Clinical Psychological
Services for Geelong

Sarah McPharlin

Sarah is a registered Psychologist with a Masters in Counselling Psychology who works with children and adolescents aged between 5-16yrs presenting with a range of issues. She has worked across school settings, as well as in private practice and collaborates effectively with people of various ages, cultures and backgrounds. Sarah has a creative way of engaging young people in therapy, being a mother of 3 children herself, and her clients always respond well to her friendly and fun nature. Sarah is holistic in her approach and uses a variety of techniques to suit the individual in therapy including stories, puppet play and drawings, complemented with psychoeducation and cognitive behavioural therapeutic interventions.

Sarah works closely with young people and their parents to address a broad range of issues including: anxiety, depression, challenging behaviours, self-esteem, and social difficulties. Her therapeutic style assists clients and parents to feel heard, supported and empowered for positive change. Through her work with parents, she is able to provide practical tools and strategies that will assist them to support their child during and beyond the counselling process.

Please note that Sarah does not specialise in providing court reports or attending court, and she is not able to provide services if there are current family court processes or orders. She recommends choosing a Psychologist with expertise in this area.

Lili Smilevski

Lili is a registered Psychologist who welcomes working with people 18 years and over, for a broad range of presenting issues. Lili takes a strengths-based, respectful, and empathic approach. Working collaboratively with clients to clarify individual therapy goals, enhance helpful coping strategies and identify opportunities for change, growth and self-understanding.

Lili utilises various evidence-based interventions including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapies (ACT) and Schema Therapy.

Lili has professional interests which include, but are not limited to: Depression, Anxiety and Panic Disorders, OCD, grief and loss, managing life transitions, stress related issues and low self-esteem.

Lili’s has previously worked in crisis support roles and private practice.

Suzanna Copp

Suzanna has a Masters degree in Counselling Psychology obtained from Curtin University, WA in 2009. Suzanna has a broad range of experience in the public and private sectors and enjoys working with people 18 years and over with presentations including (but not limited to) trauma, mood and emotion dysregulation, loss and grief including adjustment difficulties, and anxiety. She has a special interest in relationships e.g., couples, families, parent-adult child. Suzanna has an appreciation for the integral role relationships play in our lives including the relationships with ourselves as well as with others. She recognises that every individual is unique as are their experiences and perceptions. Suzanna’s approach is client-centered whilst encouraging individuals to challenge themselves and their established patterns to foster growth. Suzanna works from a holistic perspective and incorporates an eclectic mix of evidence based therapies including Interpersonal Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Mindfulness, Schema Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Emotion-Focused Therapy.

Janet Longmuir

Janet works with people from across the lifespan with a range of psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, stress and grief and loss. She specialises in children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other disabilities. Janet performs a range of assessments for children including ones for Autism and cognitive abilities (ADOS-2 and WISC-V) as well as adult Autism assessments and functional capacity assessments. She works collaboratively with parents and carers to ensure the best possible outcome for her clients.

Janet uses a variety of therapeutic approaches including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy and Psychodynamic Therapy. Her experiences include forensic psychology, disability, child psychology and grief and loss counselling. Janet is currently studying the Master of Clinical Psychology which will increase her capability to offer more services and utilise more therapies in the future.

Emma Cameron

Emma is a registered Psychologist and Clinical Registrar with a Masters in Clinical Psychology. She works with children, adolescents, and their families. Emma is a holistic and inclusive team member taking a strengths-based and person-centered approach to care. She works collaboratively with children and their families to empower them to achieve their goals through practical support and therapy.

Emma provides diagnosis and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, social, emotional, and behavioural regulation difficulties, neurodevelopmental disorders, self-esteem, perfectionism, and adjustment concerns. Emma also undertakes cognitive, learning and adaptative behaviour assessments.

Emma has a 12-year strategic health policy and mental health workforce planning background. She has experience working as a psychologist with child, adolescent, family and adult populations across education, community, and private sector settings. Emma uses a range of evidence-based interventions including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and mindfulness.

Aswathy Viswambharan

Aswathy is a clinical psychologist who has experience working with young people and adults suffering from various mental health issues. She has a Masters in Clinical Psychology and a Ph.D. in trauma mental health. She takes a client-centered approach to support her clients through difficult times. She works closely with her clients to understand their needs and goals in an effort to provide individualized care throughout the treatment process. Her areas of interest include working with clients experiencing anxiety (generalized, phobias, OCD, panic disorder etc.), depression, trauma/grief related stress, interpersonal conflicts and transient life crisis. She is trained in various therapeutic interventions, and mainly utilizes cognitive behavior therapy, dialectic behaviour therapy, schema focused therapy, mindfulness, and narrative therapy to help her clients.

Tendai Chirawu

Sometimes life will throw you an unexpected curveball or you’ll just find yourself at a crossroad and you just feel lost…

Tendai is a general psychologist who works with adults with mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety and other emotional difficulties. Tendai believes in using a person-centred approach to working with her clients.

Tendai has a passion for working with people with sexual difficulties and sexuality issues and she understands that talking about sex and sexuality can be unsettling and challenging for many people. Tendai is committed to providing a safe and comfortable space for people (and couples) to talk about their sexual difficulties and sexuality in a manner that is supportive and collaborative.

John Lukies

John is a clinical psychologist working part-time in private practice and part-time in public health at Jigsaw Young Person’s Mental Health, Drugs and Alcohol Service. He is particularly experienced in working with adolescents and young adults presenting with complex mental health needs.

John provides evidence based psychological therapies which are tailored to each client’s individual needs and readiness for change. His approach utilises Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness and Motivational Interviewing techniques; and is informed by an interest in psychodynamic principles. He offers a collaborative, non-judgmental, culturally sensitive and family inclusive approach.

John works with patients aged 16 years and older and has a particular interest in the following areas:

• Mood & Anxiety disorders
• Interpersonal difficulties
• Grief, loss and adjustment issues
• Trauma

Sylvia Sefa

Sylvia is a Clinical Psychologist with a Masters in Clinical Psychology. Sylvia has an interest in working with clients who are experiencing a range of difficulties including, anxiety, depression, adjustment related disorders, stress management, emotional dysregulation and personality difficulties.

Sylvia has previously worked with young adults and adults in a variety of public and private settings, implementing individual therapy and group based therapy. She offers a client-centered approach where she tailors evidence based treatments to each persons individual needs. Sylvia utilises evidence based treatments, including Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Additionally, Sylvia aims to strengthen a persons current skills to assist them in maintaining their well being and minimizing the probability of symptoms reoccurring.

Anisha Smith

Anisha is a registered Psychologist with a special interest in clients experiencing a range of different setbacks including anxiety, recurrent depression, recovery from psychosis, self-harming, sleep problems, perfectionism, disordered eating, family/carer adjustment to illness, poor communication skills, life adjustment issues and drug and alcohol related problems.

Anisha has previously worked with children, adolescents and adults in various settings, treating a range of high and low prevalence disorders. Her style combines warmth and an emphasis on placing the client at the centre of treatment whilst delivering evidence based practice. She uses an eclectic approach in tailoring techniques to the personal needs of her clients and enjoys working collaboratively with her clients to help reduce distress and build resilience.

Anisha has been trained to deliver evidence-based therapies, including but not limited to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness.
Bachelor of Psychology (HONS), GDipPsych, MAPS.

Anisha will be joining Introspect Psychology in July 2016.

Sandy Burnett

Sandy is a Clinical Psychologist who has has a special interest in helping people of all ages overcome anxiety and emotion regulation difficulties. She has worked in research and hospital settings with both adults and children. She is trained in a range of evidence-based therapies including: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT); Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT); Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT); Schema Therapy; Mindfulness practices and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR). Sandy is currently undertaking specialist accreditation in EMDR and delivers a range of EMDR interventions including trauma, pain, and phobia.

Sandy is a member of the Australian Clinical Psychology Association (ACPA) and a Fellow of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists. Sandy is available Monday to Thursday 9-4 pm

Sandy is a registered provider with Medicare, NDIS, TAC, WorkCover.

Important information regarding therapy for children (6-12)

Sandy is currently at capacity with children presenting with behavioural difficulties. At present all after school appointments are booked out

Sandy works collaboratively with families to develop and deliver intervention programs. The first assessment session will comprise an interview with both parent and child. Ideally, both parents are consulted. We do not have child minding facilities and request that siblings do not attend the interview. Please bring previous Allied Health assessment reports. If court orders are in place please bring a copy of the orders and consent. Sandy has extensive experience working in multidisciplinary teams, and when working with your child she applies a collaborative approach with families, other treating clinicians and educators.

Kaitlin McManus

Kaitlin is a registered clinical psychologist who has a particular interest in supporting individuals 16 years and older on their paths to healing from difficulties including, but not limited to: body image issues, disordered eating, eating disorders, body dysmorphic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety disorders, emotion dysregulation, personality difficulties, and adjustment to loss and life transitions.

Kaitlin has had experience working with young people and adults in a variety of settings such as the Royal Children’s hospital, headspace, Barwon Health and The Geelong Clinic psychiatric hospital. Kaitlin’s therapeutic style is guided by her values of compassion, curiousity, equality, authenticity, respect and integrity. She works with individuals collaboratively and non judgmentally throughout their processes of change and enjoys helping them cultivate a more understanding and compassionate relationship with themselves and their struggles, whilst also helping them develop effective coping strategies so they can move forward in life with greater ease.

Kaitlin tailors treatment to suit each individual’s unique needs and utilises evidence-based therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), enhanced cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT-E), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) skills, mindfulness- and compassion-focused approaches.

Stavroula Surdich

Stavroula is a registered psychologist, passionate about making psychological support accessible and meaningful to all clients, including people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Applying a holistic approach and highly valuing the therapeutic relationship. Stavroula works collaboratively with clients to facilitate change and help them achieve their goals, using an interactive approach and a range of evidence-based techniques. Clients range from adolescents, and younger to older adults and dealing with a wide range of issues, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, developing self- esteem, relationships, grief and loss, time management and stress related issues.

Sabrina Abney

Sabrina provides therapy for individuals across the lifespan who have difficulties with emotions, mood, trauma, and relationships; she also works with couples and families.

Sabrina holds a Masters and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Sabrina works from a holistic perspective, starting with understanding the client and their current struggles, while utilizing techniques from interpersonal therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, and psychodynamic therapy. Sabrina has worked in a variety of settings including private practice, university, inpatient hospitals, and outpatient clinics. She has completed specialized placements in trauma, health psychology, addictions, and severe psychopathology/suicidality.

Elisabeth Pohl

Elisabeth is a General Psychologist and Clinical Registrar with a Masters in Clinical Psychology.

Elisabeth works with adolescents and adults experiencing a range of difficulties with mood, emotions, life transitions, trauma, and relationships. Elisabeth is warm and easy to talk to, with an open and authentic approach to therapy. Elisabeth works collaboratively with each client to tailor the therapy to their individual needs and preferences.

Elisabeth is trained in a number of evidence-based therapies drawing upon a variety of approaches including cognitive behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, interpersonal therapy, and psychodynamic therapy.

Elisabeth’s first career was as a secondary teacher and she brings a wealth of experience with adolescents and their families to her practice. As a psychologist, she has also worked in a variety of roles including both inpatient and outpatient hospital settings, at a university psychology clinic, and in the non-government sector. In these roles she enjoyed working with a variety of groups, including young people and adults who have experienced complex trauma, chronic health conditions, neurodevelopmental disorders and ongoing mental health disorders.