Background
Emily D’Amour is a Clinical Psychologist with specific expertise in perinatal mental health. Emily completed undergraduate and postgraduate training in Psychology at Monash University and Deakin University, and completed a Masters of Clinical Psychology at Federation University in 2013.
Emily worked as a provisional psychologist at the Royal Children’s Hospital where she conducted assessment and treatment of children with complex neurodevelopmental disorders. Emily has also worked at the Austin Statewide Child Inpatient Unit and within this role she completed assessment and treatment of parents and their vulnerable children with acute mental health concerns. Emily also has experience working at Headspace as a private practitioner, which further developed her capacity to treat mental health conditions across the lifespan.
These previous positions solidified Emily’s passion for perinatal mental health and her clinical interest in enhancing the mental health of expectant and new parents. Through her experience in these settings, Emily saw the importance of intervention in the perinatal period in order to circumvent many of the mental health challenges experienced by people later in life.
Emily consolidated her interest in supporting expectant and new parents through further clinical training and professional development in perinatal mental health. She dedicated herself to private practice within a group multidisciplinary perinatal mental health service which has supported a holistic approach to clinical care.
Current Practice
In Emily’s private practice in Yarrambat, she provides tailored and individualised therapy to adults and their families. She has particular clinical expertise in treating clients in pregnancy and the postnatal period for depression and anxiety (with a special interest in obsessive-compulsive disorder and perfectionism), eating disorders and body image concerns. Emily provides therapy to address the experience of both past and birth-related trauma. Emily also supports women and couples through their conception journeys, through fertility difficulties, IVF, and perinatal loss.
Emily supports her clients to adjust to their new roles as parents, and to connect, attune and understand the inner worlds of their babies, toddlers and young children.
Approach to therapy
Emily has a warm, empathic and collaborative approach to therapy. She works with clients to help them recognise intergenerational patterns that may be contributing to their challenges. Emily supports clients to understand the sources of their difficulties in order to empower them to move forward and make positive changes in their lives.
Emily utilises a range of therapeutic approaches embedded within a psychodynamic and family systems theoretical framework, which draws upon understanding how an individual’s past experiences and family of origin may contribute to their perception of current stressors. Emily uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT); including Trauma Focused CBT and CBT-E to support treatment of eating disorders, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) and Schema Therapy.
Professional Affiliations
Registered with the Psychology Board of Australia
Member of the Australian Psychological Society (MAPS)
Member of the APS Perinatal and Infant Psychology Interest Group (PIPIG)
Registered with The Perinatal Loss Centre
