How it works

This is the most common question we get asked - and one of the hardest to answer!

For some clients, just being able to go about their everyday lives without panicking at the sight of a dog in the distance is more than enough. Other clients want to be confident dog-owners in the future.

We guarantee we will do everything in our power to help you achieve your goals using an evidence-based approach - but it's impossible to guarantee specific outcomes.

Nonetheless, the vast majority of our clients are very happy with the results of therapy, and tell us that it has been nothing short of life-changing for them.

Yes. Our intensive program for adults and children over 8 years old is designed for clients visiting Sydney for therapy.

If you're unable to come to Sydney for therapy (or if your child is under 8 years old) we can still help you make a plan to overcome your phobia in a Roadmap session by phone/video call.

This could include liaising with a dog trainer in your local area with telehealth consultations to guide you through a plan that you can implement on your own.

Unfortunately, no. We aren't aware of any other psychology clinics specialising in cynophobia here in Australia or elsewhere.

Yes! We love helping kids and adults with disabilities.

Please get in touch to let us know what your needs are, and we'll work out how best we can help.

You won't have to do anything. We never push clients to do anything they're not ready to do - if we did, it would be totally counter-productive.

However, the idea that you can overcome a phobia of dogs without ever actually interacting with them is unrealistic.

We've helped numerous clients who have wasted lots of time and money on unproven phobia treatments that are not exposure-based. They all tell us "I wish I'd come to see you sooner".

If you're a Medicare card-holder, just make an appointment with your GP and request a 'mental health care plan' to get a psychologist referral for your phobia of dogs.

We completely understand that the idea of therapy can be terrifying for someone with a phobia, which is why the vast majority of people with phobias sadly never seek help.

However, this fear usually stems from a misunderstanding of what therapy actually involves.

Firstly, it is important to understand that we create a very controlled environment for you in the therapy sessions - there are no surprises and we leave nothing to chance.

Secondly, please rest assured that we will never, under any circumstances, make you do anything you don't feel willing to do. Often clients have the misconception that they have to 'push' themselves to overcome their fear, however this is not the case at all.

The therapy process is all about creating a totally different experience with dogs for you than what you're used to - one where you feel completely safe and in control of your choices.

If your child is under four years old, we can discuss options, and make a plan with you to help them overcome their fear, in a Roadmap session.

However, from our experience, we don't believe that in-vivo exposure therapy is suitable for very young children.

Not all clients need the full number of sessions included in a therapy program to overcome their fear of dogs.

If that's the case for you, you can use the remaining sessions in your program to further your knowledge and understanding of dog behaviour, and gain more experience and confidence interacting with dogs, or if you prefer you can finish therapy early.

We have designed our therapy programs based on what we've found to be effective for the majority of clients who we've worked with over the years.

However, every individual's phobia is different and it's impossible to say for certain exactly how many sessions each client will need to achieve their therapy goals.

If you haven't quite reached your goals by the end of the program, we can arrange additional individual therapy sessions as-needed.

As long as you're keen to keep going, we're 100% committed to helping you achieve your goals.