Professional Background & Training

Qualification & Internal Family Systems (IFS) Training

I have completed a Master’s in Psychology at Monash University, however am currently operating under the title “Pyschotherapist” (See more of my training below). I have completed both Standard and Advanced Internal Family Systems (IFS) training through the IFSCA, and have practiced under the supervision of a Level 3 IFS supervisor for the past five years. Alongside this and perhaps most importantly, I continue to engage in my own consistent IFS therapy, which supports me to remain present, reflective and deeply respectful of the process I invite clients into.

Clinical Experience, consultation & trauma-informed practice

My first role in the field over 12 years ago was in a youth residential mental health setting, where I worked closely with young people navigating challenging, complex and often overwhelming emotions. This was my first real introduction to how people can feel completely overtaken by certain states, whether that was intense fear, rage, numbness or deep sadness and how, in those moments, it can feel like there’s no way out. I learned that these responses weren’t random or irrational but deeply rooted in past experiences and often ways of coping with pain that felt unbearable.

I then transitioned to clinical roles, supporting people of all ages who had been through significant trauma. I’ve worked with individuals who had been given many different mental health labels, OCD, BPD, complex trauma, eating disorders, bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia, addiction and more. While these diagnoses can sometimes be helpful in making sense of experiences, I don’t see them as defining who someone is. Instead I focus on understanding the relational and adaptive nature of distress, how it developed, how it makes sense and how we can create space for something different (My approach).

Throughout my career, I have worked within and alongside a diverse range of services, including the justice system, schools, family violence and sexual assault services, clinical mental health and hospital settings, out-of-home care and child protection, First Nations services, refugee support services and youth and family support services.

I continue to work in community mental health in a not-for-profit setting, supporting individuals and families as they navigate trauma, family conflict, parenting challenges and everyday challenges. Alongside this, I provide consultation and run training for health professionals, educators and parents, helping them understand the impact of trauma, how it affects the nervous system and brain and how to respond in ways that support regulation, safety and connection.

Therapeutic approaches

Before coming to Internal Family Systems (IFS), I trained in and worked with a range of therapeutic approaches, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Family Therapy, Narrative Therapy, EMDR, Schema Therapy, Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Polyvagal-informed approaches, Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT).

Note: yes therapists really seem to love acronyms and long complicated words…..

I have also drawn from attachment-based, somatic, trauma-informed, humanistic, and parts-oriented approaches, as well as mindfulness, nervous-system regulation and body-based practices.

Each of these approaches has offered valuable ways of understanding and supporting people. Over time, however, I found IFS to be the most comprehensive and flexible model for working with the complexity of human experience, particularly trauma, attachment, emotional distress and the different parts of ourselves that develop in response to life experiences.

IFS is therefore the primary framework I use in my work today, while remaining flexible and continuing to draw on these other therapeutic perspectives where they are helpful for each individual.

Working with Diverse Communities

My work has given me experience supporting neurodivergent individuals, queer, trans and non-binary people, refugees and First Nations communities. I have deep respect for the unique strengths and challenges that come with navigating identity, culture, systemic barriers and intersectional experiences and I approach this work with cultural humility and deep listening.