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

I enjoy helping young professionals and university students (aged 21-40 years) to gain a greater sense of control over their anxiety so that they can feel more calm more often. Once we are free of excessive anxiety, we can start to feel more joy and confidence in who we are, and in how we live our lives.

Our mental health is integral to our total wellbeing. Whilst we all experience occasional bouts of stress, worry and anxiety, for some people feeling anxious has become a chronic state of being. Let`s talk about how we could change that . . .

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 regularly undertake further professional development to keep up to date with new developments in the theory and treatment of anxiety.

We will work together to explore your anxiety experience, including past and present factors that have contributed to its emergence and persistence. In this way you will develop a better understanding of what you are experiencing and why.

Together we will create a treatment program that makes sense to you and interests you, so that you will feel motivated and empowered to work towards improvement. As a Psychologist with a strong interest in treating anxiety, I look forward to supporting you in developing the skills you need to better manage this important element of your total wellbeing.

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 anxiety. Learning these techniques starts with becoming more tolerant of difficult feelings, such as those produced by panic, stress and worry. Ironically, “feeling anxious about feeling anxious” is one of the key ways in which anxiety perpetuates itself! Nobody likes feeling anxious, but finding ways to accept your anxiety can actually help to relieve it. 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 being able to handle a stressful situation or an anxiety flareup.

Performance is actually challenged by perfectionism

Sure, we all want that blissful experience of “riding the perfect wave”, whatever that wave is for us. But it quickly 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, worry and even panic. Not to mention the disappointment and self-criticism we can heap on ourselves when we fail to meet our impossible standards. 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 and then to your relationships

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, and is also the foundation for good social relationships. 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 the person with chronic anxiety, 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. In fact play isn’t optional to stress and anxiety management – 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. Anxiety is 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. Not getting enough hours of sleep, or not getting enough restorative sleep, can leave us feeling tired, irritable, and yes …. more anxious! In turn, this can make life`s daily challenges and problems harder to deal with and contribute to feelings of being overwhelmed. 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: 0432 662 447

Sessions may be conducted in clinic or via Zoom video. 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 discuss this with you.

I look forward to working with you.

Fee Structure

My standard fee is $265 for a 50 minute session.

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

A Medicare referral from your GP allows you to claim the Medicare rebate of $96.65 per session, leaving you with an out of pocket expense of $168.35. If you have private health cover, you may want to check with your provider whether you are covered for psychological services (private funds vary in rebate amounts).

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).