About Me and my work

About Me

I am Mel but I’m also known as Missy. I am a Registered Psychologist.

I am also a mother, a partner, a family member, an avid reader, an adventurer, a yoga enthusiast and a mindful, passionate human.
Like you, I am also on this continual journey of learning to live in a conscious and connected way.

I see life as a process of continual opportunities for growth, discovery and self understanding. Learning seems to happen in layers across the lifetime. Wisdom and insight comes when we take time to cultivate a level of intimacy with ourselves.
The word itself speaks for this: “In To Me See – Intimacy.”

I have been working in the Human Services field since 2002 and it is really my calling. I am deeply passionate about working with individuals, couples, and families to develop healthier relationships within themselves and with each other. I feel it is an honour to do this intimate and meaningful work with you.

I bring a mix of tools to my work with you. I also bring my whole human self into the therapeutic relationship.
Creating authentic human connection within the frame of clinical intervention supports deep and profound change for individuals.

I see you as the expert in your life and that my role is one of “co-pilot” and support. Through this, you get to experience your own innate capacity (even if you don’t see it right now!) to be empowered towards growth and healing.

I am committed to ongoing professional development and clinical supervision as I believe that being a great therapist (and a solid human being) involves continual new learning, introspection and growth. I have undertaken (and continue to undertake) an exhaustive list of additional courses and workshops. I am also committed to reflective practice which means I explore and reflect on the work I do and how it can be changed and developed.

my Journey into this work

My initial foray into human services was as a teenager when I volunteered as a Community Visitor in a Nursing Home. Through my visits with the residents I had my first personal experience of the profound therapeutic impact of deep human connection. This experience was the starting place for me and the first piece of scaffolding for the work I would do long into my adulthood.

After completing School & University I completed a 6 month Volunteer project working with Asylum Seekers in Bolzano, North Italy. This was the second seminal experience that then cemented my passion for working intimately with people.

After a period living in London I came home to Australia to continue my training. During this time I worked in many related clinical settings in Sydney, Melbourne and Coffs Harbour. I worked with individuals recovering from mental illness, people with intellectual disabilities, families/individuals facing homelessness, couples, families and adolescents in distress, LGBTQIA individuals and couples as well as individuals who have experienced trauma, suicide and crisis.

I have developed Bio-psychosocial intake and assessment protocols and I have supported individuals and couples in all lifecycle stages from before things feel like they are feeling wobbly (as a preventative measure) right through to when we feel like the world is caving in! (crisis). I have also run seminars and group programs.

What do i do now?

Since 2005 I have worked predominantly with individuals, couples and families providing counselling and Psychological support for a huge range of concerns. Initially I provided these services for Lifeline, Drummond Street Services and Interrelate Family Centre. In 2012 I opened my own private practice.

Professional Memberships & Registrations

AHPRA – Australian Health Practitioner Registration Agency – General Registration
APS – Australian Psychological Society – Associate Member
EMDRAA – EMDR Association of Australia – Member

Treatment Modalities USED

The core foundation of my work is based on the therapeutic relationship I have with you, my client in the here and now, moment by moment exchange we share in session together. In this regard I am influenced by Gestalt Therapy.

I am currently completing my third year of training in Somatic Experiencing and this underpins much of my work. I also provide EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) to process trauma. I have also trained in G-TEP Group Traumatic Event Protocol. I am working towards an advanced accreditation for EMDR beyond the Level 1 & 2 EMDR practitioner trainings.

In addition I use Emotion Focused therapy to understand the feelings and needs you have underneath your “story”. I may draw on Acceptance and Commitment therapy to support you to get clearer about the aspects of life that are in your control and those that are not. This is also a useful tool to get clear on the values that drive our motivations and it also offers fantastic Mindfulness tools to help us tune into ourselves better and diffuse from troubling thoughts.

Another tool that is well worn in my toolbox is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy which is a powerful evidence based approach to assist in managing challenging thoughts and feelings.
I am also drawn to the work of Dan Siegel and Interpersonal Neurobiology which considers how we influence each other human to human as well as how trauma is held and healed in the body.

When it comes to work with couples, I draw a lot from on the work of John Gottman and his “Sound Relationship House” and David Schnarch‘s “Passionate Marriage”, the work of Esther Perel as well as Emotional Focused Therapy and Attachment theory.

When it comes to work with families I use many of the approaches above but framed within the model of Family Systems Theory and Attachment Theory.