Our Philosophy
The Stoa Poikile (translated to English: “painted porch”) was constructed around 460 BCE in Athens. This is where the philosopher Zeno of Citium met his students to discuss all things related to the art of living.
Zeno’s students were labelled ‘Stoics’ after the painted Stoa at which they met. This Painted Porch was a place to come together and discuss difficulties common to the human condition, and practice ways of thinking and behaving which reduced conflicts with the unyielding and indifferent patterns of the natural universe.
Some 2000 years later, the philosophical school of Stoicism is still relevant, and many modern forms of psychotherapy such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) are at least partially based on the original Stoic ideals.
This application of ancient wisdom to solve modern problems links our current-day difficulties to countless generations of ancestors. It also reminds us that many of our problems reflect timeless features of the human condition, rather than personal shortcomings or cultural or political perversions specific to the modern world.
Dr Joe Betts
Our therapist
Joe is a registered clinical psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). He has a PhD in Clinical Psychology which focused on the impact of adversity and intervention in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
Joe primarily takes a client-centred approach, a form of phenomenological therapy which focuses on building a relationship and engaging in dialogue to help you develop an understanding of your experiences. Joe then integrates strategies from cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to your discussion to scaffold thinking and behaviour change.
Joe will regularly integrate wisdom from different schools of philosophy in therapy, with a predominate focus on Stoic instructions on the art of living well.