or too much.

When that happens, people often blame themselves for being dramatic, too sensitive, or overreactive. But many of these moments make more sense when understood as an old survival state getting pulled into the present.

Our latest blog explores what emotional flashbacks are, why they can feel so disorienting, and what can help when the same sudden drop keeps happening.

When relationships get stuck in a pursuer distancer cycle, it can start to feel very personal.One person may feel anxiou...
07/04/2026

When relationships get stuck in a pursuer distancer cycle, it can start to feel very personal.

One person may feel anxious, unseen, or desperate for closeness. The other may feel pressured, overwhelmed, or like they cannot get enough space to think. Over time, both people can end up feeling misunderstood.

That does not always mean one person cares too much and the other cares too little. Often, the pattern itself becomes the problem.

Our latest blog explores why this cycle happens, what keeps it going, and how couples can begin responding to the pattern differently.

If this dynamic feels familiar, support can help make sense of what is happening underneath it.

If you have ever felt stuck in the same argument, this pattern might be familiar: one person reaches for contact and rea...
06/04/2026

If you have ever felt stuck in the same argument, this pattern might be familiar: one person reaches for contact and reassurance, the other pulls away into silence, logic, defensiveness, or shutdown.

This is often called the pursuer distancer cycle. It can be deeply painful because both people can feel threatened at the same time, but in different ways.

The pursuer often experiences distance as rejection or abandonment. They might push for answers, want repair now, ask more questions, or escalate, not because they want to control, but because waiting feels unbearable.

The distancer often experiences pursuit as pressure. They might feel flooded, blamed, scrutinised, or like nothing they say will help. Pulling back can feel protective, even if it lands as cold or uncaring.

Over time, each person does more of the very thing that keeps the cycle going.

A helpful shift is moving from “you are the problem” to “the pattern is the problem”. That opens space for curiosity and teamwork:

slowing the pace so neither person is panicked or flooded
taking space with a clear plan to return
naming what is underneath the reaction (fear, shame, overwhelm, grief)
starting gently, rather than in accusation
practising repair in small, repeatable steps

Visit the blog at covapsychology.com to read the full article published earlier: The Pursuer Distancer Cycle in Relationships.

If you would like support, you are welcome to contact our team to enquire about an appointment.

Wishing you a gentle Easter long weekend.Our admin team will be offline on Friday 3 April and Monday 6 April, and will r...
01/04/2026

Wishing you a gentle Easter long weekend.

Our admin team will be offline on Friday 3 April and Monday 6 April, and will respond as soon as possible after that.

If you have an appointment scheduled, your clinician will be in touch as usual.

Take care over the long weekend, and we’ll be back soon.

Cost of living stress can affect more than your budget.For a lot of people, financial pressure does not just stay in the...
30/03/2026

Cost of living stress can affect more than your budget.

For a lot of people, financial pressure does not just stay in the background. It gets into the body. You might notice yourself feeling more tense, more reactive, more tired, more avoidant, or constantly on edge even when nothing dramatic is happening in that exact moment.

That is part of what survival mode can feel like.

It might look like checking your bank balance repeatedly, putting off opening emails, losing sleep over numbers, feeling snappy with people you care about, or going blank when you try to make practical decisions. A lot of people then judge themselves for not coping better, which usually adds even more pressure.

If this has been happening for you, you are not weak, lazy, or failing. Your nervous system may be doing its best to respond to ongoing threat.

Our latest blog explores why cost of living stress can keep the body stuck in survival mode, and what can help when both practical pressure and emotional strain are building at once. Check it out at covapsychology.com

At night, the day goes quiet... but your mind does not.You replay the conversation.You rethink what you said.You go over...
27/03/2026

At night, the day goes quiet... but your mind does not.

You replay the conversation.
You rethink what you said.
You go over what you should have done differently.
You revisit things that still do not feel resolved.

Rumination can feel like problem solving, but often it keeps you stuck in loops of anxiety, self-doubt, and mental overdrive instead. For many people, it gets worse at night, when there are fewer distractions and more space for stress, emotion, or old wounds to surface.

If your mind tends to replay everything when you are trying to rest, you are not alone. It may not be a sign that you are doing something wrong. It may be a sign that your system does not yet feel settled enough to switch off.

Our latest blog explores why rumination gets louder at night and how to respond with more understanding, not more self-criticism. Check it out at covapsychology.com

Some things do not look big from the outside, but still take a lot to hold.Stress, grief, uncertainty, relationship pain...
25/03/2026

Some things do not look big from the outside, but still take a lot to hold.

Stress, grief, uncertainty, relationship pain, burnout, and the slow build up of everyday pressure can all become heavy in ways that are hard to explain. A lot of people end up telling themselves they should just cope better, push through, or stop being affected by it.

But support is not only for when things are at breaking point. Sometimes it is about having somewhere to put down what you have been carrying for a while.

You do not have to hold everything by yourself.

If you have been feeling stretched, flat, overwhelmed, or stuck, therapy can offer space to slow things down and make sense of what is going on.

Cova Psychology offers in-person sessions in Melbourne and telehealth across Australia.

Retroactive jealousy is when your partner’s past starts to feel like a threat in the present.You might know logically th...
23/03/2026

Retroactive jealousy is when your partner’s past starts to feel like a threat in the present.

You might know logically that the past is over, and still feel pulled into intrusive images, comparisons, questions, or checking. You might feel ashamed afterwards, promise yourself you will stop, then find yourself back in the loop again.

Often this is not about wanting control. It is about your nervous system trying to create certainty and safety.

It can be driven by things like:
- attachment anxiety and fear of being replaced
- old betrayal wounds
- low self worth that gets activated by comparison
- a strong intolerance of uncertainty
- a mind that tries to “solve” feelings by gathering more information

What helps is usually less about getting the perfect answer, and more about changing the pattern:
- noticing when the threat response switches on
- reducing checking behaviours (questions, social media, mental replaying)
- practising small doses of uncertainty without acting on it
- asking for reassurance in a contained, respectful way (instead of repeated interrogation)
- building your own anchors of safety and self trust

If this resonates, you are not alone, and you do not have to white knuckle it. Support can help loosen the loop and reduce the shame.

Visit the blog at covapsychology.com to read our full post on retroactive jealousy which has gone live today.

If you would like support, you are welcome to contact our team to enquire about an appointment.

Address

19/12 Collins Street
Melbourne, VIC
3000

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 8pm
Tuesday 8am - 8pm
Wednesday 8am - 8pm
Thursday 8am - 8pm
Friday 8am - 8pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+61396543557

Website

https://covapsychology.com/social-media-policy/, https://linktr.ee/covapsychology, https://

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