Welcome

Hi! Welcome to the Justin Hendriks Psychology blog. I’m a clinical psychologist who has a practice in Maroubra Junction, Sydney, Australia. This blog is written by me (Justin) on topics that interest me and that I think will interest my clients and readers who like to think about the mind and how to best live life. Given that I’m a psychologist, a lot of the topics I write about will be on issues related to mental health, the mind and therapy. I’m currently training to be an accredited Schema Therapist and so ideas from this framework will occur throughout this blog. Schema Therapy is an offshoot of CBT which assumes that early life experiences can shape our view of ourselves and the world in unhelpful and irrational ways. Understanding and modifying these views is essential for moving past longstanding and recurrent mental health issues.

Another big interest of mine is philosophy, especially ethics, and in particular the question of “The Good Life”. I’m a believer that there are numerous ways to live The Good Life. I also believe that many psychological problems, including depression, anxiety disorders and addictions, result in part as a consequence of striving for a maladaptive model of The Good Life (that is, an unhelpful, inappropriate or outdated version). I think that part of the solution involves connecting with your sense of integrity and pursuing a meaningful existence.

Apart from a focus on mental health and philosophy, this blog will be about anything related to human life (a very modest topic !). This could be related to community issues in Maroubra or in South-Eastern Sydney. This could be providing a psychologist’s view of culture, society and current events. I hope you enjoy!

UPDATE: See a Summary of the most popular blog posts here at the One Year Anniversary Blog!