Laburnum Psychology is an approved NDIS provider, registered to deliver therapeutic support services. We provide services for Self-Managed, Plan-Managed and NDIS-Managed clients. Our psychologists are all approved to provide therapeutic supports under NDIS and bring a wealth of experience to this work.
We hold strong values about assisting people who are living with a disability to achieve their goals, manage their mental health and improve their overall wellbeing. We offer psychological support to people of all ages and abilities. We believe that psychology sessions can be an important component in helping people living with a disability achieve better mental health and wellbeing. We understand that all of our clients have unique and needs and goals. As such, we will work in collaboration with you and your support team to develop individualized treatment plan. We want to help all of our clients achieve the best possible outcomes by providing a range of therapies and supports that are tailored to you.
Call us on 03 9877 9179 or complete the enquiry form below. One of our staff will personally be in touch with you.
Main Office
8A Main Street,
Blackburn VIC 3130
(Located 150 metres from Blackburn train station)
(400 metres from Blackburn Station)
Ruby-Mae Watkins is a compassionate psychologist with specialty training in the field of Educational and Developmental psychology. She is dedicated to helping individuals of all ages navigate their unique challenges and improve their well-being.
With a Master of Educational & Developmental Psychology from Monash University, Ruby-Mae brings a deep commitment to client care. Her professional journey spans working with adults, adolescents, and children, using evidence-based therapeutic approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and other mindfulness-based interventions. Ruby-Mae is skilled in administering and interpreting a variety of psychological assessments, enabling her to tailor her services to the specific needs of each client.
Ruby-Mae’s experience extends beyond the therapy room. She has served as a Research Associate at the University of Melbourne and a Casual Academic at Deakin University, gaining valuable insights into psychological research and education. Her experience with the Anxiety Recovery Centre Victoria (ARCVic) has further enriched her understanding of supporting individuals through anxiety-related challenges.
With a strong passion for enhancing the wellbeing of individuals, particularly children and their caregivers, Ruby-Mae strives to make a meaningful impact through psychological intervention, assessment, and psychoeducation. She is passionate about creating a warm, supportive, and safe space where clients feel heard and understood. She works collaboratively with clients to develop personalized strategies that foster growth, resilience, and psychological well-being.
Ruby-Mae’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Ruby-Mae is here to guide and support you or your loved one on your pathway toward greater emotional wellbeing and resilience.
Alicia works with clients across the lifespan. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience assisting her clients to feel comfortable and supported to embrace their individual differences and create a fulfilling and meaningful future. She is passionate about working with neurodiversity (i.e., autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety (inclusive of obsessive-compulsive disorder and phobias), trauma and eating disorders. Alicia prides herself on providing individually tailored therapy whilst ensuring warmth, compassion and empathy. She draws upon a wide variety of evidence-based approaches, inclusive of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT and CBT-E), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), schema therapy, exposure therapy and mindfulness. Alicia is also experienced in conducting cognitive, educational and diagnostic assessments (including ASD and ADHD). She ensures the assessments and recommendations are tailored to the individual.
Alicia’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Simone is an Advanced Certified Individual Schema Therapist with the International Society of Schema Therapy (ISST). She completed her schema therapy training through the Schema Therapy Institutes of New Jersey and New York City, with Wendy Behary and Dr Jeffrey Young.
Simone is a warm and empathic psychologist, who prioritises creating a safe, non-judgemental and supportive therapeutic environment. She works collaboratively with her clients, to identify their core emotional needs and effective strategies for therapeutic change. Simone has clinical experience in corrections, community mental health (headspace and drug and alcohol) as well as schools. She has a deep passion for working with clients who have experienced trauma, dissociation and personality difficulties.
Simone is a board approved supervisor with the Psychology Board of Australia. She offers primary and secondary supervision to psychologists (provisional and registered) and clinical psychology registrars.
Simone’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Mili holds a Master of Clinical Psychology. She has experience working across a range of settings, including educational institutions (secondary and tertiary) as well as geriatric settings (working with adults aged 65+). Mili brings a strong sense of peace and calmness to her work, as well as her strengths in compassion. She has an excellent capacity to help clients feel safe and at ease in exploring challenging areas of their lives.
Mili’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Latha has completed a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology. She approaches her work with a strong sense of compassion and a desire to understand the uniqueness of each individual client and the situations they face. Latha utilizes a strong blend of interpersonal skills, empathy and technical ability. Latha’s warm and personable manner helps her clients to feel at ease in their sessions with her.
Key Interest Areas
Fina is a Clinical Psychologist who brings a depth of experience working across a very broad range of life issues and clinical presentations. Fina is fluent in both English and Indonesian. Fina always aims to work collaboratively with clients, drawing on their own unique strengths and capacities to achieve change, and find greater peace and contentment in their lives.
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Elizabeth works with adults from the age of eighteen with a range of mental health issues. Elizabeth particularly enjoys working alongside people seeking to make changes in their lives consistent with their values, needs, preferences, and life stage. Operating within a framework of psychological safety, acceptance, understanding and empathy, Elizabeth is committed to working collaboratively with clients towards an improvement in satisfaction and meaning in life, whatever that may look like for each individual.
Elizabeth incorporates acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) with behavioural and compassion-focused approaches.
Elizabeth’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Larissa has twenty-four years counselling experience and has been with Laburnum Psychology for over ten years. She brings a breadth of experience to her clinical work. She works with individuals aged thirteen and above. Larissa’s approach is to develop a safe, warm and trusting relationship and to use an eclectic range of evidence-based psychological approaches matched to each individual’s needs. Her therapy approaches include schema therapy, trauma-informed therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, as well as relationship counselling. Larissa has worked in a range of counselling settings including Gambler’s Help, youth sexual assault counselling and generalist counselling.
Larissa’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Kylie is a registered clinical psychologist and board approved supervisor with over twenty-five years of experience. Kylie approaches therapy with a strong focus on empathy, understanding and compassion. She aims to assist her clients to build greater insight and understanding of themselves, and work with this to achieve long-term, lasting change. Kylie helps her clients to achieve a stronger and more conscious sense of self, so they can live with greater alignment to their core values and life goals. She works with a wide variety of people to help them understand the impacts of early life experiences, be that trauma or deprivation, or more subtle influences. Kylie will work with you to address and change whatever it is that brings you to therapy, and to find your way to a greater overall sense of peace, wellbeing and satisfaction in your life.
Kylie’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Tim is a registered clinical and counselling psychologist and one of the Practice Principals at Laburnum Psychology. Tim has over twenty years experience as a psychologist, working primarily with clients, as well as supervising other psychologists. Tim places high value on creating a comfortable environment for people to explore change. Tim assists people to become conscious of their patterns, identify their change goals, and find practical and relatable ways to intentionally work toward these goals. Tim has an interest in the neurology of change. He assists people to understand, from a neurological perspective, the ways that they can intentionally drive and practice their own change processes. From this base, Tim works with his clients to better understand themselves, manage difficult situations, and improve sense of peace, wellbeing and contentment in their lives.
Tim’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Carissa holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology and has published a number of research publications in international peer-reviewed journals. Having achieved a high degree of academic training and clinical research, she now focusses her efforts upon applying these learnings in her work as a psychologist. As a psychologist, Carissa values empathy, authenticity, curiosity and compassion. Carissa has worked with a variety of clients across the lifespan at different settings, such as hospitals, aged care residences, universities and community settings. Having lived in Canada, Singapore and Indonesia, Carissa appreciates the diversity of religions, gender identities and sexual orientations, and cultural backgrounds. In addition to creating a safe therapeutic space, Carissa aims to individually tailor and blend evidence-based therapy approaches for each unique individual. Carissa works across all age ranges, which include older adults, adults and adolescents. Carissa also speaks fluent Bahasa Indonesia.
Special Interest Areas:
Josie is a highly experienced member of the Laburnum Psychology team, bringing fourteen years of experience to her work. Josie holds a Doctoral degree in Clinical Neuropsychology and has worked both as a neuropsychologist and a generalist psychologist. In her generalist work, Josie works with clients who experience anxiety disorders, mood disorders, stress, adjustment issues, and low self-confidence. Josie values building strong rapport with her clients and will work with you to identify meaningful goals and work toward building positive change in your life. Josie is conscientious to base her interventions in evidence-based therapeutic frameworks, including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
Key Interest Areas
Hilary is a highly experienced Psychotherapist and Mental Health Social Worker. She has worked in acute mental health, educational and community settings.
Hilary has a depth of experience working with adults & adolescents facing acute and complex mental health difficulties. She has a keen interest in psychoanalysis and approaches this with deep value of helping in pragmatic and sensible ways. Hilary will work closely with you to identify your goals for change, and to navigate the path. Hilary brings warmth and pragmatism to her work, which is of immense value in helping her clients to feel comfortable and understood.
Key Interest Areas
Lisa specializes in working with children and young people, aged four to early twenties. She holds a Master of Education and Developmental Psychology degree and is a board-approved supervisor. She brings considerable expertise in children’s education and development, having worked across many settings, including multidisciplinary teams, private practice, primary schools, community health, outreach, and early intervention environments.
Lisa is experienced in individual and group therapy with children. She approaches her work with a strong value base for assisting children in their development. She works conscientiously to identify early intervention opportunities that assist children onto the best possible developmental pathway. She brings warmth and compassion to her work to create a safe and fun environment where children can feel at ease as they engage in the therapeutic processes. She draws on a range of modalities and principles, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), person-centered counselling, emotion coaching, social learning, play therapy, family therapy, schema therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Lisa also provides developmental, cognitive and educational assessments for children and adolescents.
Lisa acknowledges the importance of supporting parents and families to understand and navigate the needs of the child. Lisa works holistically with families, carers, school staff, and multidisciplinary teams to ensure a systemic approach to supporting the child.
Lisa’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Rob is an experienced psychologist, with a Masters in Counselling Psychology and over twenty years experience as a counsellor. Rob brings a breadth of knowledge and insight to his work, and works with adults who may present with a broad range of mental health issues.
Rob is motivated to help his clients achieve their potential drawing on evidence-based therapy approaches appropriate for each unique client. Rob holds strong values around collaborative therapy, drawing on clients’ unique strengths. He supports equity and diversity, and is well able to build strong empathic therapeutic processes. He will work with you to identify your own goals and directions for counselling, creating a safe environment to explore possibilities for change.
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Mateja is a registered psychologist and a member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS). She completed a Professional Doctorate in Clinical and Forensic Psychology and has worked in community mental health and forensic settings.
Mateja focuses on working in a collaborative and non-judgmental way to create a safe space for clients to share their stories and develop goals that they would like to work toward in therapy. She draws upon a range of interventions, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), schema therapy, mindfulness-based therapies, interpersonal therapy, and solution-focused therapy.
Mateja’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Sarah is a registered psychologist with clinical endorsement, having completed a Doctorate of Clinical Psychology. She works with adults across the lifespan of diverse backgrounds to identify change goals and negotiate the best pathways toward a greater sense of peace in your life.
Sarah blends a strong sense of compassion and empathy, together with a strong value on evidence-based interventions. She will work collaboratively to tailor her interventions to achieve her clients’ therapeutic goals utilising a range of therapy techniques, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), schema therapy and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy.
Sarah’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Darryne is a compassionate and dedicated clinical psychologist committed to supporting individuals across all stages of life. With a strong foundation in evidence-based practices, Darryne collaborates with clients to develop personalized treatment plans that foster lasting mental health and wellbeing.
Darryne’s professional journey encompasses diverse clinical settings, including non-government organizations, private practice, and primary healthcare. His extensive experience spans urban and rural communities, where he has worked effectively within multidisciplinary teams in both community and inpatient environments.
Darryne employs an integrative therapeutic approach, drawing from a variety of evidence-based frameworks, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Interpersonal Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and general supportive counselling. This versatility enables him to tailor interventions to each client’s unique needs and goals.
Beyond his clinical practice, Darryne is deeply committed to continuous learning and the ongoing development of his clinical skills and insights. His passion for delivering high-quality, evidence-based psychological assessments and interventions is matched by his dedication to building strong, authentic therapeutic relationships with his clients.
Darryne’s warm and empathetic approach creates a safe and supportive environment, empowering clients to navigate their mental health journeys with confidence and resilience.
Darryne’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Cameron brings empathy, compassion and composure to his work in psychology. He holds a Master of Professional Psychology. Cameron possesses a strong work ethic and a commitment to working in collaboration with his clients. Cameron values open-mindedness and brings great warmth to his work. He is committed to meeting people where they are at and working together to identify goals and effective strategies for change.
Cameron’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Laburnum Psychology will be closed on Tuesday 5 November 2024 for the Melbourne Cup Public Holiday. The Practice will reopen on Wednesday 6 November 2024 at 9.00am.
Thank you for your understanding.
In the event of a crisis or emergency, please call 000 or lifeline 13 11 14
Laburnum Psychology will be closed on Friday 27 September 2024 for the Grand Final Public Holiday. The Practice will reopen on Monday 30 September 2024 at 9.00am.
Thank you for your understanding.
In the event of a crisis or emergency, please call 000 or lifeline 13 11 14
Natasha is a well-established psychologist, who brings a depth of experience to her work. She predominantly works with children from the age of eight to late adolescence / early adulthood. Natasha’s passion is supporting individuals to better understand their strengths, and to find ways to communicate and navigate aspects of their life that may be challenging. Natasha holds strong values around neuro-affirming psychology, and enabling her clients to access individualised support and care.
Natasha holds a Bachelor’s degree with Honours and Master’s Degree in Psychology. She also holds endorsement as a Board Approved Supervisor. She has a strong interest in psychological assessment (cognitive, adaptive behaviour, social/emotional, academic) as these enable a greater understanding of each child’s/young person’s learning profile and support needs. With this as context, Natasha works to build communication between the young person and their support networks (e.g., family, school, vocation) to develop their self-confidence and the young person’s ability to advocate for what they need. Outside of psychological assessment, Natasha also works one on one with her clients to identify and implement change goals to support key areas in their life such as supporting self-confidence, self-compassion and self-advocacy.
One of Natasha’s greatest strengths is her capacity to engage her clients into a safe and meaningful process. She brings great warmth and compassion to her work, and meets her clients where they are at.
Natasha’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Jasmine is dedicated to creating a warm and safe environment for all her clients. She ensures to always meet her clients with empathy, to foster a person-to-person connection. She works collaboratively to understand her clients, meet them where they are at, and work together to meet their needs in therapy.
Jasmine is qualified with a Master of Clinical Psychology. Before this, she completed a Bachelor of Psychology and Criminology and Honours in Psychology. Jasmine draws on a range of evidence-based interventions, ensuring that all her work is tailored to her client’s needs, and stage of therapy. Her main therapy modalities include schema therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).
Jasmine works with adolescents and young adults. She has experience across community and youth mental health services, university mental health clinics and forensic settings.
Jasmine’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Donna brings a depth of experience to her counselling role, specializing in family therapy, relationship counselling and parenting. She provides her services to individuals of all ages. She has worked extensively with children and adolescents, which further informs her works with parents. She has worked across a range of settings, including schools and a variety of community organisations, both in Australia and abroad. Donna works with a broad range of family constellations, in addition to her work with couples, individuals and group work. Donna is trained in Gottman method couples therapy, emotion focused therapy (EFT), shame informed therapy and trauma informed therapy.
Donna brings energy and passion to her role and is committed to creating a safe environment for people to work on family and relationship challenges. Her work with families is invaluable and she has assisted many families on their journey to finding greater peace, connectedness and harmony.
Donna’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Maggie brings great passion to her work in psychology. She brings experience from previous work in a not-for-profit community and the family violence sector. Maggie holds a strong desire to help others overcome personal barriers that undermine wellbeing or prevent them from living a life that they value.
Maggie brings a strong client-centered philosophy to her work, placing great emphasis upon her counselling relationships. She brings a friendly, kind and non-judgmental nature to her work, and possesses a natural capacity for empathy. Maggie values strong and trusting counselling relationships, such that her clients can feel comfortable working in a safe, open and collaborative manner.
Having completed many years of formal training, Maggie strongly values the scientist-practitioner approach to treatment planning and intervention. She is committed to continuous learning and equipping herself with strategies and techniques to inform her work.
Maggie’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Having worked with children, adults, and families, Elaine brings experience from a range of settings. She holds a Master of Criminology degree along with extensive training in psychology, honing her capacity to be thorough and meticulous. She brings great warmth and sincerity to her work, in turn fostering a safe and non-judgmental space for her clients to feel at ease.
Elaine values person-centered and holistic approaches. She is passionate about empowering her clients and enjoys working collaboratively to promote positive change. Being multilingual (conversational Cantonese and Mandarin) further enables her to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds. While tailoring treatment to meet her clients’ individual needs, she is committed to incorporating evidence-based strategies including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), play therapy and mindfulness-based therapy.
In addition to working with children, adolescents, and parents, Elaine is also experienced in offering therapeutic services to adults. She provides support around a range of mental health issues and is also available to administer cognitive and educational assessments.
Elaine’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Madeleine is known for bringing a strong sense of warmth and compassion to her work. She is passionate about creating a safe space for her clients to explore their experiences. She will work collaboratively with you to help you identify your goals, and the steps you can take to find peace and to thrive.
Madeleine utilises a client centered approach, drawing from a range of evidence-based interventions, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).
Madeliene’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Paulene is a highly motivate provisional psychologist who aims to provide exceptional care, drawing on Solution Focussed Therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy. She works collaboratively with her clients to formulate a treatment plan, tailoring strategies for the unique needs of each individual.
Having completed a Master of Arts (Clinical Psychology) overseas, Paulene has worked with a range of client groups. She brings experience from private practice, NDIS, and WorkCover settings. She has experience in the provision of assessment, diagnosis and delivery of therapy.
Paulene approaches her work with warmth and compassion, and will work together with you to find the best pathways forward.
Key Interest Areas
Brenda holds a Bachelor of Psychology from The University of York in the United Kingdom, and a Master of Clinical Psychology from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Prior to joining the Laburnum Psychology team, Brenda accumulated invaluable experience at the child and adolescent psychiatry department of Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong, where she provided comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care as well as community services.
Brenda possesses a strong passion for working with adolescents and young adults. She values the opportunity to support the mental health of young people through the provision of high-quality evidence-based interventions. Most particularly, Brenda values the opportunity to work with young people before negative patterns become further entrenched. This greatly assists in setting young people up for a more positive and fulfilling future.
Brenda works collaboratively with her clients and where appropriate, will work in tandem with parents. Brenda brings warmth and compassion to her work and seeks to create a safe and nurturing environment.
Brenda’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Dr. Jen Trimpey joins the Laburnum Psychology team bringing a breadth of experience as a seasoned clinician, researcher and presenter. Jen underwent her training in psychology at The University of San Francisco and the University of Colorado, followed by a doctoral internship at Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland, Ohio where she honed her clinical skills.
Over the early years of her career Jen worked as a therapist in the field of HIV prevention in the LGBTQI+ community in San Francisco. More recently she has worked in New York City focusing on psychological assessment and working with individuals who experience developmental disabilities.
She possesses a strong passion for psychological assessment, and the ways that this can inform and support people who are seeking to understand themselves or their children better.
Jen approaches her work with a strong sense of compassion, warmth and empathy. She holds strong values around respect and equity, most particularly when it comes to the work she has done for marginalized groups and individuals. She approaches her work with kindness and will work collaboratively with you as you find your best pathway forward.
Jen’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Roohi brings a depth of experience to her role as a couples’ therapist at Laburnum Psychology. Beyond her Master of Arts, she is trained in Gottman method couples therapy, family therapy, emotion focused couples therapy (EFT) and emotion focused individual therapy (EFIT). Roohi draws on her clinical trauma training to ensure a trauma informed counselling process.
Roohi is a warm and compassionate individual who brings care and empathy to her work. She draws on her own experiences of life and combines this with a person-centered approach. This greatly assists her clients to feel understood and heard as they venture through counselling.
Roohi brings extensive knowledge of interpersonal and relational communication patterns and underlying emotional needs. She works to support her clients identify underlying self-defeating thoughts and behaviours and help them to successfully resolve intricate interpersonal issues
Roohi’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Tim implements a practical approach into his work and seeks to meet clients where they are at, so as to navigate their challenges and offer ways to solve complex issues collaboratively. Tim puts emphasis on empowering clients to see their worth and take control of the challenges they are facing.
Tim draws upon multifaceted and evidenced-based approaches to meet clients’ needs including dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), solution focused therapy, schema therapy, and trauma informed therapeutic approaches. Tim offers an understanding and empathetic voice in his work and enjoys working with clients to build their sense of mastery.
Tim has experience working with individuals from diverse backgrounds and across the lifespan. Prior to his work in psychology, Tim worked in the forensic field with individuals exiting the justice system. Furthermore, Tim has a background in elite level sport and the stress and challenges that come with this. Tim offers a lived experience perspective into navigating these challenges alongside balancing the demands of everyday life.
Tim has particular interest and experience working within a dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) framework and runs the DBT programs offered at Laburnum Psychology. This includes individual DBT for complex issues associated with emotional regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness.
Tim’s areas of expertise and interest include:
Susanna brings a depth of experience to her work at Laburnum Psychology. She has worked in counselling roles for twenty five years, across the disciplines of psychology and social work. Susanna brings experience from a breadth of settings, including private practice, hospitals, community health, the mental health network, alcohol and drug addiction network, family violence network, and courts.
Susanna engages in both short and longer-term therapy, such as CBT, psychodynamic, and DBT. She brings a person-centered approach to her work, reflecting the importance of the counselling relationship. Susanna values collaborative work, in an environment where her clients feel safe and supported to explore the issues they bring into therapy.
Key Interest Areas
Sivan is a Clinical Psychologist who brings vast and varied experience to her work. She has a high level of professional experience and expertise. Sivan builds very strong rapport with her clients. She works with integrity and authenticity, and creates a very secure and calming space in which to conduct her sessions. Sivan possesses great strengths in case conceptualization and formulation. She works with adults and adolescents, and is fluent in English and Hebrew.
Key Interest Areas
