Melbourne Children's Psychology Clinic

Hampton Psychologists

Dr Felicity McFarlane - Director

B.Arts, Grad.Dip.(Psych.), D.Psych.(Clinical), M.A.P.S., Eligible for Membership of the Clinical College. Founding Member A.C.P.A.

Registration No. PSY0001122785

Dr McFarlane has worked in both infant, child and adolescent and adult settings. Dr. McFarlane began her career at St Vincent’s Hospital Acute Adult Inpatient Unit. Since that time, she has worked as a Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychologist at the Austin Hospital Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service and The Alfred Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (including the Alfred Infant Team). She has also worked as a Senior Clinical Psychologist at the Monash Medical Centre for the Consultation and Liaison Psychiatry Team in paediatrics.

Dr McFarlane has a special interest in anxiety and developmental trauma as well as post-traumatic stress disorder, attachment focused parenting across childhood and adolescence. She also has a special interest in working with infants.

Dr McFarlane has significant experience in assessing and treating anxiety, mood disorders, eating disorders, self-harm, complex trauma (both critical incident and developmental trauma), somatic difficulties and developmental issues across the lifespan that result from early attachment relationships. She focuses particular attention on emotional regulation/dysregulation patterns. In particular, Dr. McFarlane uses focused mindfulness strategies and body-oriented techniques that stem from her training using a Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Framework (https://www.sensorimotorpsychotherapy.org).

Dr McFarlane has significant interest and experience in matters relating to child/family court proceedings. Specifically, Dr. McFarlane's doctoral thesis examined the usefulness of a scale designed to assess children's suggestibility. It further examined the degree to which individual differences could predict young children's suggestibility and considered the implications for eyewitness testimony. Hence, she has expert knowledge regarding the impact of leading and suggestive questions and interviewing techniques, on later eyewitness testimony. Dr McFarlane has an interest and experience in child and family court proceedings and draws on a number of frameworks when working with families in this regard, including; Trauma and attachment theories (Perry, B., Van der Kolk, B., Bowlby, J.) and Dyadic developmental psychotherapy (Hughes, D.) where an attachment disruption in the parent child relationship is present.

Publications and Presentations

McFarlane, F. & Story, K. (2003, October). The Scope and Value of Group Psychotherapy: Panel Discussion of Groups in Victorian CAMHS. Paper presented at the RANZP Faculty of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Strategies for Young Minds: Emotions, Behaviour and Development, Melbourne, Australia.

McFarlane, F. & Powell, M (2001, June). Individual Difference’s in Young Children’s Suggestibility. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Psychological Society, Toronto, Canada.

McFarlane, F. & Powell, M. (2001, July). Individual Differences in Young Children’s Suggestibility. Paper presented at the Australasian Human Development Conference, Brisbane, Australia.

McFarlane, F. & Powell, M. (2002). The Video Suggestibility Scale for Children: How generalisable is children’s performance to an independent suggestibility paradigm? Behavioural Sciences and the Law. 13 (7), 88-99.

McFarlane, F. & Powell, M. (2002). The degree to which IQ, SES, gender and temperament predict young children’s suggestibility: Implications for Testimony. Legal and Criminological Psychology.

Amber Scanlon

BA; GradDip Psych; BA Hons Psych; MClin Psych; M.A.P.S.

Registration No. PSY0001686468

Amber brings over ten years experience working with children, young people, their families and adults across maternal and child health, school, university, hospital, government and private practice settings. She has broad experience in the assessment and treatment of a range of psychological, emotional and adjustment difficulties including, emotional regulation problems, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, stressful/traumatic life events, early parenting, anaphylactic food allergies, grief and loss. She pays particular attention to mood dysregulation patterns and the role of parent-child relational attachment in self-concept, social interactions, family dynamics, life transitions and upheaval including illness, separation, divorce and loss.

Amber is interested in working with individuals of all ages experiencing social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. She uses a person-centred approach, meaning she strives to fully understand an individual’s difficulties within the context of their family, circumstances and life experiences. Amber aims to engage in a collaborative alliance, based on compassion, empathy and respect, so that overall psychological health and wellbeing are attended to. She provides a warm and calm therapeutic environment to explore difficult feelings, thoughts and experiences safely to work towards treatment expectations and goals together.

While Amber tends to focus on current symptoms and to implement techniques to address these, at the same time she is interested in exploring the underlying causes of the disturbance in order to create a deeper and more stable improvement in coping, mood and self-awareness. She draws on a range of focused, evidence-based therapeutic approaches including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Attachment-Based Psychology, Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness, Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) and Positive Psychology.

Amber provides practical strategies and tools to move through concerns, face life’s challenges with resilience, achieve relief from symptoms, understand and effectively manage emotions and behaviours, improve relationships with others, and the opportunity for children, young people and their parent’s to realise their full potential to live enriching lives.

Byron De Ridder

BSc (Hons), MPsych (Clin)

Registration No. PSY0002028687

Byron is a psychologist who has experience working with children, adolescents and adults across community, private practice, school, and forensic settings both individually and in groups. Byron recently finished working at the Youth Health and Rehabilitation Service (YHaRS). Byron is comfortable working with client presentations ranging from symptom relief to serious mental illness.

Byron is a warm clinician who uses a person-centred and strengths-based approach to therapy. Working collaboratively with his clients, he strives to create an accepting, non-judgemental space for clients to safely explore their concerns. He aims to tailor each treatment plan to the unique needs of each client. Byron believes in the importance of developing a safe, trusting therapeutic relationship with clients to achieve the best possible outcomes. Byron prides himself on his ability to connect with clients, and shows genuine interest, care, and respect for each client.

Byron uses several evidence-based therapeutic interventions, including Cognitive Behavioural Therpay (CBT), Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Schema Therapy, and Solution Focussed Therapy.

Publications

Hayley, A. C., de Ridder, B., Stough, C., Ford, T. C., & Downey, L. A. (2017). Emotional intelligence and risky driving behaviour in adults. Transportation research part F: traffic psychology and behaviour, 49, 124-131.

Catherine Beven

BA(Psych), PGradDip(Psych), MPsych(Candidate)

Registration No. PSY00001126279

Catherine Beven is a registered psychologist with over 13 years’ experience both within the public and private sector. Catherine is a member of the Australian Psychological Society and is currently completing her Masters in Educational Psychology at the University of Melbourne.

Catherine has an interest in working with children and adolescents to address a range of presenting issues including anxiety, depression, friendship issues, bullying, stress management and building self-esteem. She is experienced in the provision of a variety of evidence-based techniques, according to individual client needs and treatment goals.

Within her counselling, Catherine implements Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance Commitment Therapy and Solution Focussed Therapy. Catherine is proficient in undertaking cognitive assessments and making recommendations to support students’ individuals learning needs.

Dimitra Poulos

BA, PG Dip (Psych), MPsych (Ed & Dev)

Registration No. PSY0001761771.

Dimitra is a registered psychologist with extensive experience working in a variety of settings including Early Intervention and School based settings. She is passionate about working with children and adolescents to identify barriers to learning to enhance each students academic potential. She currently works as a School Psychologist where she has been assessing and counselling students with social-emotional, behavioural and learning difficulties and works collaboratively with schools to develop targeted school based interventions.

With a Masters in Educational and Developmental Psychology she has a special interest in working with a children and young people with a range of neuro-developmental disorders such as Intellectual disability, Specific Language Impairments, Autism Spectrum Disorders. She draws on a wide range of therapeutic approaches when working with young people to match the needs of her clients. This includes Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Play therapy, and Positive Psychology. She offers compassionate, evidence based and creative ways to help children and teens tell their story, overcome their difficulties and enhance their wellbeing. She understands the importance of developing strong therapeutic relationships with the young people that she sees. She provides a warm, non-judgemental and safe space to build trust, allowing for positive change to occur. She aims to involve parents as much as possible in the therapeutic process to ensure best outcomes for the young person.

Issues include;

Anxiety
Depression
Grief and Loss
School Refusal
School Readiness
Low self-esteem
Bullying and school related problems
Seperation and Loss
Giftedness
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Learning Difficulties and Disabilities
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Social skills training
Parent Coaching and behaviour support

Qualifications

Masters Educational and Developmental Psychology
Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology
Bachelor of Arts

Professional Associations

Registered member of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society (APS)
Member of the APS Psychologists In Schools Interest Group

Fiona Morrison

DPsych (Clinical and Forensic) Candidate, BSc (Psychology Hons), Student. M.A.P.S., Student Member of the APS Clinical and Forensic Colleges.

Registration No. PSY0002033091

Fiona is currently in her final year of her Doctor of Psychology (Clinical and Forensic) program at Swinburne University. During her studies, she practiced as a provisional psychologist at the Swinburne Psychology Clinic, the Melbourne Children’s Court Clinic, the Older Adults Wellbeing Clinic, The Metropolitan Remand Centre, and Goulburn Valley Area Mental Health. Additionally, Fiona is currently employed at Monash University as a Teaching Associate and as a Research Supervisor for students completing their Graduate Diploma of Psychology.

Fiona has experience working with adults, children, and families, across a wide range of psychological presentations including anxiety and depression. Fiona likes to utilise a supportive approach with her clients and believes that developing a good, trusting therapeutic relationship is the optimal way to deliver psychological interventions. She also understands the importance of adjusting her approach to match her client’s individual needs. Fiona decided to complete clinical and forensic training, led by her interests in trauma, treatment, and assessment, which together form the focus of this combined program.

Fiona’s approach is informed by Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy and, where applicable, draws upon other strategies in which she has received training, including Acceptance and Commitment, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal therapeutic approaches.

Fiona has a specific interest in working with aggression and violence and behavioural difficulties in children and teens. Her Doctoral thesis involved creating and testing a novel group treatment program among incarcerated individuals, with a view to reducing habitually aggressive ways of thinking and acting. She has thereby developed an in-depth knowledge of the research exploring the mechanisms that influence and sustain aggression and violence. Additionally, Fiona has been involved in research projects relating to violent vehicle crimes committed by adolescents, the ‘Dark Tetrad’ of personality traits and their impact, and the effects of student poverty. Fiona strongly believes in research-informed psychological practice.

Gemma Sharp

B.A., Grad Dip (Psych), M Psych. (Clinical)

Registration No. PSY0001636728

Gemma specialises in working with children and young people to help ensure they reach their full potential in and out of the school environment. She achieves this through a multi-disciplinary approach to include the child, parents and often the school to identify, implement and manage interventions that are accepted by all. She works with young people who are having difficulties at school, both academically and socially.

Gemma is results-orientated and specialises in psychological and psycho-educational assessments, specifically in administering educational and developmental assessments for learning difficulties (e.g. Dyslexia), autism spectrum disorder and ADHD. Gemma works with the parents to help manage such disorders.

Gemma’s experience also includes the treatment and prevention of anxiety, depression, trauma and anger management with children and young people. She has extensive experience working with young people with challenging behaviour.

Gemma has strong international experience. She established a successful practice in The Netherlands where she worked with two leading international schools and worked with The Complete Works in the UK where she successfully developed and implemented anti-bullying practices, school readiness and building and strengthening family relationships.

Gemma also works at The Royal Children’s Hospital Mental Health Services. She completed her Masters of Clinical Psychology in 2013 at Deakin University and has experience in using a range of techniques including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Play Therapy, Family Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

Publication

McVilly, K., Webber, L., Sharp, G., Paris, M. (2013) The content validity of the Behaviour Support Plan Quality Evaluation tool (BSP-QEII) and its potential application in accommodation and day-support services for adults with intellectual disability, Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, vol. 57, no. 8, pp. 703-715.

Dr Jenny McKay

BA (Hons), DPsych (Clinical)

Registration No. PSY0001364396

Dr McKay is a clinical psychologist who has extensive experience working with children, adolescents and adults. Dr McKay completed her doctorate in clinical psychology (child specialisation) at the University of Melbourne. She has worked in both private practice and public health settings including, The Royal Children’s Hospital Mental Health Service, The Royal Children's Hospital Psychology Department, Barwon Health Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), and Headspace. She also spent several years in Sydney where she worked at Northern Beaches CAMHS and at St Vincent’s Hospital in Darlinghurst.

Dr McKay has experience working with a range of psychological problems that occur across the lifespan. In particular, she has significant expertise in treating problems related to mood and anxiety. This includes depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety, panic disorder/agoraphobia, and generalised anxiety disorder. She has also co-facilitated an anxiety group program for parents and children.

Dr McKay has a particular interest in working with adolescents presenting with a range of difficulties such as self-harm, risk-taking behaviours, poor emotion regulation/mood instability, peer-related issues, school refusal, and body image concerns. She places a strong emphasis on engagement and building a solid rapport to help the young person feel comfortable during the sessions and to develop trust and understanding.

Dr McKay uses a variety of evidence-based psychological interventions when working with clients including, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), solution focused therapy, mindfulness, social skills training, and family-based interventions. She recognises the importance of the parent-child relationship and where appropriate, endeavours to include parents and other significant family members in the therapeutic process. Dr McKay has worked extensively with parents to help them better support/manage their child experiencing developmental, emotional, behavioural, social, or school-related problems. The family-based interventions can also help to improve communication between family members and thereby improve overall family functioning.

Jordana Aamalia

BA(Hons), GDip(Psych), PGDip(Psych), MPsych(Clinical)

Registration No. PSY0001955011

Jordana is a psychologist and clinical psychology registrar with experience supporting children, adolescents, and adults to address a broad range of problems, including anxiety and mood issues, behavioural and social difficulties, and stressful or traumatic life experiences. She recognises that raising children can be as challenging as it is rewarding, and has a passion for supporting caregivers in the sometimes difficult work of parenting.

Jordana practices with warmth and empathy, and works to develop respectful and collaborative therapeutic relationships with children, adolescents, and their caregivers. In working with families, Jordana begins with a thorough assessment to understand the challenges they are facing, and provides evidence-based psychological therapy to address these issues. Jordana understands that all children are unique, and her work is tailored to meet the individual needs of the child according to their developmental stage, family environment, and broader social context.

Jordana has practiced in a variety of clinical settings, both in the private and public sectors (inpatient and outpatient), and has experience providing individual and group therapy. Her research interests lie with the impacts of single incident trauma and parental separation on family functioning.

Karin Dicander

BA(Hons), MPsych (Clinical)

Registration No. PSY0002100938

Karin has completed a Masters in Clinical Psychology. She has experience supporting individuals and families across the life span to address a broad range of mental health concerns that negatively impact their psychological and social functioning. Specifically, she has worked with children, adolescents and adults who experience mood and anxiety difficulties including depression, social anxiety, panic/agoraphobia and generalised anxiety disorder; as well as behaviours of concern such as self-harm, meltdowns, or acts of violence and/or aggression. In addition, Karin has a strong interest in working with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups and withchildren/adolescents with a developmental disability and their significant others (e.g. parents, siblings and educational institutions), in order to support their full participation inimportant areas of their life.

Karin practises in a warm and responsive manner, and believes that collaboration, transparency and shared goal setting underpins an effective working relationship with all parties of the therapeutic encounter. In working with families, she conducts a comprehensive assessment to understand the identified issue(s) from the perspective of all participating family members, and then proposes an evidence-based psychological intervention/treatment plan that is suited to the needs and capacities of the client and their broader environment.

Karin has previously practised in the public and not-for-profit sectors, where she has provided both individual and group therapy informed by a range of therapeutic modalities including cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), mindfulness and self-compassion as well as solutions-focused and strengths-based therapies. Her research interests include parenting stress in families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and more broadly the societal barriers that impact the ability of individuals with a developmental disability to gain full participation in society.

Dr Kirstyn Windsor

B. Psych (Hons), D Psych (Clinical)

Registration No. PSY0001893105

Dr Kirstyn Windsor is a Clinical Psychologist who has extensive experience working with young people and adults in the acute stages of mental illness. Kirstyn has spent a number of years working in public mental health settings in both acute inpatient services, as well as outpatient settings. Kirstyn currently balances her work at Melbourne Children’s psychology Clinic with full time work at The Alfred on the acute inpatient ward and medium-term residential service. Kirstyn has previously worked at Peninsula Health, Barwon Health, St John of God Pinelodge Clinic, and Headspace. This experience has enabled her develop a thorough understanding of mental illness and the evidence based interventions used to treat them. Kirstyn enjoys working with people experiencing anxiety, mood and bipolar disorders, however has a special interest in those experiencing borderline personality disorder, psychosis and eating disorders. Due to past experience in specialist eating disorder services and co-ordinating hospital eating disorder pathways, Kirstyn is able to develop psychological treatment plans in conjunction with GP follow-up for individuals experiencing disordered eating.

As part of her work at Peninsula Health and The Alfred Kirstyn is adept at working with people experiencing severe emotion dysregulation and as a result are engaging in high risk behaviours such as self-harm and suicide attempts. She works from a framework of evaluating the triggers and emotions that are associated with high-risk and unhelpful behaviour to facilitate emotion regulation, better distress tolerance, and effective interpersonal skills. Kirstyn uses a client centred approach to understand a person’s development and system when formulating best evidence based practice in treating a problem. Therapies are always collaborative and tailored to each individual’s needs. Kirstyn uses evidence-based interventions including mindfulness, CBT, DBT and ACT. Kirstyn has extensive experience in running structured group therapy.

Linda Kollind

Educational & Developmental Psychologist

B. (Psych), M. (Ed & Dev), MAPS

Registration No.

Linda is a registered psychologist under AHPRA. She completed a Bachelor Degree of Psychology with honours in London, UK and a Masters of Educational and Developmental Psychology in Melbourne, Australia. She has a special interest in supporting children, adolescents and their families. Her thesis during her Bachelor degrees was a qualitative project which explored adolescents perception of adulthood and growing up. Her thesis during her Masters was a quantitative project which explored parenting and the use of social support and positive reframing.

Linda has extensive experience working in both private and public settings, including hospitals, schools and private practices. She has worked both in primary and high schools and has substantial experience in conducting cognitive and educational assessments.

Her areas of interests are varied but with a focus on children, adolescents and their families. She has a passion in assisting children and families optimising their growth and well-being. Some special interests includes anxiety, challenging behaviour, learning difficulties, building self esteem, emotional regulation and parenting.

Treatment takes a person-centred approach and is tailored to suit the individual needs of the client. Linda aims to establish a strong therapeutic relationship, assisting each child and family in their growth and development, using a strength-based approach. Therapeutic approaches are generally based on attachment-based parenting and positive psychology, using mindfulness as a frequent tool. Depending on the individual’s needs, Linda draws upon a combination of evidence based treatments such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Attachment Based Psychology, Social Skills training and Positive Psychology.

She thoroughly enjoys working with clients and is passionate about assisting each individual client to develop their inner strengths and to thrive in their different environments. She is a mother herself and enjoys spending time with family, yoga, reading, cooking, nature walks and travelling in her spare time.

Maree Hawkswell

B.Psych (Hons), MPsych (Clin)

Registration No. PSY0001709323

Maree is a clinical psychologist and has had experience working across a range of clinical settings including Mid West Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), Mid West Community Adult Mental Health Service and Monash Health. Currently, she works for the Royal Melbourne Hospital in their Pain Management Service.

Maree offers short and long term therapy for children, adolescents, and adults. She has experience in the assessment and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, and complex social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Maree works to establish a strong therapeutic relationship with her clients and tailors evidence-based treatments to suit individual needs. She uses a variety of psychological approaches including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and mindfulness based therapies, play therapy, and family-based interventions.

Mary Stanley

BCom, Post Grad Dip (Eco), Grad Dip (Psych), Post Grad Dip (Psych), MPsych (Clinical)

Registration No. PSY0002029180

Mary is a Psychologist and Clinical Psychology Registrar who entered the Psychology profession after a long professional career at a senior level in both the public and private sectors. In addition to her work with the Clinic, Mary works a Psychologist with Alfred Health helping adults with acquired brain injuries and their families. Mary has also worked with 12 to 25 year olds as part of the Alfred Health/headspace Youth Early Psychosis Program.

She completed her Masters degree in Clinical Psychology in 2017. Her academic research has focussed specifically on parenting adolescents. In December 2019, Mary completed the highly regarded 12 month Developmental Psychiatry Course through Mindful and the University of Melbourne.

Mary uses evidence-based treatment approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy and mindfulness-based approaches. She also has experience in group therapy (with specific experience in acceptance and commitment therapy).

She prides herself on her ability to establish rapport with her clients and loves to help develop life long, practical skills to empower her clients to be their own therapist.

Mary is happily married with a teenage daughter, golden retriever and mischievous kitten. She is part of a large extended family and relates to the joys and challenges of being a parent, daughter to elderly parents, sister, aunt, working professional and chocolate lover.

Dr Megan Theuma

BA (Hons) MSc, D.Clin Psych., M.A.P.S., AFBPsS

Registration No. PSY0001824794

Megan is a registered clinical psychologist. She gained her doctorate in New Zealand and has since worked in a range of clinical settings both public and private in Sydney, London and more recently in Melbourne. Megan has experience working with adolescents and adults presenting with a range of difficulties including anxiety, depression, self-esteem, body image, self-harm, interpersonal difficulties, emotional regulation and family difficulties.

Megan has particular experience working with clients with a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder. She worked in a private hospital in Sydney providing DBT group therapy for clients with Borderline Personality Disorder.

Megan is passionate about working collaboratively with each client, recognising the importance of a strong therapeutic relationship as it provides the foundation for her therapeutic work. Megan works collaboratively to develop a joint understanding of the current difficulties and develops an evidence-based treatment approach tailored to meet the needs of her clients. Megan’s main therapy models include Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Attachment Based Family Therapy.

Publications

Raczka, R. & Theuma, M. (2008). The development of a Dementia screening and assessment programme for adults with Down’s Syndrome and Older Adults with learning disabilities. Clinical Psychology and People with Learning Disabilities, 6 (4) 18-23.

Theuma, M., Read, J., Moskowitz, A., & Stewart, A. (2007). Evaluation of a New Zealand early intervention service for psychosis. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 36 (3).

Dr Sally Richmond

BEng(Hons.), B.PsychMgtMktg, BSc(Hons.), MPsych (Clinical), PhD, MACPA

Registration No. PSY0001820987

Dr Richmond is a Psychologist who has had previous experience at the Austin Health’s Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service and Schools Early Action Program (CASEA), Headspace and The Royal Women's Hospital Centre for Women's Mental Health. Through this, she has developed knowledge in the assessment and treatment of children and young people with social, emotional, academic/cognitive, and behavioural difficulties.

Dr Richmond uses evidence-based treatment approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy, play-therapy, and mindfulness-based approaches. She also has experience in group therapy (with specific training in the Tuning into Kids Parenting Program).

Dr Richmond also currently works as a post-doctoral Research Fellow within the Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre at the University of Melbourne. She is involved in a number of research projects examining child and adolescent development. Her research aims to explore the relationship between brain development and the family environment, particularly parenting.

Publications

Richmond, S., Johnson, K., Seal, M. L., Allen, N. A., & Whittle, S. (2016). The Relevance of Environmental and Genetic Factors for the Development of Brain Networks: A Systematic Review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

Richmond, S., Hasking, P., & Meaney, R. (2016). Psychological Distress and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: The Mediating Roles of Rumination, Cognitive Reappraisal, and Expressive Suppression. Archives of Suicide Research, 1-11. doi: 10.1080/13811118.2015.1008160

Richmond, S., Schwartz. O., Johnson, K., Seal, M. L., Bray, K., Deane, C., Sheeber, L., Allen, N. A., & Whittle, S. (under review). Exploratory Factor Analysis of Observational Family Interaction Data. Assessment

Simmons, J. G., Schwartz, O. S., Bray, K., Deane, C., Pozzi, E., Richmond, S., . . . Whittle, S. L. (2017). Study protocol: families and childhood transitions study (FACTS) – a longitudinal investigation of the role of the family environment in brain development and risk for mental health disorders in community based children. BMC Pediatrics, 17(1), 153. doi:10.1186/s12887-017-0905-x

Sarah Bottomley

BEd (Psych), BEd Hons (Educational Psychology) Med (Educational Psychology)

Registration No. PSY0002130503

Sarah Bottomley is a registered psychologist and teacher who has worked for many years both in schools and in private practice. She is passionate about working within a multi-disciplinary team and highlights the benefit of working collaboratively with parents, teachers and other specialists to ensure that a child’s full potential is reached. Her international experience has seen her working at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, numerous schools both in South Africa and in Melbourne and she was also the founder of a successful multi-disciplinary practice in Johannesburg.

Her areas of interest are varied as she has experience addressing concerns of anxiety, depression, learning differences, friendship issues, bullying, stress management and building self-esteem She also enjoys guiding and assisting teens as they navigate their place in society and establish their identity as young adults. Sarah enjoys the challenge of administering and triangulating cognitive assessments results, identifying strengths and making recommendations to support students’ individuals learning goals and needs.

Sarah aims to establish a strong therapeutic relationship with her clients and tailors evidence-based treatments to suit individual needs. She is experienced in the provision of implementing a variety of psychological approaches including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and mindfulness-based therapies, play therapy, and family-based interventions.

Her passion and drive is working alongside families to assist in optimising their overall development, growth and well-being. Sarah works closely with broader systems (schools and families) to promote consistency, persistence and rigor in a child’s life in order to improve the learning process and overall functioning.

Sarah is a loving wife and mother to two young girls, so understands the joy and challenges of being a parent, and working professional mum.

Sophie Morris (Stucley)

BSci, PostGradDip (Psych), M Ed. Psych

Registration No. PSY0001965700

Sophie is an educational and developmental psychologist who has broad experience working with children, adolescents, and their families in both clinical and educational settings. This has included the Developmental Paediatrics teams at both the Royal Children’s Hospital and Monash Medical Centre, work within primary and secondary schools in Melbourne’s Northern suburbs, as well as leadership roles within the Department of Education and Training. In addition to her work at the Clinic, Sophie lectures and supervises students at Melbourne University in her role as the Practicum Coordinator in the Master of Educational Psychology program.

Sophie supports young people and the adults that care for them with the assessment and treatment of a range of emotional and developmental issues. This includes mental health, learning and cognition, adjustment and transitions, trauma, parenting, and behavioural concerns. Sophie believes in the importance of working closely with parents and carers, as well as collaborating with schools, to provide the best outcomes for young people.

In addition, Sophie is able to conduct comprehensive psycho-educational assessments with young people who present with additional learning needs (including learning difficulties or giftedness) and neurodevelopmental assessments (including autism spectrum disorder).

Sophie has a particular interest in working with pre-school and primary aged children.

Stephanie Hunt

B. Psych(Hons), M. ClinPsych

Registration No. PSY0002174246

Stephanie is a registered psychologist who is currently completing the clinical registrar program. She completed her Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) at Macquarie University and the Masters of Clinical Psychology at RMIT.

Stephanie enjoys working with children, adolescents and young adults who are navigating challenges at home, at school or in their social circles. Specifically, she has experience helping people manage anxiety and depression, emotion regulation, self-esteem and body image, and sleep disorders. To achieve this, Stephanie tailors a range of different evidence-based therapies to individual clients; these include cognitive behavioural therapy, schema therapy, mindfulness techniques and acceptance and commitment therapy.

Stephanie understands the importance of developing a strong rapport with her clients, and aims to create an honest and open space where they can safely explore both their current and past experiences. She is passionate about working collaboratively with her clients to build resilience and a personal understanding of not only what is currently happening, but why it might be occurring and how to develop practical coping skills to manage those experiences and challenges moving forward.

Tessa Dickson

B.Sc. (Psych Hons), M.Psych (Clinical)

Registration No. PSY0002027306

Tessa completed her university training in clinical psychology at Cairnmillar Institute School of Psychology and Counselling. She has experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and families. She brings a warm and playful approach when working with young people. Tessa is also dedicated to working with families to support young people presenting with a range of concerns such as mood and anxiety disorders, trauma, developmental disorders, and challenging behaviours.

Tessa spent the last two years living in Adelaide, where she worked in a community-based mental health service. Tessa’s work there was within the Family Wellbeing Programme, where she provided interventions to children aged 5-12 years and their families, as well as working in the Adult Counselling Programme and Afterhours walk-in service.

Tessa has recently returned to busy Melbourne life where she has also begun working in the public sector (Alfred Health).

Tessa takes a person-cantered approach to therapy and uses a variety of evidence-based treatment approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), schema therapy, mindfulness-based therapies, and family-based interventions.