Profile

I am a fully registered Psychologist with over 19 years clinical counselling experience.

My main area of interest is facilitating Perinatal Mental health and wellbeing including antenatal and postnatal depression/anxiety. My primary focus is to enhance parent-infant relationships by ensuring strong, healthy attachments and sound mental health for parents. Working with parents antenatally (whilst pregnant) and postnatally (after birth) to assist families to get off to the best possible start.

I am a registered Fertility Counsellor who consults to City Fertility IVF Clinic, to provide supportive counselling for patients prior to, during or following their treatment cycle; implications counselling when couples choose to screen their embryos for known conditions or recurrent miscarriage; implications counselling when couples choose to use donor eggs or sperm to help form/extend their family.

I also consult to Bears of Hope, a national Pregnancy and Infant Loss Charity, that offers invaluable support to parents who have experienced a miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal loss. I co-facilitate their monthly support groups for bereaved parents at Castle Hill.

I have a particular interest in sexual health and wellbeing. I have previously lectured for a number of years on Psychosexual Female Health and Wellbeing, to fourth year medical students through the University of Western Sydney as part of their Obstetrics and Gynaecology training.

I balance my primary areas of interest with also seeing clients for general psychology conditions such as anxiety, depression, adjustment disorders, loss and grief, and sexual health issues (i.e. difficulties with desire, arousal, orgasm and painful sex).

As a mother of two, I have a friendly, practical approach and aim to work collaboratively with clients to develop an individualised treatment plan to help them achieve their goals. In counselling, I hope to provide a warm and friendly environment where people can feel safe and comfortable to discuss very sensitive personal information.

Prior to entering private practice, I worked in a variety of non-government organizations, and have gained a wealth of experience working with families in the out of home care sector, particularly adoption, and supporting families where their child has a disability.

QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Bachelor of Arts (Psychology/Education)
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology (Child and Adolescent)
  • Diploma in Health Counselling

REGISTRATION AND PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:

  • AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency)
  • AAP (Australian Association of Psychologists Inc)
  • APS- Perinatal and Infant Psychology Interest
  • PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia)
  • FSA (Fertility Society of Australia)
  • ANZICA (Australian and New Zealand Infertility Counsellors Association)
  • The Marcé Society – Australasian Chapter
  • Medicare and most major Health Funds