Anxiety Management ~ Practitioner Guided Road Map
An eight-week, practitioner-guided programme built on heart rate variability biofeedback. Four consultations with Dr Ash, in clinic at Camperdown or Geelong or by telehealth, with your own readings guiding what you practise between visits.
Four sessions over eight weeks, in clinic at Camperdown or Geelong, or by telehealth from anywhere. Same programme, same price either way. You’ll work through a plan built around your own results, adjusted at every visit.
How it works
Four sessions with Dr Ash (in clinic or telehealth) over the eight-week programme, with a short daily practice and a Daily Diary running between them. Everything you do lands on your own dashboard, so each visit starts from your data, not from memory.
Session 1 — Assessment.
We measure your heart rate variability and map where your nervous system is starting from. Before Session 1 you complete the online questionnaire on your dashboard; the 14-network assessment it produces sits beside your HRV baseline, and together they set your protocol and your resonant breathing rate.
Sessions 2 and 3 — Training.
Fortnightly visits. You learn to shift your physiology in real time, using your own data as the guide. Your diary and practice from the fortnight are already on screen, and your protocol is adjusted from what they show.
Between sessions.
A short daily practice at home, built from what we found in your assessment. You train your own heart rhythm in the NeuroZen HRV Biofeedback app built into your dashboard, wearing your Polar H10, so you can see what you are doing as you do it — a few minutes of resonant breathing, then a quick Daily Diary entry. The diary is the through-line — it’s what lets the protocol change as you do.
Session 4 — Review.
We re-measure, compare against your baseline, and decide what comes next. You re-take the questionnaire before Session 4; in the session we re-record your HRV, and the two sit side by side with Session 1 — along with your diary data from the programme so far.
What’s included
The road map runs on the same clinical platform as every Healthy Brain Clinic tier — the same questionnaires, the same 14-network assessment, the same Daily Diary engine and personalised protocols that sit under the 12-Week Brain Programme. The difference is the focus: eight weeks on your autonomic nervous system, with HRV biofeedback as the working tool, and no qEEG required.
- Full 14-network assessment from the online questionnaire — completed on your dashboard before Session 1, graded for severity across all 14 functional networks. Re-taken before Session 4 so we compare like with like.
- HRV assessment and training, in clinic and at home — beat-to-beat heart rate variability recorded in Session 1 to set your baseline and resonant breathing rate, trained live with Dr Ash in Sessions 2 and 3, practised between visits in the NeuroZen HRV Biofeedback app on your own dashboard using your Polar H10, and re-measured at Session 4.
- Your own dashboard — questionnaire results, protocol, diary and progress in one place, on the same platform used across every tier of care.
- Daily Diary — a few minutes each day. It feeds your dashboard and is the through-line that refines your protocol between visits, so we never start a session from a blank page.
- Personalised protocol, clinician-led — your daily practice is built from your assessment and HRV baseline and reviewed by Dr Ash at every session. Your breathing practice and session protocol come from his reading of your HRV and questionnaire results; the Daily Diary engine on your dashboard refines the day-to-day plan between visits.
- Resource library — articles, education videos, newsletters and resources on your dashboard, so you understand what you’re training and why.
- Review at week eight — questionnaire and HRV compared side by side against your Session 1 baseline, with a plain-language recommendation on what comes next.
- Co-care with your GP and psychologist — we work alongside, not instead of, your existing care, and coordinate with your treating clinicians where helpful.
A trial of treatment
This is a trial of treatment. Your progress is monitored throughout, and if you’re not improving by week eight, I’ll help you find the right support elsewhere.
Where this fits
Anxiety rarely lives in one place. It shows up in the body — breath, heart rhythm, the sense of being on alert — as much as in thought. HRV biofeedback works on that bodily layer directly: you watch your own heart rhythm respond to your breathing, and you learn, session by session, to shift it. It is a skill to build, not a quick fix.
The programme is offered as an adjunct to — not a replacement for — first-line care from your GP, psychologist or psychiatrist. We don’t diagnose, and we don’t prescribe or alter medication. If your questionnaire or HRV data point to something outside what eight weeks of biofeedback can address — a qEEG-led programme, or care elsewhere — Dr Ash will say so at your review, or sooner.
How anxiety can show up on a brain map → · The Healthy Brain Method — 14 networks, four tiers →
Pricing
Each session is paid individually. In-clinic sessions are paid at the clinic. Telehealth sessions are paid online when you book.
Your dashboard, questionnaire, Daily Diary and resource library are included in the programme.
Health fund rebates
Telehealth sessions are paid online when you book. We’ll email you a receipt with our provider details. Depending on your health fund, you may be able to claim a rebate — please check directly with your fund, as telehealth cover varies.
In-clinic sessions can be claimed on the spot through HICAPS where your fund covers chiropractic services.
Telehealth
Telehealth sessions run on Zoom. You’ll need a compatible heart rate sensor and a supported browser — see our Device and browser requirements page before your first session. We’ll talk through what you already have, or what to get, when you enquire.
The session itself is the same as in clinic: your heart rhythm on screen, live, with Dr Ash guiding the breathing and reading the data alongside you. Your dashboard, diary and questionnaire work identically wherever you are.
Common questions
Who is this programme for?
You, if you’re living with anxiety, persistent stress or a nervous system that won’t settle, and you want to work on the bodily side of it with your own data in front of you. It suits you if you’re already in care with a GP or psychologist and want a practical, measurable adjunct, or if you want to understand what your physiology is doing before deciding on anything longer.
Do I need to buy any equipment?
Yes — a heart rate sensor, and we recommend the Polar H10 chest strap. Your daily practice at home runs in the NeuroZen HRV Biofeedback app on your dashboard, and the app reads your heart rhythm from the sensor beat by beat. The H10 is our preferred device because it is the most precise. If a chest strap isn’t comfortable for you, the Polar Verity Sense armband is an alternative, though it is less sensitive. Bring the same sensor to your consultations, in clinic or by telehealth, so your readings are taken the same way every time. We sometimes have them at the clinic — ask when you book — otherwise buy one before you start so you are ready on day one. You’ll also need a supported browser. The Device and browser requirements page has the detail.
Can I do the whole programme by telehealth?
Yes. Same four sessions, same programme, same price. Your HRV is on screen live during the Zoom session, and your dashboard, questionnaire and Daily Diary are identical either way. You can also mix — each session is booked separately, so Session 1 in clinic and the rest by telehealth works.
How much time does it take between sessions?
A few minutes a day: the breathing practice set in your protocol, done in the NeuroZen HRV Biofeedback app with your Polar H10, and a short Daily Diary entry on your dashboard. The diary matters more than it looks — it’s what lets your protocol change between visits instead of waiting for the next appointment.
What happens after week eight?
Session 4 decides it, from your data. Some people finish with a home practice they can keep. Some continue with further sessions. Where the picture suggests a qEEG-led approach, the 12-Week Brain Programme is the next step.
And if you’re not improving, Dr Ash will help you find the right support elsewhere. There is no pressure to continue.
Do I need a GP referral?
No. You’re welcome to enquire directly. We will encourage you to stay connected with your GP and any other treating clinicians, and we coordinate with them where helpful.
Is there anyone this isn’t suitable for?
Some people with significant cardiac arrhythmia or autonomic conditions need medical clearance before starting HRV training; we screen for this before your first session and refer to your treating doctor where indicated. This is not a crisis service — if you need urgent support, call 000 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Start here
This isn’t a booking form. Tell us a little about you, and Dr Ash or one of The Healthy Brain Clinic team will be in touch to talk through whether the programme is the right fit.
Already spoken with Dr Ash or the clinic team? Book a session →
Scope & safety
We work alongside — not in place of — primary medical and psychological care. We do not diagnose neurological or psychiatric conditions, and we do not prescribe or alter medication. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 000 or Lifeline 13 11 14.