I am a Psychologist and am fully registered with the NSW Psychologists Registration Board (Registration No.PS0092670), as well as having attained associate membership with the Australian Psychological Society (Member No. 103673)
Over the course of my experience, I have had the privilege of working with individuals and groups of various ages and cultural and social backgrounds.
My individual work has focused on adolescents and adults, within the contexts of mental health, education and vocational issues, relationship matters, grief and loss and the experience of trauma and abuse, addictions, as well as other problematic behaviours.
I also have considerable experience in facilitating groups, and in the past have run groups on the management of depression, anxiety, grief and loss, mental health-related matters, as well as drug and alcohol related issues, trauma and abuse related issues, and harm minimization with adolescents. I have run mindfulness groups, which work on a fusion of eastern and western In addition, I have run psychoeducational groups on managing medication in mental illness, and support groups for victims of abuse and other crimes, as well as carers of people with intellectual disabilities, mental illness, and those living with drug addiction.
I have worked well with individuals and groups in identifying and changing unhelpful and maladaptive behaviours, assisting to manage moods and emotions, as well as addressing the full spectrum of addictive behaviours including drugs, alcohol, gambling, eating, and sexually inappropriate behaviours. I do so by taking on a holistic approach, and looking broadly at an individual's lifestyle, what motivates and drives them to achieve goals, and identifying any "blocks" existing for them, working with them to help individuals to attain balance in their lives, and increase confidence and self esteem so that they are able to continue to live rich, meaningful lives.
In addition to tackling problematic behaviours, I have also been successful in helping individuals to stay well, and in the event where they have experienced mental health, addictive behaviour, or other issues in the past, have helped them to create and maintain a strong sense of confidence and self worth, as well as a healthy, well balanced lifestyle, thereby reducing the risk of relapse.
Upon meeting a client, I design treatment programs tailored to the needs of the individual, and may include a number of intervention strategies and therapeutic approaches, including group or individual therapy; Cognitive Behaviour Therapy; Brief, Solution Focused Therapy; Narrative Therapy; Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Behavioural Interventions, and Psychodynamic Therapy. I work with clients to devise strategies to best support them in managing situations that are proving problematic for them, as well as helping them find adaptive, helpful approaches to modify unhealthy behaviours, taking it one step at a time. Importantly, the work I do is done with the client, and the approach I take is one of open-mindedness, acceptance and without judgement, such that the client experiences a feeling of safety and acceptance in attempting to develop themselves.
Finally, I am proficient in administering, analyzing and reporting on a range of psychological assessment tools including Intellectual Assessments for adults and children; adaptive behaviour tools; dual diagnosis and functional assessments; vocational assessments; assessment of depression, and other mood disorders; personality tests, and other tools. As part of this service, I provide confidential, comprehensively written reports to the client or the requesting agency.