About Mel

Hi, I’m Mel. I’m a Clinical and Health Psychologist with over 15 years of experience working in mental health. I have worked across private practice, hospital and community mental health settings, with children, adolescents, adults and families. This has afforded me with the knowledge, skills and experience in the assessment and treatment of a wide range of mental health presentations and treatment modalities as well as experience in both individual and group therapy.

I am in my element when I’m helping my clients better understand themselves and live more in line with the life they want. Work life aside, I love the ocean! It’s the place where I feel most alive, present and free. And whenever I can, I love learning to surf. I’m a wife and a mum of two kids and a Golden Retriever. I value spending quality time with my family and friends, exploring the outdoors and being active.

Qualifications

I was awarded a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) in 2007 and a Doctorate of Clinical and Health Psychology in 2014 from the University of Newcastle, NSW. I am a registered psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and a Member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS).

My doctorate thesis, published in 2015, was a study investigating stigma experiences of parents with serious mental illness.

How I can help you

I am passionate about helping people gain a deeper and more compassionate understanding of themselves, improve their relationships with others and create meaningful life changes. I am currently working with adults and young people. I enjoy working with clients with a range of different concerns, such as anxiety and mood disorders, stress, grief and loss and have a special interest in trauma recovery. I use a variety of different evidence-based and trauma-informed therapy models and tailor these to best suit people’s individualised needs and goals.

Being endorsed as both a Clinical and Health Psychologist, I adopt a holistic approach to care. I am interested in how our emotions and past experiences can impact our health and body and how approaches which foster greater awareness, connection and control over our body can be an integral component to improving our mental health and wellbeing and help people to recover from trauma.