Background
Vanessa is a Clinical Psychologist with over a decade of experience. She holds a Master of Psychology (Clinical) and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology from the University of Melbourne.
She began her career in public mental health, working in an adult community mental health team supporting people with severe and complex mental illness. This included work with clients who had experienced significant trauma.
Following the birth of her first child, Vanessa developed a passion for supporting new and expectant parents in adjusting to the challenges of parenthood and addressing mental health challenges that can arise during this period. Over the last several years, she has worked in private practice with a strong focus on perinatal support.
Current Practice
Vanessa currently works in private practice in Ivanhoe, where she is dedicated to helping parents navigate the difficulties that can arise in the parenthood journey.
Vanessa recognises that the time around conception, pregnancy and the early years of parenting can require compassionate support due to the profound physical, emotional, self-identity and relational changes that may be experienced.
Vanessa finds it deeply rewarding to assist parents during this stage of life, seeing the impact of therapeutic work on not only the present family dynamic but also the wellbeing of future generations. She aims to help clients find greater joy, clarity, confidence, and connection in their parenting journey, and she values strengthening the parent-child relationship.
Her main areas of interest and expertise are:
Approach to Therapy
Vanessa understands that starting therapy can feel daunting. She is committed to providing a warm, empathic, and non-judgmental space where clients can talk openly about their unique challenges.
Her therapeutic approach is tailored to each client’s individual circumstances, needs, and strengths. She supports clients in exploring how past experiences- especially those that were traumatic or challenging - may be contributing to present difficulties, and she works collaboratively to address them. Vanessa draws on a range of evidence-based approaches, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and other mindfulness-based therapies, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT).
She is a registered Circle of Security Parenting facilitator and works from a foundation strongly informed by attachment theory and psychodynamic principles.
Vanessa provides EMDR therapy to help clients process traumatic birth experiences and other past traumas that continue to affect their lives
Research Publications
Professional Affiliations
Vanessa is a Clinical Psychologist with over a decade of experience. She holds a Master of Psychology (Clinical) and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology from the University of Melbourne.
She began her career in public mental health, working in an adult community mental health team supporting people with severe and complex mental illness. This included work with clients who had experienced significant trauma.
Following the birth of her first child, Vanessa developed a passion for supporting new and expectant parents in adjusting to the challenges of parenthood and addressing mental health challenges that can arise during this period. Over the last several years, she has worked in private practice with a strong focus on perinatal support.
Current Practice
Vanessa currently works in private practice in Ivanhoe, where she is dedicated to helping parents navigate the difficulties that can arise in the parenthood journey.
Vanessa recognises that the time around conception, pregnancy and the early years of parenting can require compassionate support due to the profound physical, emotional, self-identity and relational changes that may be experienced.
Vanessa finds it deeply rewarding to assist parents during this stage of life, seeing the impact of therapeutic work on not only the present family dynamic but also the wellbeing of future generations. She aims to help clients find greater joy, clarity, confidence, and connection in their parenting journey, and she values strengthening the parent-child relationship.
Her main areas of interest and expertise are:
- Perinatal difficulties - including infertility, pregnancy loss, ambivalence about pregnancy, pregnancy and postnatal depression and anxiety, traumatic birth, and managing challenging emotions in early parenthood.
- Trauma - recognising that the perinatal period can resurface earlier traumatic experiences, particularly in close relationships, and can also be a time when new trauma occurs (through birth trauma, perinatal loss, or early parenting difficulties).
Approach to Therapy
Vanessa understands that starting therapy can feel daunting. She is committed to providing a warm, empathic, and non-judgmental space where clients can talk openly about their unique challenges.
Her therapeutic approach is tailored to each client’s individual circumstances, needs, and strengths. She supports clients in exploring how past experiences- especially those that were traumatic or challenging - may be contributing to present difficulties, and she works collaboratively to address them. Vanessa draws on a range of evidence-based approaches, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and other mindfulness-based therapies, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT).
She is a registered Circle of Security Parenting facilitator and works from a foundation strongly informed by attachment theory and psychodynamic principles.
Vanessa provides EMDR therapy to help clients process traumatic birth experiences and other past traumas that continue to affect their lives
Research Publications
- Halpin, E., Kugathasan, V., Hulbert, C., Alvarez-Jimenez, M., & Bendall, S. (2016). Case formulation in young people with post-traumatic stress disorder and first-episode psychosis. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 5(11), 106–116.
- Le Grande, M.R., Elliott, P.C., Worcester, M.U.C., Murphy, B.M., Goble, A.J., Kugathasan, V., & Sinha, K. (2012). Identifying illness perception schemata and their association with depression and quality of life in cardiac patients. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 17(6), 709–722.
Professional Affiliations
- Registered with the Psychology Board of Australia (PBA)
- Member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS)
- Member, APS Perinatal and Infant Psychology Interest Group (PIPIG)
- Member, APS Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy and Psychology Interest Group
- Registered Circle of Security Parenting Educator
- Registered with The Perinatal Loss Centre
