Laura is a highly skilled psychotherapist and clinical social worker with over 20 years’ experience supporting individuals and families with personal and relational concerns.  Over this time, Laura has developed a deep respect of each individual’s unique sense of themselves, and a commitment to helping them to find more satisfying and lasting ways of resolving personal difficulties. 

 

While Laura’s practice experience and qualifications allow her to draw on a range of approaches and methodologies, Laura’s therapeutic frame is guided by attachment theory and psychodynamic principles.  Psychodynamic Psychotherapy best supports those who experience aspects of their life as distressing or dissatisfying, this can feel like depression, anxiety, hopelessness or a pervasive criticism of oneself. Central to Laura's focus is building a safe, trusting and reliable relationship which becomes the basis for exploring difficult thoughts and feelings, and generating insights about the sources of one’s struggles. These struggles may be life long or they may have emerged more recently. Generating insights opens new opportunities for more satisfying connections to oneself and others, and greater life choices. Psychodynamic Psychotherapy aims to increase self awareness and strengthen internal resources, which we can draw on to manage day to day life and relationships in a more thoughtful and satisfying way.

 

Self-awareness generated from this type of therapy typically endures beyond the completion of the therapeutic process.

 

Laura is able to support individuals experiencing concerns, such as:

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• Experiences of trauma or significant grief and loss 

• Unsatisfied with oneself or one’s relationships, particularly if you have noticed recurring patterns

• Experiencing anxiety, depression or other emotional concerns (particularly if other therapy experiences have not been helpful)

• Issues with addictive behaviours or concerns

• Parenting Issues

• Struggles experienced by young people

• Sexual identity concerns

 

Laura also offers a 16-week intervention called Watch, Wait and Wonder (WWW). WWW is a child and parent psychotherapeutic approach that uses the infant’s spontaneous activity in a free play format to enhance maternal sensitivity and responsiveness, the child’s sense of self and self-efficacy, emotion regulation, and the child-parent attachment relationship. The approach provides space for the infant/child and parent to work through developmental and relational struggles through play. Central to the process is engaging the parent to be reflective about the child’s inner world of feelings, thoughts and desires, through which the parent recognizes the separate self of the infant and gains an understanding of their own emotional responses to their child.

 

Laura recommends an initial consultation to meet and discuss the issues of concern, the process of psychotherapy and to make decisions about how best to move forward. If psychotherapy is assessed as appropriate, then session times are organised.  If psychotherapy is not appropriate, Laura will support you with other referral recommendations.

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Outside of her private practice, Laura is currently the Director of Clinical Services at the Lighthouse Foundation. Laura’s work history includes leading a range of clinical therapeutic programs and staff teams across some of Victoria’s preeminent community service agencies including Odyssey House Victoria Therapeutic Community, Bridgehaven Women and Women with Children Residential Rehabilitation Program and the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency - Aboriginal Children's Healing Team.   This practice experience is underpinned by a psychology degree, a Masters of Clinical Social Work and her ongoing psychoanalytic candidature at the Victorian Association of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists (VAPP).

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Fees:

Initial assessment consultations are $170

Subsequent therapy sessions are negotiated individually. 

Current Health Care Card holders may be eligible for a reduced rate (limited spaces available).

Fees are based on the recommended rates of the Australian Association of Social Workers. 

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Laura is also available to provide clinical supervision and referrals are accepted from Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Transport Accident Commission (TAC) and Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal (VOCAT).​