Types of clients I often work with

I often work with other members of the LGBTQIA+ community. It can be important to know that your therapist will understand the issues that are important to you. That's why many clients tell me they have searched for a gay therapist or an LGBT+ psychologist. People who identify as gay, bisexual, transgender, LGBTQIA+, or queer can have a unique set of experiences which are directly or indirectly relevant to therapy. These experiences can make us unique, resilient, ambitious, or creative. Sometime these experiences cause problems like shame, isolation, anxiety, or trauma.  It is important to understand this when working with the LGBTQIA+ community, queer couples, or family and friends and these people.

I work with adolescents and adults and of all ages. The kinds of therapy I use are well suited to both one-on-one therapy sessions, and individual therapy involving loved ones. Clients often seek me out to help with a range of issues, including relationship difficulties, anger, shame, addiction, pornography use, gambling.

It is sometimes the case that clients seek me out when looking for a male therapist. Research tells us a significantly lower number of men access mental health care, compared with women. I like to normalise the idea that therapy can be beneficial for anyone. At the same time, it is important to recognise that stigma can still be a significant barrier to accessing a psychologist.

I have a particular interest in treating social anxiety. This interest began when I formed a social anxiety treatment group during one of my placements for my Master of Clinical Psychology. Since then, I have found that social anxiety and social anxiety disorders (social phobia) affect a large number of people in Australia. Research data from 2014 found 8.4% of Australian's will meet criteria for social anxiety disorder at some point in their lifetime (Crome and colleagues, 2014).

As a psychologist working with social anxiety, I am collaborative and non-judgemental. I understand the confronting nature of talking about social anxiety. Treatments for this problem, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for social anxiety (CBT for social anxiety), involve first exploring how social anxiety works, then agreeing on what treatment could look like. It is never too late in the process to ask questions or celebrate progress made with each session.