I have been working in clinical mental health and consultation roles for over 20 years, and I now work primarily in private practice with individuals, organisations, couples and young people, as well as facilitate retreats and workshops, while also working as a supervisor for mental health teams and other clinicians.

In my clinical practice, I truly value helping my clients work through and heal the wounds that are often a part of our childhood experiences which frequently underlie issues of such as low self esteem, chronic pain and other health related issues, addictions, chronic anxiety, depression and PTSD, so that they can lead happier, more fulling and joyful lives, while also helping my clients develop the skills needed to feel empowered to manage life’s challenges as they arise and build resilience and greater self awareness.

I am also a musician and trained as a singer. I love to work with creative people and have a particular understanding of the challenges of performance anxiety and also of the creative process and can help other creatives to explore and respond to these challenges in order to flourish in their endeavors.

How I work:

My approach is also informed by contemplative traditions after completing a degree in western philosophy in my early 20's and around the same time beginning ongoing study of eastern psychology and philosophy. I also met a Tibetan Lama in the Kagyu tradition at this time and studied with him for 15 years. In the period before he died, he asked myself and a few other students to teach Buddhist philosophy and psychology. I have a particular interest in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition as well as the Indian Advaita Vedanta tradition. For me Buddhism is as the Dalai Lama states, “is a science of the mind.” And offers numerous methods for cultivating ways to feel more inner peace, a greater sense of ease and happiness within ourselves, with the world and in our relationships.

Over the past 20 years I have regularly traveled to Northern India in Dharamshala to continue my studies in Buddhist psychology and meditation, doing retreats and attending teachings. I have greatly enjoyed the experience of living and studying with the Tibetan community in exile with a number of wonderful teachers and with my main teacher Yangten Rinpoche (personal attendant to HH Dalai Lama). I am very grateful for the opportunity this has been in my life, for what I have learned, and can now share with others in my clinical and other work.

Some of my work at times is also to facilitate workshops in Buddhist and Western psychology and philosophy with E-vam Institute in Australia and New Zealand.

My therapeutic approach is practical and pragmatic, while also focussed on supporting clients to develop insight into ways in which they can better live in accordance with their hopes and values, enhance interpersonal relationships as well as respond to the challenges and difficulties of life. 

I work from an integrative and holistic perspective, incorporating my years of study and practice of meditation and eastern philosophy as well as in western psychotherapeutic methods and models.

Specialty areas:

I specialise in supporting individuals struggling with generalised anxiety, trauma and complex trauma along with interpersonal issues, relationship and greif and loss and marginalised groups such as LGBTQI and migrants. I also have a strong interest in supporting people wanting explore personal growth and clarify life goals and values, spirituality, existential questions and end of life issues. I also work with expanded states of conciousness utilising a blend of psychedelic cannabis that can be prescibed by a GP for those wishing to explore psychedelic assisted pysychotherapy to heal and transform old patterns and wounds and do deeper self exploration work.

I draw from a number of different therapeutic methods and approaches in my work such as EMDR Modality, Schema and Emotion Focussed Therapy, CBT, Internal Family Systems Therapy, Somatic Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Positive Psychology, Compassion Focussed Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and TFCBT.

I  also draw from recent studies in neuroscience and utilise evidence based techniques to work with issues such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress. I  teach a variety of meditation and breathwork techniques I have learned as a means to support clients to develop a greater sense of inner calm, which current neurobiological research indicates leads to neural integration, the effects are greater focus and attention, self awareness,  well-being and overall happiness.

For convenience,  I offer Telehealth sessions and Medicare rebates are now available for this service.