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, bipolar, 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.

If you feel stuck on a person, it can be distressing and it can bring up a lot of shame. You’re not “too much”, and you’...
13/02/2026

If you feel stuck on a person, it can be distressing and it can bring up a lot of shame. You’re not “too much”, and you’re not alone in this.

Two patterns that can sit underneath this are limerence and an attachment alarm.

Limerence often feels like:

intrusive thoughts

craving a sign they care

analysing every interaction

big highs, big lows

getting pulled into fantasy and “what if”

An attachment alarm often feels like:

fear of losing connection

panic with distance or silence

overgiving or people pleasing

scanning for rejection

relief when someone is steady

Two gentle clues that can help you orient:

If clarity and consistency settle you, it may be your attachment system looking for safety.

If fantasy and uncertainty keep pulling you in, it may be limerence.

Either way, this can shift with support. The goal is not to shame yourself into letting go, but to understand what your nervous system is asking for.

Visit the blog at covapsychology.com for the full article.

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

A calm place to arrive.If you’re starting therapy, it’s common to feel nervous, unsure what to say, or worried you’ll do...
11/02/2026

A calm place to arrive.

If you’re starting therapy, it’s common to feel nervous, unsure what to say, or worried you’ll do it “wrong”. You do not need to have it all figured out before you walk in.

We aim for sessions to feel steady, paced, and collaborative. We can start wherever you are, and go from there.

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

If you’ve ever felt close to someone, then suddenly wanted to run, you’re not broken.Sometimes a relationship can feel s...
09/02/2026

If you’ve ever felt close to someone, then suddenly wanted to run, you’re not broken.

Sometimes a relationship can feel safe and terrifying at the same time. You might crave connection, then feel your chest tighten, your thoughts race, or an urge to withdraw shows up out of nowhere.

This can happen when your nervous system learnt, earlier in life, that closeness came with criticism, unpredictability, or emotional pain. Even when someone is steady and kind, your body might still brace for impact.

A gentle way to work with it is to slow down and get curious, rather than forcing yourself to “just trust”:

What happened right before the alarm switched on?

What story did my mind start telling?

What does my body need to settle by 5 percent?

This pattern can soften over time, especially with consistency, repair, and support.

If this resonates, you might like to save it for later. And if someone came to mind, you’re welcome to share it with them.

Today’s blog post is now live and goes deeper into why this happens and what can help. Visit the blog at covapsychology.com.

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

If you keep finding yourself drawn to emotionally unavailable partners, it can start to feel like a personal flaw. It us...
22/01/2026

If you keep finding yourself drawn to emotionally unavailable partners, it can start to feel like a personal flaw. It usually is not.

Often it is about familiarity. The nervous system tends to move toward what it knows, even when what it knows is inconsistency, distance, or having to work hard for closeness.

Emotional unavailability can look like mixed signals, closeness followed by withdrawal, avoiding commitment, difficulty with repair, or you carrying most of the emotional labour.

A helpful shift is moving from chemistry to consistency:
• notice who feels calm, not just exciting
• slow things down when intensity spikes early
• track follow through, not just words
• practise direct needs and boundaries
• choose people who can repair, not just charm

Today’s blog on this topic is now live on our website. Visit the blog at covapsychology.com

A narcissistic family system is not about labelling one person. It is about a pattern where one person’s needs and image...
18/01/2026

A narcissistic family system is not about labelling one person. It is about a pattern where one person’s needs and image sit at the centre, and everyone else adapts around them.

It can show up as emotions being minimised, blame being shifted, loyalty tests, boundary violations, or being pulled into roles like the golden child, scapegoat, caretaker, or invisible child.

If you grew up in this kind of system, you might notice long-term effects such as self doubt, people pleasing, hypervigilance, difficulty trusting your needs, or feeling responsible for other people’s feelings.

What helps is often less about winning understanding and more about building steadiness:
• trusting your perception
• naming patterns without debating them
• choosing safer people for honesty
• setting boundaries you can keep
• stepping back if the relationship cannot meet you safely

Today’s blog on this topic is now live on our website. Visit the blog at covapsychology.com

Emotional numbing can be confusing. People often say, “I feel nothing,” or “I know I should care, but I cannot access it...
15/01/2026

Emotional numbing can be confusing. People often say, “I feel nothing,” or “I know I should care, but I cannot access it.”

Numbing is often a protection response. If feelings were unsafe, overwhelming, or not welcomed earlier in life, the nervous system can learn to shut down. This is not a character flaw, and it is not a lack of love or empathy.

You might notice it as feeling flat, going blank in conflict, finding it hard to connect, or staying busy to feel steady.

What helps is usually gentle and consistent, not forceful:
• start with the body and small sensations
• ground yourself in the present
• create safety in small doses
• reconnect through actions before big conversations
• seek support if trauma is part of the picture

Today’s blog on this topic is now live on our website. Visit the blog at covapsychology.com

When connection feels uncertain, the nervous system can switch on fast. The urge to check for reassurance is not “too mu...
13/01/2026

When connection feels uncertain, the nervous system can switch on fast. The urge to check for reassurance is not “too much.” It is a protection response.

The work is widening the pause so you can choose what you do next with more clarity. Sometimes that means reaching out with a direct, gentle ask. Sometimes it means regulating yourself first and giving it time, especially if reassurance is not available consistently.

If this resonates, today’s post and today’s blog go deeper into why anxiety can come out as anger and what helps. Visit the blog at covapsychology.com

Sometimes anxious attachment does not look like anxiety. It looks like anger.When connection feels uncertain, the nervou...
11/01/2026

Sometimes anxious attachment does not look like anxiety. It looks like anger.

When connection feels uncertain, the nervous system can go into alarm. That can create a strong urgency to fix it now, get reassurance, or restore closeness quickly. The anger is often on top of something softer underneath, like hurt, fear, or loneliness.

Common patterns can include checking for reassurance more than once, reading into tone or timing, pushing for clarity when the other person needs space, or pulling back to see if they will come closer. These are understandable attempts to feel safe, but they can accidentally create more distance.

If you notice this in yourself, a gentler way through is:
• Name the primary feeling. Hurt, fear, loneliness.
• Regulate first. Slower breathing, feet on the floor.
• Ask directly and gently. “Can you tell me we’re okay?”
• Repair after. “I got scared and it came out intense.”

Today’s blog on this topic is now live on our website. Visit the blog at covapsychology.com

Masking in relationships is when you hide parts of yourself to feel safe, liked, or easier to be with.It might look like...
08/01/2026

Masking in relationships is when you hide parts of yourself to feel safe, liked, or easier to be with.

It might look like always being “fine,” staying agreeable, minimising your needs, or working hard to be the easy one. Sometimes you only notice it later as exhaustion, resentment, or a feeling of not being truly seen.

Masking is often a protection strategy. If honesty was met with criticism, conflict, or emotional distance earlier in life, the nervous system learns to keep things contained.

If this resonates, start small. You do not need a big reveal. Try one honest sentence:
• “I am not actually okay.”
• “That landed for me.”
• “I need a moment to think.”
• “Can we slow down?”

You can read more on our website. Visit the blog at covapsychology.com

An attachment trigger is what happens when connection with someone important feels uncertain to you.It can be set off by...
06/01/2026

An attachment trigger is what happens when connection with someone important feels uncertain to you.

It can be set off by things like:
• a delayed reply
• a change in tone
• less affection than usual
• plans changing
• feeling like someone is pulling away
• not knowing where you stand

When connection feels uncertain, the nervous system can interpret it as danger. Inside you, you might notice:
• a surge of anxiety or panic
• urgency and a strong need for reassurance
• anger, criticism, or protest
• overexplaining or trying to fix it quickly
• shutting down or going numb

These reactions are protective responses. They are not personality flaws.

If you notice it happening:
• Name it: “I’m triggered.”
• Exhale longer than you inhale.
• Feel your feet on the floor and look around the room.
• If you can, pause before you text or call. Even 10 minutes helps.

If this feels familiar, you can read more on our website. Visit the blog at covapsychology.com

Save this for later, or share it with someone who might find it grounding.

Happy new year from all of us at Cova 👋Our reception team is back from Monday 5 January.If you’d like to organise an app...
04/01/2026

Happy new year from all of us at Cova 👋
Our reception team is back from Monday 5 January.

If you’d like to organise an appointment, ask about fees/rebates, or find the right clinician for you, we’re here to help.

Over January we’ll be sharing gentle, practical posts on relationships, attachment, and nervous system regulation.

Therapists do, in fact, leave their consultation rooms sometimes. 😄A little snap from our end-of-year team get-together....
01/01/2026

Therapists do, in fact, leave their consultation rooms sometimes. 😄
A little snap from our end-of-year team get-together.

We’re currently closed over the New Year break and hope you’re getting a chance to rest too.
We’ll be back from Monday 5 January. ✨

You’re still welcome to submit an online enquiry in the meantime, we’ll respond when we’re back next week!

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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