Welcome to Step Forward Psychology, the bayside practice of Dr Lyndel Cuesta, Psychologist.

I work with people who want to improve the way they feel and enjoy a deeper sense of positive wellbeing. Whether that means gaining a greater sense of control over chronic conditions such as anxiety or improving low self-worth, working through an unexpected new challenge such as adjustment to loss or change, or recovering from the fatigue and low motivation of burnout, I can offer you understanding and support for where you are right now. I can also teach you new skills and techniques to help you find your way forward and begin experiencing more joy, calm, confidence and optimism.

Our mental health is such an integral part of our total wellbeing. We all like to be self-sufficient, but there are times when having someone alongside you for support, guidance and the learning of new skills to improve how you feel and how you do life, really is worth reaching out for.

Dr Lyndel Cuesta

B.A Hons Psychology, Phd Psychology, MAPS

I am a highly qualified and experienced psychologist, using well researched evidence-based therapies that have been shown to be effective. I have gained extensive experience working in a range of settings including universities, business organisations, and private practice. My PhD involved a Positive Psychology focus, exploring how successful entrepreneurs had personally bounced back from business failures as part of their path to success.

In my clinical work I have found that whilst it is important to tailor treatment to each individual person, certain factors often need to be addressed as part of a client’s treatment protocol. Let’s talk about these and how they may be relevant to what you are seeking support for...

Let's Talk

Finding Calm

Having effective techniques for emotion regulation is really the foundation of being able to gain a sense of mastery over your experience of uncomfortable and seemingly uncontrollable negative feelings. As an example, “feeling anxious about feeling anxious” is one of the key ways in which anxiety perpetuates itself! Healthy emotion regulation begins with developing more tolerance of difficult feelings, such as those produced by panic, stress, self-doubt and low self-worth. Nobody likes feeling intense negative emotions, but learning how to acknowledge and accept your experience of such feelings can actually help to reduce them. Adding new physical and mental skills to help shift your nervous system and mood into a calmer, more positive state can further improve your confidence in mood management.

Finding hope and energy

Frequent or persistent low mood can be symptomatic of several mental health issues including depression, burnout, social isolation, and unresolved grief. Feeling unhappy and hopeless about changing something that is bothering us can act as a self-fulfilling prophecy that prevents us from noticing what we can do to improve our situation, and can leave us lacking the motivation to take that action. Specific mental strategies, along with targeted behavioural exercises, can help you see the light at the end of the tunnel, and give you back the motivation and strength to go and get it.

Work, study, and the pressure of perfectionism

Imagine the blissful experience of “riding the perfect wave”... then notice how it changes from blissful to stressful when we expect ourselves to ride that perfect wave, perfectly. Holding excessively high standards for what we do in the world of work or study is a prime source of stress and a major contributor to burnout. It’s hard to let go of perfectionism because it is so reinforced by the results it can seemingly yield. I can help you learn to trust in your ability with greater self-confidence and self-acceptance, so that you can still shine in what you do, but without that debilitating pressure from perfectionism.

You do belong, first of all to yourself

It's probably no surprise, but it is actually very important to mental wellbeing to have a healthy, positive connection to yourself. This is directly linked to more stable positive mood, self confidence and self worth; providing the foundation for being able to enjoy good social relationships. In turn, having a good social network is one of the best buffers for dealing with all the challenges, changes, and losses that life can bring our way. I can help you build a healthy self-nurturing, self-validating relationship with yourself. We all need to belong, and once we know how to connect with and mentally care for ourselves, this will help us identify the right people and groups for us to belong with.

It`s Okay To Play

There’s nothing wrong with having goals and being productive, but for many adults there tends to be an unbalanced emphasis on “getting things done”. This can severely limit the time and energy we have left to allow ourselves to experience downtime, or to just do something purely for the joy of it. It really is okay to take some time out to rest, rejuvenate, and do something fun or creative. In fact play isn’t optional to good mental health – it’s essential. I can help you explore what is getting in the way of your self-permission to play, so that you can start to enjoy all of its benefits.

Can't sleep?

Good sleep is essential to our physical and mental wellbeing. Mood issues such as anxiety are characterised by a chronic tendency to worry, and often these worries come out to bother us most just when we are trying to get to sleep. There are so many distractions via modern technologies, and it is easy to become reliant on these as a form of coping when we feel unhappy or stressed. We can end up spending a lot of time online when we are supposed to be sleeping. Not getting enough hours of sleep, or not getting enough restorative sleep, can leave us feeling tired, irritable, and yes …. more unhappy. In turn, this can make life`s daily challenges and problems harder to deal with and contribute further to your mental health problems. I can work with you to help you break this cycle, by introducing targeted mental and practical strategies to get a more restful night`s sleep.

Contact me now! 0432 662 447

Sessions are conducted in clinic or via Zoom. I practice from the Parkdale Wellbeing Clinic which is a beautiful modern building discreetly located at 173 Como Parade East, Parkdale, 3195.

There is ample parking close by, and the Parkdale train station is within easy walking distance.

To make an appointment, call me on 0432-662-447, or Send me an email and I will get back to you as soon as possible to confirm an appointment time.

I look forward to working with you.

Fees and Rebates

Significant rebates can be claimed on session fees, using either a Medicare rebate or Private Health rebate.

To be able to claim the Medicare rebate you will need to contact your GP for a referral to me for psychological services.

Call or email me prior to seeing your doctor, so that I can provide you with the necessary details they need to include about me in your referral.

If you have private health cover, you may want to check with your provider whether you are covered for psychological services.