Our People

Jace Cannon-Brookes

Jace is Co-Director of Birchtree Centre of Excellence. She began her career as a Registered Nurse, working within Acute and General Psychiatry, Drug and Alcohol, Palliative Care and Eating Disorders. It was during these years that she retrained as a Clinical Psychologist. For fourteen years Jace then worked within the field of addiction in a variety of roles. She designed and co-ordinated a six week residential rehabilitation program, with a focus on the treatment of complex trauma for women with histories of substance dependence. Jace has also completed the intensive Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) training and subsequently co-ordinated the implementation of a 12 month out-patient DBT program. Jace subsequently completed the three year Diploma of Psychotherapy with the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychotherapy (ANZAP). It was through these professional experiences that Jace developed an interest and passion for working with survivors of complex trauma. She recognised and holds as deeply important the need to shift from a frame that asks ‘what is wrong with someone’ to one that questions ‘what happened to this person’. Jace believes in the importance of creating a safe space that holds and contains both clinicians and survivors enabling them to come together to focus on healing and recovery. This passion for working within the field of Complex Trauma resulted in Jace and Dr Sophie Reid opening Birchtree Centre in October 2015.

Jace provides clinical supervision regularly to clinicians, including clinical registrars. She has also taught for a number of years within the post graduate clinical psychology programs at the University of New South Wales, University of Technology and University of Sydney. Within her role as Co-Director of Birchtree Centre, Jace and Sophie have provided training on complex trauma to many private and public health agencies, as well as to a number of legal services.

Setting up Birchtree Centre also highlighted to both Jace and Sophie the need for the provision of support to clinicians and survivors of complex trauma in rural and regional Australia. In line with this need, Jace and Sophie have launched the Birchtree Foundation through which they provide workshops, support groups, supervision and mentoring.

Qualifications

Professional Memberships

Dr Sophie Reid

Sophie is Co-Director of Birchtree Centre of Excellence and is a clinical psychologist with 20 years of experience. She holds a Masters of Clinical Psychology and a PhD in Child and Adolescent Psychology. Understanding families, relationships and the day to day challenges of both growing up and raising children underpin her clinical work. A passion for child advocacy has lead Sophie to focus her clinical work on helping people heal from the trauma of childhood difficulties and trauma and to assist people to become a more peaceful integrated self and return to the person they were born to be. In her work with parents and couples, Sophie seeks to support adults to interrupt the intergenerational impact of childhood trauma. Sophie has extensive experience working with adults, children and adolescents, parents and families at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, with Sydney’s homeless community, school communities, and in private practice. Sophie specialises in helping both individuals and families to recover from trauma, anxiety and depression, eating disorders, grief and loss, addictions, relationship issues, workplace and childhood bullying, and childhood illnesses.

Sophie has been a clinically focused academic at Sydney University, Monash University, Melbourne University, the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre. She has supervised PhD, Masters and Honours students, produced many publications, and continues to collaborate on a number of projects in the trauma and eating disorder areas. Sophie has been a member of the Expert Working Committee for beyondblue. Sophie also provides clinical supervision to clinicians including Clinical Psychology Registrars.

Together with Jace Cannon-Brookes, Sophie established the Birchtree Centre of Excellence in Trauma, Addiction and Eating Disorders in 2015 to address the pressing need to provide a place for adult survivors of childhood trauma to be welcome, held and heal. The Birchtree Centre has run a number of workshops and training for clinicians on complex trauma. The newly founded Birchtree Foundation was launched to provide trauma support and care to regional communities and to conduct cutting edge research to impact and interrupt the outcomes of childhood trauma.

Qualifications

• PhD (University New South Wales)
• Masters Clinical Psychology (University of Melbourne)
• Bachelor Science (Psychology), Hons 1 (University New South Wales)

Professional Memberships

• Australian Psychological Society
• Australian Clinical Psychology Association
• Australian Health Practitioners’ Registration Agency – Clinical Psychology Endorsement

Adam Dickes

Adam uses a range of approaches to suit individual needs. He has training and experience in Compassion Focussed Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Mindfulness Integrated Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, and attachment approaches such as Circle of Security.

Experience

Adam is a warm, empathic and non-judgemental psychologist. He enjoys connecting with people from all walks of life, hearing their stories and working together to solve problems and overcome difficulties. Adam has worked with a wide range of clients who have experienced trauma, especially those from disadvantaged groups. He has worked at the Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors and the Spilstead Family Intervention Service. Adam is currently the vice-president of the Hearing Voices Network, where he has facilitated support groups for people who hear voices.

Research

Adam’s current research is focused on developing and evaluating a family-based intervention to improve parent-child relationships for children in out of home care who have experienced complex trauma and maltreatment, an area he is especially passionate about.

Qualifications

• PhD candidate, Clinical Psychology, University of Technology Sydney
• Master of Clinical Psychology, University of Technology Sydney
• Bachelor of Arts (Hons) (Psych), University of Sydney

Memberships

• Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
• Australian Clinical Psychology Association

Alison Lyons

Alison believes that a life lived well is all about good relationships with oneself, our partners, families and communities.  She is passionate about helping people strengthen and get the most out of their relationships.

Alison is a specialist couple and adolescent family therapist. She has worked with couples and families dealing with a wide range of life issues over the past twenty years. Alison can support you dealing with mental health and trauma issues, relationship issues, intimacy, trust and betrayal issues, drug and alcohol and gambling issues, parenting issues, family separation and divorce.

Alison is also a collaborative family law coach. The interdisciplinary collaborative family law approach supports families in resolving issues that arise from separation and divorce in a positive and family focussed way.

Alison has facilitated a wide range of therapeutic groups for people with drug and alcohol issues and for men with anger and violence issues. Alison also facilitates psychological educational groups for parents. She has been a lecturer at Macquarie University and has taught on the Graduate Diploma of Couple and Family Therapy course at the Australian Institute for Relational Studies (AIRS). She also provides clinical supervision to other therapists.

Alison is collaborative, creative and innovative in her therapy practice. She uses a wide range of therapy models, including systems theory, narrative ideas, mindfulness, psychodrama and neurobiological trauma focused practices to help people bring lasting changes into their relationships.

Qualifications:

• Graduate Diploma in Couple and Family Therapy – Australian Institute for Relationship Studies (AIRS)
• Master of Cultural Psychologies (Narrative Studies) – University of Western Sydney
• Graduate Diploma in Counselling – The Institute of Counselling
• Registered Midwife – St. Margaret’s Hospital, Sydney
• Registered Nurse, Mercer’s Hospital, Dublin

Professional Memberships 

• Clinical Member of The Australian Association of Family therapy (AAFT)
• Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia – Registered Nurse

Anila has been practicing as a psychologist for over 5 years, and has been passionately developing her skill as a therapist throughout that time. She holds general registration with the Psychology Board of Australia Anila brings a broad range of experience to her practice, having begun her career in educational and developmental psychology, and in private practice working in mood disorders, anxiety and depression. Most recently she has geared her career towards specialising in eating disorders. Anila has lived in Melbourne for several years where she was a psychologist at Eating Disorders Victoria and is currently working as at Northside West Hospital in the eating disorders unit. She brings with her extensive experience in providing short and long term therapeutic interventions for individuals affected by self-harm, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem. She has particular interest in working with complex emotional and interpersonal trauma, and in continuing her specialisation in eating disorders.

Anila draws from a range of therapeutic interventions tailored to suit the needs of each individual. She uses evidence-based therapies to address psychological problems, and has extensive training and experience using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Schema Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and DBT skills.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Arts (USyd)
• Graduate Diploma in Psychology (USyd)
• Bachelor of Psychological Sciences (Honours ) (ACAP)

Dr Beata Robins

Beata is a registered psychologist. She completed her PhD and Master in Clinical Psychology at the University of New South Wales and is currently undertaking the registrar program for endorsement as a Clinical Psychologist. She has extensive training in the psychological assessment and treatment of adults, adolescents, children and their families. She has worked across a variety of clinical settings including hospital inpatient and outpatient units, a university clinic and private practice. Beata’s special areas of interest are: depression, anxiety, attachment, trauma, grief and loss, eating disorders, addictio­­n, relationship issues, and psychosis.

Beata enjoys working with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds and walks of life. She has a deep appreciation of how many of the difficulties and concerns that clients experience are understandable given specific life events, as well as social, cultural and familial factors at different stages of a client’s life. Beata endeavours to create a non-judgemental and accepting space where clients can feel safe to explore the challenges they are experiencing, increase self-understanding, and where their individual strengths and wisdom gained from their personal journey can be nurtured and built upon. Beata works collaboratively with clients using a wide range of evidence-based treatment approaches tailored to their individual needs.

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy (The University of New South Wales)
• Master of Clinical Psychology (The University of New South Wales)
• Bachelor of Advanced Science with Honours in Psychology (The University of New South Wales)
• Bachelor of Arts (Sociology and Social Anthropology; The University of New South Wales).

Professional Memberships

• Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
• The Australian Psychological Society, Member

Danielle McHugh

Danielle is a clinical psychologist who has practiced as a psychologist for over ten years. Prior to gaining her qualifications Danielle worked in the community sector for 20 years supporting people to improve their circumstances and overcome adversity.

Danielle’s clinical expertise is broad and includes working with adolescents, their families and adults across a range of areas including depression, anxiety, relationship stress, complex trauma, sexual abuse and sibling sexual abuse, drug and alcohol issues, and disordered eating. Danielle has worked in the community sector, public health, and private practice.

Danielle has a gentle, warm and compassionate approach in assisting individuals and families with their concerns and providing therapy to meet their specific needs. She has a passion for assisting people to improve their emotional well-being and to overcome the impact of adversity.

Danielle has special interests in helping people who have been impacted by trauma and/or are experiencing emotional or relationship stress, and people facing difficulties with disordered eating.

Danielle has completed specialist training in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Schema Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Impact and Treatment of Childhood Trauma, Sexual Assault Counsellor Training, Sibling Sexual Abuse, and Treatment for Eating Disorders.

Qualifications

• Master of Psychology (Clinical Psychology) – University of Western Sydney
• Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) (Hons) – University of Sydney

Professional Memberships

• Full Member of the Australian Clinical Psychology Association (FACPA)
• Australian Health Practitioners’ Registration Agency – Clinical Psychology Endorsement

Dr Deborah Thomas

Dr Deborah Thomas is a Clinical Psychologist who has worked in private practice for over twenty years. She provides services in both psychotherapy/counselling and life coaching. In her psychotherapy practice Deborah works with adults experiencing a wide range of emotional and behavioural issues including single incident trauma, complex trauma, PTSD, narcissistic abuse, depression, disordered eating, weight management, relationship difficulties, grief, anxiety, self-esteem/self-confidence difficulties, and childhood abuse. Deborah also provides life coaching services to those who are eager to improve their lives and relationships, achieve goals, and attain a sense of general fulfilment and life satisfaction. Deborah is deeply committed to improving the lives of her clients by focusing upon the unique needs of each individual, by working in a collaborative and empathetic manner, and by encouraging and nurturing each person’s strengths and talents.

Deborah is also a researcher, writer and public speaker who has presented her work at conferences in Australia, Europe and the United States. She is particularly interested in understanding those emotions which lead us to feel bad about ourselves and, as a consequence, inhibit development and our capacity to live happy and peaceful lives. In addition, Deborah is an experienced teacher who has lectured in the fields of ethics, self psychology, self-conscious emotions, and the psychology of weight management.

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy (Psychology) (Macquarie University)
• Bachelor of Science (First class honours in Psychology) (Macquarie University)
• Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Macquarie University)
• Bachelor of Science (Biology) (Macquarie University)

Professional Memberships

• Registered Clinical Psychologist

Fiona Lumsdaine

Fiona Lumsdaine is an experienced psychotherapist specialising in relationship counselling. She provides a safe, non-judgemental therapeutic environment, helping individuals, couples and families to heal and communicate in a more direct and connected way. Fiona’s approach, based on a lifetime of counselling, teaching and experience, is that our shared humanity is stronger than our differences – that the way forward is best navigated with empathy, curiosity and compassion. She helps develop the skills necessary to identify, negotiate and resolve relationship challenges. Fiona also has a specific interest in helping individuals, couples and families dealing with issues related to LGBTQI and cross-cultural challenges.

As a qualified Interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice (ICP) coach, Fiona is uniquely able to help couples going through separation and divorce to reach positive, mutually-beneficial settlements. ICP is a team-based, principled-negotiation approach designed to keep both parties in control of the outcome and to avoid the need for costly, traumatic litigation and Family Court intervention. As an educator, Fiona teaches a specialised course on conflict resolution and mediation skills in the health care sector. She also runs workshops helping couples and families negotiate their way through separation and divorce in a way that helps preserve and evolve their parenting and communication skills in order to minimise trauma for all members of their families.

Qualifications

• Graduate Diploma of Relationship Studies (Australian Institute for Relationship Studies)
• Qualified Interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice Coach
• Diploma of Professional P.S.H. Therapy
• Certificate of Advanced Clinical Hypnotherapy

Memberships

• Member, Australian Counselling Association (ACA)
• Member, Collaborative Professionals (NSW) Inc

Gwenda Gilligan

Gwenda is a Clinical Psychologist and has worked in private practice in ACT and NSW. Her work includes individual therapy, group work and couple therapy.

Gwenda’s focus is on enabling clients to understand the changes they want to bring about in their lives and in facilitating those changes. Her work history includes counselling clients in the performing arts in overcoming performance related anxiety including social phobia and panic attacks. Gwenda has an extensive teaching career working with children, adolescents, and families in the public and private domains. She has wide ranging-cross-cultural experience working with child and adult refugees, new arrivals to Australia, and with Indigenous Australians. These experiences have brought Gwenda in contact with individuals who have experienced severe trauma and have contributed to Gwenda’s interest in working with clients suffering the effects of trauma.

Gwenda has training in a wide variety of therapies including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Schema Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Mindfulness, Prolonged Exposure Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Coherency Therapy.

Qualifications

• Master of Clinical Psychology (University of Canberra)
• Master of Creative Arts (University of Wollongong)
• Bachelor of Arts, Diploma of Education (BA Dip Ed) (Macquarie University)
• PhD current (Scholarship, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University (CDU)). ‘Investigating communication between health professionals and Indigenous cancer patients’

Professional Memberships

• Registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)- Clinical Psychology
• Member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS)
• Member of APS College of Clinical Psychologists

Jaimie Northam

Jaimie Northam is a Clinical Psychologist with over eight years of experience in private, public and university treatment services. Jaimie is an energetic, warm and compassionate therapist, who highly values each person’s unique strengths and experiences.

Jaimie works with a wide variety of presentations including problems with mood (anxiety and depression), stress, eating disorders, child behavioural problems, and addictions. She uses evidence-based therapies to address psychological problems, and has extensive training and experience using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Schema Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and DBT skills. She draws on her broad training to tailor a unique treatment plan to most effectively move individuals towards their goals.

Jaimie also works and studies at the University of Sydney where she is in her final year of her PhD, which is exploring parenting practices and interventions for children with disruptive behavioural disorders.

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy (Candidate) (The University of Sydney)
• Master of Clinical Psychology (University of Canberra)
• Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) (University of Canberra)
• Postgraduate Certificate in Alcohol and Other Drug Studies.

Professional Memberships

• Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
• The Australian Psychological Society, Member (APS)

Kate Hinsley

Kate is a psychologist who has completed postgraduate study in clinical psychology with further specialised training in delivering mindfulness based therapies and trauma informed care. Kate has a special interest in complex mental health presentations, addictions, identity and relationship difficulties, trauma and abuse, impulsive behaviours, and criminal conduct. Kate’s therapeutic orientation is primarily influenced by psychodynamic principles, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), and mindfulness. Kate enjoys working with both young people and adults.

Kate has experience working in drug and alcohol rehabilitation in a forensic setting and in a private mental health hospital. Furthermore, she has been involved in several academic research projects in the field of addiction.

Kate is also a meditation teacher influenced by the Vipassana (insight) tradition, and has taught meditation to offenders in custody, to mental health inpatients, and to refugee children.

Qualifications

• Masters of Psychology (Clinical), University of Wollongong
• Bachelor of Psychology, The University of Sydney

Professional Memberships

• Member of the Australian Psychological Society
• Associate member of the Australian Clinical Psychology Association
• General registration with the Australian Health Practitioners’ Registration Agency

Kate Turner

Kate is a clinical social worker and a certified neuropsychotherapy practitioner. She has over 20 years’ experience working with adolescents, young people and adults who have experienced the broad impacts of trauma and mental illness. She has worked extensively in public health, community and private clinical settings, and is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker with Medicare.

She works with adults and young people who have experienced:

• Childhood and adolescent developmental/attachment trauma;
• Sexual abuse and sexual assault;
• Domestic and family violence;
• Grief and loss;
• Mental health difficulties;
• Parenting as a survivor of trauma;
• Workplace oriented vicarious trauma and burnout.

Kate is passionate about working with her clients to facilitate recovery and healing from the effects of trauma and adversity in their many forms. She works in partnership with her clients, and tailors the therapeutic process to the needs of the individual. She works from a variety of clinical treatment modalities including (but not limited to): Trauma-Informed Stabilisation Model, Internal Family Systems Model, and Attachment Focussed Therapy. She has obtained training and professional development in these therapeutic models.

Kate began her career working in mental health clinical settings with individuals and groups who had experienced significant impacts of trauma, mental illness and substance abuse.

Over the course of many years, her interest in working with teenagers and adults who had experienced trauma emerged. Kate then developed specialist skills, knowledge and experience in working with individuals who had experienced recent sexual assault and/or earlier life sexual, emotional and physical abuse, via counselling and management of a trauma-specific NSW health service.

She later gained invaluable knowledge and experience working as a senior counsellor for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Kate views her clients as the experts in their own lives, and works from a strengths perspective. She enjoys working in partnership with her clients to transform the legacies of their current or past life experiences.

Kate provides consultation and training for legal, health and non-government organisations regarding vicarious trauma, Trauma-Informed Care and staff wellbeing.

She also provides clinical supervision for clinicians and teams working in direct and indirect trauma services.

Professional Memberships

• Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)
• International Association of Clinical Neuropsychotherapy (IACN)

Liz Fitzgerald

With many years of experience in services and private practice, art therapist Liz has worked with adults and children, facilitating art therapy for people who have been affected by developmental trauma, PTSD, complex PTSD, addiction, eating disorders, anxiety and self-harm. She offers a safe therapeutic space to create, express and connect. 

Liz works with people individually and in groups and is trained in a psychodynamic, trauma informed approach. She is a clinical supervisor and visiting lecturer on the Western Sydney University Master of Art Therapy course. Liz enjoys advocating for art therapy in the wider community, including teaching the Sydney University CCE course “An Introduction to Art Therapy”, and was the inaugural group leader of the ANZACATA Sydney regional group.

While Liz understands that not everyone feels comfortable making art to begin with, she believes that we don’t need to be good at art to benefit from the self-awareness we find though connecting with our creativity in a therapeutic setting.

Qualifications:

• Master of Art Therapy, Western Sydney University
• Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of NSW
• Certificate in Traumatic Stress Studies, JRI Trauma Centre, Boston

Professional Memberships:

• Professional Member, ANZACATA

Margaret Goldfinch

Margaret Goldfinch is a Senior Clinical Psychologist who has been working with children, adolescents and families for more than 25 years, in schools, clinic and family settings.

Margaret’s expertise is in attachment, trauma and disruptive behaviour in children; she is passionate about helping children and adults overcome the effects of trauma and adversity. She uses parent- child therapy, CBT, mindfulness and sensorimotor approaches, as well as family therapy and group-work to help clients develop the relationships they want, and build a stronger sense of self to manage life’s stresses and transitions.

She was the Team Leader of the Early Childhood Unit at Redbank House from 2000 – 2014, and was consultant to the Out of Home Care Assessment Clinic at Children’s Hospital Westmead. She now works part time for the Health Department and part time in private practice.

As well as direct client work, Margaret provides supervision, consultation and training for allied health and community sector staff throughout Sydney in complex trauma, family therapy, attachment and disruptive behaviour in children.

Nadine Neukirch

Nadine is a registered psychologist and is completing the registrar program for endorsement as a Clinical Psychologist. Nadine completed her Bachelor of Psychology with Honours at the University of New South Wales and her Master in Clinical Psychology at the University of Technology Sydney.

Nadine has worked across a variety of clinical settings, including a hospital outpatient unit, a university clinic, private practice, and a not for profit clinic. She has extensive training and experience in the psychological assessment and treatment of adults, adolescents, and children and their families. Nadine has worked with individuals with a range of presentations including anxiety, depression, relationship issues, difficulties subsequent trauma, eating disorders, and social phobia. She has more extensive experience working with individuals struggling with emotion regulation difficulties and other underlying issues, as well as parenting difficulties. Nadine has a specific interest in developmental trauma and childhood concerns. She is also a fully qualified yoga teacher and has an interest in mindfulness and body based therapies.

Nadine draws upon a range of therapy modalities to work collaboratively with clients to help them achieve their goals. Evidence based approaches she applies include Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, and Mindfulness based approaches. Nadine has a warm and non-judgemental approach when working with her clients.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) (University of New South Wales)
• Master of Clinical Psychology (University of Technology Sydney)
• Yoga Teacher Training (200h, Hatha)

Professional Memberships:

• Australian Clinical Psychology Association
• Australian Health Practitioner’s Regulation Agency

Dr Nicole Clement

Nicole is a warm and highly skilled clinical psychologist with over 15 years of experience in the field. She believes that humans are capable of incredible strength and change and feels privileged to work collaboratively with her clients to effect such transformation.

Her therapeutic approach is client centred and strengths based and she practises with a range of therapeutic techniques including Emotion Focused therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Nicole works with clients in either the shorter or the longer term depending on their needs and situation. Her main areas of interest include grief, stress, anxiety, depression, work place difficulties and leadership challenges, relationship issues, mixed marriage challenges, parenting issues, relocation issues, trauma and substance misuse difficulties.

Nicole has a Clinical PhD (Master and PhD degree) in Clinical Psychology from the Australian National University in Canberra. Her Phd focus was parenting self efficacy. She has published a number of articles in peer reviewed journals, the most recent in 2017. She has had experience in a variety of public and private settings including working as a researcher and clinician at the University of NSW National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Department of Veterans Affairs, and St Vincent’s Drug and Alcohol Service. Prior to studying psychology Nicole worked in banking and she has had personal experience of living abroad for an extended period of time, living in a non English speaking country, and balancing work, study and family demands.

Qualifications:

• Clinical PhD (Australian National University)
• Bachelor Soc Science (Psychology), Hons 1 (Griffith University)

Professional Memberships:

• Australian Psychological Society
• British Psychological Society
• Australian Health Practitioners’ Registration Agency – Clinical Psychology Endorsement

Paul Kelly

Paul is a Clinical Social worker and Psychotherapist with an approachable friendly demeanour who specialises in helping people with drug, alcohol, sex and porn problems. He also has extensive training and experience working with individuals, couples and adolescents struggling with trauma and abuse, depression, anger, and loneliness. He is an intuitive non-judgemental therapist that tailors his approach to the person he is working with utilising a range of therapies including Integrative Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy, Schema Therapy.

During Paul’s career he has worked with individuals, couples and groups helping people become more comfortable with intimacy and improve their self-esteem and their connections with others. Paul has worked for many years in the GLBTIQ community, with people experiencing disability and social and cultural exclusion.

In recent years he has facilitated groups for men with problematic sex and porn behaviours both as a consultant and in private practice.

Paul has worked extensively with couples using a range of therapeutic techniques to help them develop a common language of respect and trust, so both partners experience being truly “seen” by the other.

Paul has a passion for working with adolescents and their families and for 18 years has provided therapy for adolescents with a focus on those experiencing poverty and family breakdown.  Currently he co-ordinates an NGO providing therapy for disadvantaged and marginalised young people in Sydney.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Arts –Social Science, Macquarie University
• Master of Social Work (Qualifying), Sydney University
• Graduate Certificate, Gestalt Therapy, The Relational Institute, Sydney
• Certified Sex and Trauma Therapist, International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals, USA

Professional Memberships:

• Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)
• International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP)
• Australian Health Practitioners’ Registration Agency – Clinical Psychology Endorsement

Dr Pippa Mitchell

Pippa works with older adolescents and adults experiencing a range of psychosocial difficulties such as depression, anxiety, stress, adjustment and relationship problems. She has a particular interest in young adult mental health, and in perinatal psychology. Pippa provides Pregnancy Support Counselling as well as Clinical Psychology Services under Medicare.

Pippa has a broad range of experience as a Clinical Psychologist and Social Worker in both public and private settings. In the UK and Ireland Pippa worked with individuals and families impacted by trauma, life-threatening illness, and childhood sexual assault, as well as with adoption and child protection agencies. She has worked in private practice in Sydney since 2010. Amongst other therapies, Pippa has undertaken specialised training in Compassion Focussed Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Schema-Focussed Therapy, and draws on these approaches to help people understand and change unhelpful life patterns.

Pippa recognises the importance of an emotionally safe therapeutic space, and works in a collaborative and validating way to help individuals improve their quality of life.

Qualifications

• Doctor of Clinical Psychology (University of Sydney)
• Master of Science (University of Sydney)
• Graduate Diploma in Psychology (University of East London)
• Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) (University of Queensland)

Memberships

• Member of Australian Psychological Society
• Member of the Australian Clinical Psychology Association
• Australian Health Practitioner Registration Agency – Clinical Psychology Endorsement.

Rosa Nolan

Rosa is a Psychologist with a Masters in Clinical Psychology. She works with adolescents, children and families, and adults experiencing trauma, complex trauma, depression, anxiety, identity and relationship difficulties, eating disorders and addictions.

Rosa has specialised training and experience working with culturally diverse communities, refugees and asylum seekers and LGBTIQ clients. Rosa has extensive experience researching developmental neuropsychology, perinatal mental health, trauma and history, and working as a music teacher and community organiser.

Rosa provides evidence-based therapies and practical strategies for change. She is a meditation practitioner, believes in empowerment for her clients, and that we can all be free from suffering.

Qualifications

• Master of Psychology (Clinical) – University of Wollongong
• Bachelor of Arts (hons) – University of Sydney

Professional Memberships

• Australian Psychological Society

Rachel Moss

Rachel is a passionate human rights and social justice advocate with an extensive work history as a counsellor, manager, trainer and educator in sexual assault, higher education and mental health settings.

Rachel has a social work degree and a Master’s degree in counselling, and is proficient and highly experienced in various counselling modalities including dialectical behavioural therapy, narrative therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, group work and clinical supervision. Rachel’s practice is built on the principles of client focussed collaboration and empowerment.

Rachel has over 15 years clinical experience working with people of all cultures, genders and ages affected by trauma. This includes developmental, single incident, and complex trauma. She also works with clients who are struggling with gender identity issues, self harm, depression and anxiety, disordered eating, relationship issues, grief and loss and interpersonal issues. Rachel has firsthand experience of the healing that is possible in the counselling space.

Rachel is dedicated to continue to work in support of justice for our First Nations People.

Qualifications:

• Master of Counselling Social Work, UNSW;
• Bachelor of Social Work, UNSW

Professional Memberships:

• Australian Association of Social Workers;
• Mental Health Professionals Network

Email: rachel@birchtreecentre.com.au

Sally Curtis

Sally Curtis is a registered psychologist and counsellor, with additional training in psychotherapy. She has over 10 years experience working with children, families and individuals with a wide range of difficulties. Sally specialises in meeting the individual needs of clients with a caring approach that incorporates individual and family perspectives.

Sally has experience in a range of community based and school based settings and is trained in a variety of interventions including narrative therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive behaviour therapy and art therapy. She has a warm and empathic approach, and draws on her training in a variety of therapeutic models to work collaboratively with clients to best suit their individual needs and goals.

Sally specialises in helping individuals and families experiencing mood disorders, anxiety, trauma, self-harm, parenting issues and relationship difficulties.

Qualifications

• Graduate Diploma Science (Psychology) University of Sydney
• Graduate Diploma Psychotherapy and Counselling, Jansen Newman Institute

Professional Memberships

• Australian Psychological Society (APS)
• Mental Health Professionals Network (MHPN)

Talya Rabinovitz

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Arts – Psychology
• Postgraduate Diploma of Psychology
• Masters of Psychology (Clinical)