My therapy approach

I care about providing engaging, attuned, kind and respectful therapy with a healthy dash of humour. My style is conversational, collaborative and down-to-earth. It's important to me that people feel seen, comfortable to say anything and everything that's on their mind, and that our time together is genuine and real. During sessions, I don't write things down (no intimidating notebooks!) and stay present with the person in front of me. 

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I offer an ongoing therapeutic relationship that supports a young person as they grow through all of life's ups and downs. Working over longer periods of time allows us to create the necessary trust and safety to explore who they are, why they feel the way they feel (and do what they do), reflect on what their behaviour is earnestly trying to communicate, and if any lessons from past experiences are influencing life in the present. This allows us to pinpoint what's truly needed to thrive, and I'll be there for support and guidance as self-knowledge translates into meaningful real-world choices.

 

It's an empowering, honest process that builds emotional intelligence, grounded confidence and psychological flexibility from the security of knowing yourself deeply and trusting your ability to listen to what your feelings are telling you. It goes beyond one-size-fits-all strategies to a deeply personal approach that encourages young people to self-reflect with humility, thoughtfully form their own ideas on what they think is best for them, and find the courage to act on it. My hope for my clients is that they can live their lives fully and authentically - self-assured, self-aware, brave, and unafraid of the broad spectrum of emotions that inevitably come with being human.

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My treatment approach is primarily Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, with influences from person-centred, attachment, relational, systemic, neurobiological, mentalisation, and power-threat-meaning theoretical frameworks. I also integrate other treatment approaches like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Narrative Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy and Skills Training (Assertiveness, Communication, Social Skills, Anger Management) as a complimentary way to develop practical strategies and new ways of thinking. Research into Psychodynamic psychotherapy demonstrates significant long-term clinical gains post-treatment, where people can continue to improve independently after therapy ends for many years - maybe even the rest of their lives. 

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Why longer-term therapy?

People are shaped by each relationship and experience they have, and the length of therapy aims to respectfully honour that by giving a life story the time and attention it deserves. For teenagers (and everyone, really!), trust and respect is earnt. Solid therapeutic foundations are built through consistency and seeing the best in someone through the good, the bad and the ugly. It can take time feel comfortable enough to reveal the parts of ourselves we are not-so-proud of, and to feel safe to express painful or conflicting emotions that are at the real heart of our struggles. From there, we can heal the deeper reasons why, not just treat symptoms as they arise.

 

Adolescence and early adulthood is a time of enormous change, transition, and rapid brain development. Young people become increasingly more capable of sophisticated thinking, self-reflection, understanding abstract/existential concepts, experiencing complex emotions, and making mature decisions. Particularly for adolescents, this can all feel quite new (it's a whole new world) and longer-term therapy gives ample time to build knowledge, understanding why and how things will be helpful, plan actions thoughtfully, practice, repeat, review, adjust, debrief, and celebrate the wins. The emphasis is on applying what is learnt in therapy and living it, with space to experiment with what works and learn from what doesn't. Time allows us to identify appropriate opportunities for trialling a brave new way of doing things, lots of encouragement to take chances, and properly implement values-driven change in the relationships and situations that are important to them.

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Services I offer

I offer individual therapy, parent sessions, and family therapy. This can be in person for anyone near Wollongong, or over Telehealth for anyone anywhere in Australia.
 

I am a board-approved supervisor with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and offer professional supervision for provisional psychologists, front-line youth mental health workers (e.g. allied health professionals, youth workers and caseworkers), and education staff looking to deepen their understanding of youth mental health and incidental counselling. I'm passionate about supporting diverse professionals to thoughtfully develop their own values-aligned approach with an authentic interpersonal style that they can embody with ease.

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What to expect

You can expect to be listened to, respected and given choices about what happens. Things will go at your pace and I'll work with where you are at - there is no pressure to open up faster than you are comfortable with. The first session is a conversation about what has brought you to therapy, and an opportunity for you to suss out if we click as two humans having honest chats. 

For ongoing appointments, you will be allocated your own dedicated time slot that is on the same day, at the same time, at a consistent regular frequency - usually starting with weekly appointments and making adjustments as necessary.

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