Mary gained her qualifications at the University of Queensland. She worked for 5 years in Child and Youth Mental Health settings, before moving to a P-12, co-educational school, where she worked for 14 years. Working with children and young people has highlighted the impact of systems: Our family system, workplace, school and society play a huge part in how we experience the world, and ourselves. Thus Mary adopts a systematic/family approach to understanding each person’s story. When working with children, Mary considers it necessary that parents attend appointments of their own, given their significance in bringing about change within the family system.
Like many psychologists, Mary has integrated her experiences and knowledge into a framework that can be applied to a broad range of presenting concerns. She believes that anxiety is at the core of most difficulties, and that our response to our anxiety determines what happens next. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy invites us to sit more comfortably with our human discomfort, and to come to view it as our guide. Mary’s approach to therapy, therefore, invites clients to ‘get better at feeling worse’ which, ultimately, will amount to getting better. Getting better at ‘doing feelings’ is good for both our health, and our relationships with others. Whilst it can be daunting to ‘run towards the roar’, there is evidence to suggest that such bravery – even in small steps – builds our resilience. Being brave, with the support of a therapist you can trust, can make the journey forward easier.
Mary works with teenagers 14years plus, adults and families.
Approach to Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Emotion Focused Therapy
Humanistic
Internal family Systems
Narrative Therapy
Rogerian Psychotherapy
Alderian / Individual Psychology
Existential
Integrative
Interpersonal
Psychoeducation