Can you discuss a particular area of interest within your specialty that you are passionate about and explain why it matters to you and your patients?
I am particularly interested in men's mental health and I am passionate about dismantling barriers that men experience in accessing high-quality psychological care, assessment and intervention. So many men who I work with are really resistant to using traditional medication to treat things like depression or anxiety, so I have been developing a non-medication-based treatment protocol to support men and have been trialling it with my clients for the last couple of years with really high success rates.

In what ways do you tailor your approach to meet the unique needs of each patient?
I never use the same approach twice, each individual gets their own tailored approach to their care plan which is calibrated to their capacities and their needs for intervention and support. My work is trauma-informed, de-colonised, neurodivergent affirming and non-violent, and as an ally to the LGBQTI+ community, I always make sure I'm clear on people's pronouns and how to support their unique expression of their identity right at the outset. I see clients who are extremely high-performing professionals looking to get unstuck from emotional and psychological blocks to deepen sexual intimacy in their committed relationships, who are ready to move relatively fast and in a goal-orientated manner, right the way through to clients who are very psychologically vulnerable and who may have been further traumatised by their previous therapists/doctors and need a very slow and careful approach. I draw from a diverse range of approaches including Jungian analysis, schema therapy, DBT, acceptance and commitment therapy and motivational interviewing, and stay focused on the client's goals and supporting them to achieve them.

Can you share an example of how you’ve gone above and beyond for a patient?
I have been privileged enough to walk through some very dark moments with incredibly courageous people, and have stayed on the phone with them while police or ambulances have been called to their homes, have helped them with hospital admissions and discharges, intervened for them with custody and family court matters and have even seen entire families for therapy together and separately. I can't share a specific example without breaking confidentiality but those are some of the regular ways I serve my clients.

Are there any achievements or projects in your career that you are particularly proud of?
I was involved in a groundbreaking project supporting Indigenous young people who had been incarcerated to complete their schooling whilst living in a community group home facility. I was on call 24/7 for this project so got to support these incredible young people after hours to heal and get into sport and achieve their goals, despite the enormous obstacles they faced by the circumstances of their lives. I remain incredibly proud of the work we did in that space and the family environment we provided for these kids, so many happy memories of cooking and eating meals together, kicking the footy and going for drives for late-night snack runs.

Can you describe how a new patient can start their journey with you? What steps should they expect?:
At the outset, we will sit down and grab a snapshot of where things are at right now for you, and we will do some planning together on what the goals are you want to achieve. This may involve doing some testing and developing a bit of an eco-map about your family, day-to-day life, existing support structures, habits and hobbies. Typically by the end of the first session, I can give a rough care plan proposal that involves your tailor-made approach, which we then tweak together as we go along and as we gain a deeper insight into what you are needing from the therapeutic container. I often end up seeing both people where the person is in a long-term relationship, and I even treat teenagers and kids in the family group as we work on shifting family dynamics so that everyone is getting what they need at home.

Are there any recent articles or blog posts you’ve written that offer insight into your medical philosophy or personal interests?
I routinely refer my clients to the work of Esther Perel, John Wineland, Clarissa Pinkola-Estes and David Deida. I also get people researching and reading about the 18 basic schemas, and use the Enneagram as a tool for personal development pretty widely.