"I strive to create a safe and nonjudgmental space for clients to bring their whole selves to therapy. I also take a collaborative and evidence-based approach to practice. This means working with clients to facilitate a better understanding of what is happening for them in their lives, and deciding together what would be helpful, from a range of researched therapeutic approaches. In aiming to build better awareness with clients, I value curiosity, empathy, and warmth. Feedback is also an important part of my work – creating an honest dialogue with clients about their experience of therapy, as well as about their personal preferences, ensures that our work together continues to focus on what is meaningful to them."

Charlotte was born and raised in Egypt, growing up as a bicultural individual, balancing Egyptian and French cultures. She is passionate about the unique challenges that come with navigating different cultural backgrounds. She earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in psychology in France and later obtained provisional registration in Australia with AHPRA. Over the years, Charlotte has worked in France, Egypt, and Southeast Africa. She specializes in supporting individuals dealing with trauma, anxiety, neurodivergence, and personality and mood disorders. Rather than focusing on fixing' mental health challenges, she focuses on building resilience and improving cognitive exibility to handle struggles effectively. Her approach is eclectic drawing on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Schema Therapy as well as humanistic and psychodynamic approaches.This exibility allows her to tailor her approach to each person’s unique background and needs. In addition to English, Charlotte speaks Arabic and French, which allows her to connect with clients from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Clare is an accredited Mental Health Social Worker and Gestalt Psychotherapist with 10 years’ experience working in the public and private sector of counselling and therapeutic services. Clare completed her bachelors (Hons.) degree in Ireland and four-year advanced training in gestalt psychotherapy in Melbourne, Australia. Clare offers a warm, relational approach to therapy where you can expect to be supported and challenged. She believes that the relational approach to therapy can be transformative, encourage deeper meaning-making and self-acceptance. Clare’s areas of specialty are working with victim/survivors of abuse, sexual violence, reproductive trauma, complex trauma, PTSD, bereavement, and loneliness. Whether or not you have a formal diagnosis or not, her interest is in your lived experiences and how this has shaped you in the present moment. Clare acknowledges that ‘recovering’ from traumatic experience requires trust, safety and a pace that feels right for you. There may not be a quick fix solution to what you bring to therapy, but she will help you to help yourself to cultivate curiosity and self-compassion and will encourage an increase of self-awareness and connection to all parts of you, embracing your whole self. Clare offers a space for all people who want to connect or reconnect back to themselves in creating a sense of home and steadiness within themselves. “The journey of aliveness, engagement in the world, risk taking, and connectedness is the grandest journey of all” – Close & Reese, 2018. Living in Melbourne? Find a mental health social worker near you. Our team is here to help!

"People want to feel seen and heard, and there are so few sacred spaces for this in our society. My hope is to deeply meet a client and to understand their suffering. I believe that with the support of another we can accept painful aspects of ourselves and our lives, and so find some ease and growth. I welcome anyone seeking individual gestalt therapy (supporting parts of ourselves we feel are unwelcome in the world) and / or an opportunity to discuss mental health concerns or medications. My particular interests are informed by my professional and personal history, including trauma resurfacing during major life events or transitions; hearing voices or having experience of psychosis; mental health concerns associated with medical conditions or interactions with the health care system; and burnout. Although medically trained (in psychiatry and emergency medicine), I believe that medications are at most only a part of what may help a person’s suffering, and often they are problematic. My orientation is therefore towards understanding a person’s experience, and offering from my preferred approaches of gestalt psychotherapy, de-medicalisation, and rational de-prescribing. Please note that I do not treat autism or ADHD, and am not available to write medico-legal reports (including, but not limited to for court, income protection insurance, Worker’s Compensation, NDIS or DSP). Outside of the clinic I enjoy forest walks with my dog Iggy (who may be with me during appointments), making food with yeasts (salami, ginger beer, panettone…), and being a not-very-accomplished student of the lute."

“ I put particular emphasis on listening to the client, striving to understand their background, needs and goals. I assess mental health holistically, and develop a treatment plan using the biopsychosocial approach to address the whole of the person. The Biological perspective includes medications, physical health and lifestyle, on which I collaborate with the Psychiatrists. The Psychological approach addresses thoughts, emotions and behaviors, including coping skills, on which I collaborate with my Psychologist colleagues. The Social perspective includes relationships, culture and economic and environmental factors, on which I collaborate with our Social Workers and OTs. Such a broad-based and multidisciplinary approach maximises the client's power to achieve their goals.”

"I try to practise from a position of shared humanity, humour, and humility. I’ve a healthy respect for using modern, evidence based psychological practices. I love nothing more than simple language in my sessions and practical improvement goals that will make a meaningful difference in the lives of my clients as soon as possible. I believe psychology needn’t be mystifying and want my clients to leave each session with a firm idea of what they are achieving by attending. I love working with people who are at the coalface of difficult and unwelcome change, anyone who needs structured support to pick themselves up and keep going, as well as those lucky enough to have the opportunity to lean back, give themselves some space and ask, “What the hell is all of this about?”. The lived experience I bring to bear draws upon a lifetime of wonder, questions, and interest in why people do the things they do. I am the kid who never grew out of asking “But Why?”, one more time. I am an avid gamer, reader, and movie goer. I enjoy life as a middle-aged, kinda-scene facing gay guy with connections to the kink and queer community. I come from a background studying religion and psychology, hoping that science can tell us what is going on within and around us, but understanding that the strength to keep it going on often relies on finding meaning in life that is more than facts and figures. Meaning and purpose are at the centre of my practise as a psychologist, but then they are at the centre of being a person, I suppose. My career has offered me the opportunity to work in everything from clinical service delivery, to governance, to national business management. Workplace health, corporate responsibility, and ethical leadership were central to me in those roles. These days I’m more interested in walking a healthy journey one on one with the community and people around me."

Jean is a registered psychologist and clinical registrar with experience delivering individual and family therapy across private practice and educational settings. She adopts a warm, compassionate, and trauma-informed approach with her clients, aimed at creating a non-judgemental and safe therapeutic space. She believes that individuals are the experts of their own experiences and seeks to empower her clients from all walks of life to promote their own healing. Jean enjoys working collaboratively with children, adolescents, and adults experiencing a range of mental health difficulties. Drawing from evidence-based frameworks including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Schema Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Mindfulness, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Jean tailors treatment to meet the unique needs and goals of each client. She is also trained in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Enhanced (CBTE) to provide specialised support for individuals experiencing some eating disorders and disordered eating patterns.

Lisa is an experienced registered psychologist who believes that therapy can help individuals gain a sense of direction and possibility in their lives. Her approach is compassionate, client-centered, and grounded in evidence-based practices. She adopts a holistic perspective, integrating a wide variety of evidence-informed techniques to suit each client’s unique needs. Lisa is particularly drawn to therapies that promote an exploration and acceptance of emotions, believing that understanding one's emotional patterns and reactions is the gateway to self-awareness and relational growth. This understanding helps clients navigate the worry, confusion, conflict, or loss that we all experience at times. Known for her warm and interactive personal style, Lisa brings respect and genuine curiosity to her work. She has extensive experience across a range of settings, including child and adolescent mental health services, and has worked with individuals managing chronic pain as part of her broader clinical expertise. Lisa works with individuals, couples, and parents facing life transitions, relational difficulties, mood and anxiety issues, chronic pain, and trauma. Her goal is to empower clients with the tools and insights to foster resilience and meaningful change. “I work with individuals navigating life transitions, personality and interpersonal challenges, survivors of trauma and abuse, those experiencing mood and anxiety concerns, individuals managing the impact of chronic pain, and clients addressing parenting or family dynamic concerns.”

Negin is passionate about exploring how traumatic experiences, attachment patterns and our cultural identity impact on our mental health, sense of well-being and life decisions. She has a strong interest in mindbody connection and integrating cognitive, emotional, somatic, and creative techniques to facilitate healing and growth. She believes our areas of concern are largely influenced by an individual’s inner system as well as external ones such as political, social, and environmental structures. Negin immensely enjoys her work as a therapist, a profession that is well aligned with her personal values: justice, creativity, peace, learning and courage. She sees herself as a warm and empathic guide here to assist you in reaching your goals & rebuilding a sense of power, resiliency, and safety. Her practice embraces diversity and welcomes differences brought by cultural background, age, ability and religion. Her practice is sex positive and GSRD-aware (Gender, sexuality and relationship diversity). She is eager to explore the impacts of immigration on sociocultural identity and experience of cultural bereavement.