What Causes Depression?

David is a Clinical Psychologist and an accredited member of the Australian Clinical Psychology Association. He holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours from the University of New England, and a Masters of Clinical Psychology from Western Sydney University.

Prior to re-training as a psychologist, David worked as a professional musician, a role he credits as endowing him with high-level listening skills. These skills he brings to his work in the mental health space, where he has practiced in both both in hospital settings (in-patient and out-patient) and also in private practice. In these environments, David has gained experience counselling a diverse range of clients of different ages and from a variety of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. He has also provided telephone support for families affected by drug and alcohol concerns in a voluntary capacity. Together, these experiences have helped shape his personalised approach to therapy.

In private practice, David is passionate about supporting individuals through their mental health challenges and life’s challenges. Drawing on a range of modalities, David primarily focuses on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) but also draws on modalities such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and Psychodynamic Theory.

David can support clients with a variety of concerns, including depression, anxiety, grief and loss, OCD, ADHD, relationships, anger, addiction, stress, as well as more complex presentations such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and personality disorders.

David is an authentic, warm and non-judgemental psychologist. Whilst he uses various therapeutic modalities to frame his practice, his focus remains on the therapeutic relationship, ensuring that his client’s unique experiences, feelings, thoughts, and beliefs shape his ultimate approach to their therapy. By listening and accounting for his client’s viewpoints, David helps his clients overcome their problems through positive change.

Petra is a Registered Counsellor and member of the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) with experience in various roles across the healthcare industry. She holds a Diploma from the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors and a Graduate Diploma in Relationship Counselling, as well as advanced accreditations in grief & loss, addiction, abuse and eating disorders.

Petra has worked extensively with a diverse range of individuals across multiple organisations in both the aged care, clinical and charity sectors. Through her time at the Butterfly Foundation, Petra empowered her clients through evidence-based therapy to help them overcome negative eating patterns. Petra also has specific experience treating complex mental health in elderly clients, supporting them through issues such as trauma, grief and cognitive decline. Prior to her commencing a career in counselling, Petra worked in various roles within the corporate space, collaborating and liaising with an assortment of professionals, helping shape the person-centred approach she utlises in therapy today.

In private practice, Petra’s focus is to meet and understand where individuals are at in their lives, and best support them using a variety of therapeutic modalities including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Solutions Focused Therapy, ACT, Strengths Based Therapy and Narrative Therapy. In her sessions, Petra assists her clients in a range of concerns, including anger management, depression, anxiety, relationship concerns, grief & loss, self-esteem issues, workplace stress, as well as more complex mental health including eating disorders and addiction.

Petra is an insightful and altruistic counsellor, who believes everyone is unique in their counselling needs and, as such, aims to personalise each session to the individual. Creating safe, supportive and confidential spaces for people to engage, Petra uses empathy and understanding to support her clients in their mental health journey and onto more fulfilling lives.

Jenna is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and Relationship Therapist with over 15 years experience supporting individuals, couples and families. She holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Melbourne and is endorsed as a Specialist Couple Therapist by Relationships Australia (Victoria).

Jenna's career began in family services, supporting vulnerable children and families across a range of community and health settings. This included developing group programs for mothers experiencing mental health difficulties and social isolation, giving her broad experience across the different stages of family life. She now works in private practice where she works with clients from a broad cross section of the community.

Jenna supports both individuals and couples experiencing a wide range of issues including anxiety and depression, attachment and connection, historical or intergenerational trauma, sexual and intimacy issues, affairs, family conflict and communication difficulties. She has particular experience supporting neurodivergent clients, and holds a special interest in perinatal mental health, including the transition to parenthood, parent-child attachment, and birth trauma.

Jenna draws on a strengths-based, attachment, family-systems and trauma-informed framework, tailoring her approach to the needs of each client. She integrates Internal Family Systems therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Gottman Method couple therapy, and is a qualified Circle of Security Parenting Facilitator, drawing on this when working with parents of young children.

Jenna works with individuals and couples to build an authentic, safe and trusting relationship in which to understand the challenges they face, helping clients build resilience and form deeper, more secure connections with themselves and others.

Wade is a Counsellor and Psychotherapist, registered with PACFA. He holds a Bachelor of Counselling from the Australian College of Applied Psychology and a Graduate Diploma of Mental Health and Neuroscience from the University of the Sunshine Coast, with extensive advanced training in Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy.

Wade’s career began in hospital and community mental health settings, including several years leading a therapeutic program and multidisciplinary team. This gave him broad experience supporting people through a wide range of life challenges before he moved into private practice.

Since moving into private practice, Wade works with individuals, supporting them with a range of concerns including anxiety, stress and burnout, low mood, grief, relationship and attachment difficulties, and past trauma. He has a particular interest in trauma, attachment, men’s health and addiction-related concerns.

Wade’s approach draws primarily on Internal Family Systems, integrating trauma-informed, attachment-based, psychodynamic, EMDR, and polyvagal-informed techniques. He works deeply and relationally with his clients, taking the time to understand what’s beneath the surface and build a genuine sense of trust and connection. He believes lasting change comes through the relationship itself, not just the techniques used within it.

Wade describes his style as clear, honest and human, creating a space paced to each client where they can explore what’s present for them without judgement or pressure.

Paul is a Registered Psychologist and a SIRA-accredited practitioner. He holds both a Graduate and Post-Graduate Diploma in Psychology from the University of New England and Charles Sturt University respectively, as well as a Diploma of Psychological Practice and a Masters of Business Administration from Macquarie University.

Prior to moving into the mental health industry, Paul worked within the corporate space for over two decades, managing teams in both the financial and communications sectors. From his time at various banking and media companies, Paul coordinated and collaborated with individuals from diverse backgrounds, helping shape his personalised approach to therapy today. Using such experiences with complex workplace dynamics, Paul has also tailored psychological interventions and assessments for workers compensation clients in their journey to recovery.

In private practice, Paul is passionate about supporting individuals through difficult life transitions and mental health challenges. Utilising a range of modalities, Paul primarily focuses on the Person-Centred approach in therapy, also drawing on elements of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and trauma-informed training. Within his sessions, Paul assists his clients in anxiety, depression, stress, perfectionism, workplace issues, relationships, as well as more complex presentations such as trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). For those clients presenting with trauma-related concerns, Paul is also trained to provide EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing).

Paul is an empathetic and personable psychologist, dedicated to making meaningful changes to the lives of his clients. Through helping individuals better understand themselves and how they operate within their environment, Paul enables his patients toward positive change and personal growth.

Jenny is a Registered Psychotherapist and Clinical Counsellor and a member of the Psychotherapists and Counsellors Federation of Australia (PACFA). She holds both a Diploma of Applied Science from Avondale University NSW and a Masters of Counselling from Morling College.

Jenny has decades of experience working for CatholicCare in the health, safety and wellbeing spheres. She subsequently consolidated her experience as a counsellor and moved into private practice, where she works with both individuals and couples. Jenny has experience supporting her clients with a wide range of concerns, including anxiety, depression, self esteem issues, relationship concerns, anger management, eating issues and addiction. She is particularly experienced supporting clients presenting with moderate to severe traumatic stress, and has for many years supported clients through the Victims Services framework.

Jenny draws upon a range of different modalities including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Solution Focused Therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems, Narrative Therapy, and Person Centred Therapy, tailoring her approach to best meet the needs of each individual client. When working with couples, Jenny uses Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) and the Development Model for Couples (Bader & Pearson).

Jenny is an empathetic and passionate practitioner. She approaches counselling from a collaborative and process oriented perspective to understand the client’s concerns, in order to provide a safe therapeutic environment to work on developing a healthy relationship with the self and others.

Jonathan is a Registered Counsellor and Psychotherapist, who has worked with clients of all ages during his time in the mental health field. He holds various diplomas in Counselling, including Integrated Psychotherapy and Family Counselling from the AIFC, and is also certified as a Professional Supervisor.

Beginning his career in the youth sector, Jonathan assisted both children and adolescents from disadvantaged and traumatic backgrounds, in which he learnt to tailor his sessions to each individual to create trusting and supportive environments. From his time at various alternative learning programs, such as Youth Off The Streets and the Divergent Edge, Jonathan worked with neurodivergent, disengaged and/or complex-presenting individuals, providing support in the form of individual psychotherapy, crisis counselling and group interventions.

Moving into private practice, Jonathan uses a holistic approach to therapy, exploring the connection between family dynamics, childhood, relationships, as well as the mind and body, to assess and reflect on his clients’ concerns. Utilising an array of evidence-based practices, Jonathan incorporates modalities such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Brief Solution Focused Therapy, Person-Centred Therapy and Mindfulness.

Jonathan can assist his clients with an array of concerns including depression, anxiety, grief & loss, self-esteem, anger, as well as more complex mental health including domestic violence, self-harm and suicidal ideation, addiction and trauma. Jonathan also has a particular interest in neurodiversity, specifically assisting those with ADHD.

Jonathan is an authentic and compassionate practitioner, who prides himself on his practical and insightful approach to counselling. Through supporting the development of appropriate life skills, he helps his clients identify and achieve their goals, as well as move forward with confidence and become the best version of themselves.

Neri is a Registered Counsellor and Psychotherapist with more than 10 years experience in the mental health field. She holds extensive qualifications relevant to her work, including a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) from the University of Sydney, as well as both a Postgraduate Diploma of Counselling and a Master of Counselling and Psychotherapy. Neri is also a clinical member and accredited supervisor of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia.

Throughout her career, Neri has worked extensively with a diverse range of individuals, couples and families across multiple sectors, including public, private, community and corporate health. Prior to moving into private practice, Neri worked in a hospital setting, providing inpatient support to at-risk patients, using evidence-based mental health assessments to cater for their individual needs. She has also led, supported and supervised a variety of psychologically-based programs aimed at developing employment opportunities for NDIS participants.

In private practice, Neri focuses on empowering her clients using an integrated and person-centred approach, which includes such modalities as Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-Based Therapy and Psychodynamic methods. In her sessions, Neri assists her clients with a variety of concerns including depression, anxiety, stress, phobias, body image, harassment, chronic pain, gender issues, grief and loss, religious and identity concerns, as well as more complex mental health such as brain injuries, trauma and PTSD, addiction and dependencies. She has experience working with persons presenting on the autism spectrum or with intellectual disabilities.

In her work with couples, Neri believes in the strength of connectedness, and can assist clients with communication problems, parenting concerns, infidelidity, stagnation and sexual issues.

Neri is a compassionate and insightful counsellor, who aims to transform her clients’ situations through catering to their individual needs. Through creating trusting and safe environments during her sessions, Neri empowers her clients to move towards a happier and healthier life.

Sue is a Registered Counsellor and Psychotherapist and a member of PACFA (Psychotherapy & Counselling Federation of Australia). She holds a Graduate Diploma in Counselling from ACAP University College in which she was National DUX, and a Masters of Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Prior to starting a private practice, Sue worked in hospital settings where she gained significant experience in a broad range of presentations including trauma, addiction, anxiety, depression, grief and loss, and relationship issues. In this role she facilitated group therapy sessions as well as one-on-one trauma-informed psychotherapy sessions, and also facilitated patient workshops and lectures. Sue has also worked with renowned experiential trauma programme facilitators across the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.

When working with clients, Sue takes an integrative, trauma-informed and person-centered approach. She also uses a psychodynamic relational model and employs the dynamic interplay between internal world and relational experiences. At times, Sue will also engage creative techniques, narrative therapy and Gestalt therapies to facilitate new ways of processing and expressing feelings.

Prior to her work as a counsellor, Sue worked for 25 years running creative businesses in both design and recruitment where she honed her ability to tailor innovative solutions to individual needs, and build trust-based relationships - skills she now brings to her therapeutic practice.

Sue is compassionate and an authentic counsellor, focussed on creating a supportive environment for her clients to promote personal growth and recovery. Sue is passionate about helping her clients reconnect with their sense of self and purpose.