Trauma Support Providers

Sandra is an experienced and qualified Counsellor, Psychotherapist and Family Therapist having been in practice now since 2006. She has completed Masters, Applied Social Science (Counselling), Advanced Diploma Family Therapy and has qualifications in both drama and transpersonal art therapy.

She has her own private practice Shiloh Counselling Services and she is a registered NDIS Provider and registered also with BUPA, the POLICE FUND and MEDIBANK PRIVATE Health Funds. Sandra is registered with the ACA (level 4). She has worked for Lifehouse, St Vincent de Paul, and City Care. She is experienced in helping a client overcome complex trauma (including childhood sexual abuse and incest) depression, anxiety and domestic violence.

She is also a Distinguished Toastmaster (the highest award) so she can also facilitate clients to find ‘boldness’, confidence and self-esteem in their life and workplace.

She offers a sliding scale of fees as Sandra believes that counselling/therapy should be affordable to all.

Shannon is a warm and compassionate Psychologist who strives to provide high-quality services to his clients. Shannon works with a wide range of clients across the developmental stages including: children and families, teens and young adults, and adults individually and in groups. After getting to know you and more about your goals, Shannon will work with you to form a shared understanding of your current situation and develop an individualised plan for your work together.

Treatment areas: • Stress • Anxiety • Depression • Relationships • Employment problems • Education problems • Emotional distress

Specialist assessments: • Cognitive abilities and educational assessments • Wechsler intelligence and achievement assessments • Assessment of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders

Registration and Membership: • Registered Psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency • Associate Member of the Australian Psychological Society

Formal Qualifications: • Bachelor of Psychological Science • Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology • Master of Professional Psychology

Over the last decade, Shikha has amassed a wealth of experience in therapeutic & academic roles, and has honed a skillset particularly suited to those seeking healing from trauma. Shikha works with adults, teenagers (12+) and couples.

Shikha’s approach to therapy is warm, nurturing, and collaborative. She places paramount importance on the therapeutic relationship and deeply values each person’s unique perspective, needs, and preferences.

Drawing philosophically from psychodynamic and emotion-centered models, Shikha enriches her practice with trauma-informed techniques aimed at helping people regain a sense of safety by addressing both the psychological and physiological effects of trauma. Shikha provides personalised care by drawing from a range of therapeutic models, including: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Schema Therapy, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy.

Shikha's multicultural background gives her a personal understanding of identity and belonging, allowing her to connect meaningfully with those from diverse backgrounds, including migrants and LGBTQIA+ individuals. Outside her practice, she is passionate about advancing the field of psychotherapy through research and teaching at the university level.

Better thinking ...for good living
Support and counselling are an important components of effective therapy and helping people. Psychologists, and especially clinical psychologists like me, are able to provide additional focussed treatments and techniques which are also very important components to assist with improving well-being, recovery and resolution.

Techniques which are a part of Cognitive Behaviour therapy (CBT), ""mindfulness"" techniques, Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT), hypnosis, and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) are recognised by scientists, health insurers like Medicare and medical practitioners as being helpful treatments for people suffering from anxiety, depression, traumatic events, ""stress"" or ""burnout"".

In my earlier professional years I worked in such settings as Universities, health and rehabilitation, and at the Vietnam Veterans Counselling Service for 14 years before commencing full-time private practice in 2004. I have worked in post injury rehabilitation, return to work counselling, career/vocational counselling, and as a research officer. I most enjoy spending my time with people, not reading about them or in meetings.

I take great pride in my work and enjoy greatly the privilege of using my knowledge and skills in helping people restore well-being and health.

I have been working as a psychologist since 1995 in rural and regional locations in schools, Headspace and GP surgeries. During this time I have worked with children, adolescents and adults who have been traumatised whether by sexual assault, domestic violence, accidents or military service. I hold Masters degrees in both Clinical and Educational Psychology, and have treated people with depression, anxiety, panic disorder, attachment and relationship problems, as well as parenting, addiction, low self-esteem as well as other health related distress. I hold a Post Graduate Certificate in Clinical Hypnotherapy and where clients request, use this modality to assist with pain management, addictions and other issues. I now work in a private practice and collaborate with clients to provide research based treatments to assist them reach their therapy goals.

I commenced my career in the helping profession in the United Kingdom. I graduated in General Nursing with a speciality of Mental Health Nursing. Before leaving the U.K. I was employed in a major UK hospital as a Counsellor supporting medical staff attached to trauma units.
Upon moving to Australia in 1987 I decided to complete my Psychology degree and graduated with Masters Degree in Psychology in 1997. I was still working as a Counsellor while completing my degree. I have many counselling trainings including Gestalt Psychotherapy and more recently Schema Therapy and EMDR. I am familiar and skilled in many evidenced based therapies and tailor to the needs of my clients. I have always been passionate about working and supporting survivors of sexual abuse as I believe it is endemic in our culture and the emotional and psychological trauma that has a devastating impact upon families. However with the correct support people’s lives can be turned around.
I have been fortunate in that I have been supervised and influenced by many of the now recognized world authorities concerning Complex PTSD such as Colin Ross and Bessel Van-Der Kolk. Presently I am a student of the three year Somatic Experiencing Certificate. This method goes exceptionally well with EMDR as it acknowledges the effect on the Central Nervous System of such overwhelming trauma like childhood sexual abuse and rape.
In addition to working in Private Practice I have also taught at the University of Newcastle a Conjoint Lecture
and several Colleges in Sydney. I have been involved implementing anti-bullying policies at the John Hunter Hospital and setting up supports for Domestic Violence victims on the Central Coast during the 1990’s. I have also worked with Midwives to support women suffering from post-natal depression and birth trauma.

I am an accredited Mental Health Social Worker in Toowoomba and have worked in Trauma for over 15 years. The areas I specialise in are Domestic and Family Violence, Sexual Abuse and Trauma related mental health. I have worked with people across the lifespan aged 12years onward. I am trained in numerous Trauma Informed practices and continually up date my skill set. I provide a non judgmental, neutral space for individuals whilst attending the service.

Dr Pam Connor is a registered psychologist (Registration Number PSY0001407041) in the ACT, specialising in clinical psychology. She holds Full Membership with the Australian Psychology Society (APS), with Full Membership of both the Clinical and Health Colleges of the APS. Dr Connor has worked in the field of mental health since 1997, in both the public and private sector. She is currently in full-time private practice, having retired from a long public-sector career at the end of 2014. Dr Connor was in private practice (part-time) for 15 years (alongside public-sector work) prior to leaving the public sector to undertake clinical work full-time.
Dr Connor has specialised in providing trauma-informed care to individuals who have experienced long-term and multiple trauma experiences as children, adolescents, and adults. Her interest in this stemmed from having undertaken many assessments of children who had experienced abuse and trauma, and in the process, developing a strong desire to support these children as they grew older, to help them reverse the impact of some of their harmful experiences. This has evolved into a broader interest in assisting not only young people, but also adults who are still suffering from the traumas they have experienced. Dr Connor has provided trauma-informed care to individuals over many years. Her doctoral research was in the field of complex trauma, and for this award, she developed a treatment framework for adults who had suffered multiple and complex trauma experiences as children , adolescents, and adults. Her two research papers related to her research are as follows:
• Connor, P.K. & Higgins, D.J. (2008). The ‘‘HEALTH’’ model – Part 1: treatment program guidelines for Complex PTSD. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, Vol. 23, No. 4, 293–303
• Connor, P.K. & Higgins, D.J. (2008). The ‘‘HEALTH’’ model – Part 2: case study of a guideline-based treatment program for Complex PTSD relating to childhood sexual abuse. This study outlines some of the practical issues for practitioners in the use of a guideline-based treatment program: HEALTH, Sexual and Relationship Therapy, Vol. 24.
Dr Connor also has a strong interest in the field of neuroscience, having recently completed further post-graduate studies in this field at Sydney University (Brain and Mind Research Institute) and sees that the knowledge gained in this additional study is essential to assisting individuals understand more about the impact of trauma on early brain development, and subsequent emergence of specific behaviours. It has also been important in explaining with understanding how different forms of support and intervention can assist the individual with long-term changes, which requires some ‘rewiring’ of the brain.

I am a registered Psychologist with experience in providing trauma informed care and treatment in both clinical and forensic settings. I also have experience providing trauma informed assessment and treatment to refugees and clients seeking asylum.

I consider it a privilege to be involved in the care and recovery of individuals who have faced challenging life events, and I am often impressed by the resilience of the human spirit when faced with adversity. I am passionate about supporting individuals to make sense of their life experiences, and to help them find and (re) discover a safe place for them in their life story.

I offer individual sessions to adolescents and adults in a small and friendly clinic setting, and I am surrounded by a team of experienced and supportive Psychologists and Counsellors.

I appreciate that talking about traumatic experiences can be overwhelming and frightening at times, and for this reason I aim to ensure that sessions provide a safe space for clients to discuss their experiences, at their own pace, and in their own way. My approach is, at all times, collaborative, with a focus on support and empowerment.

If you would like to discuss your treatment further, or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at the clinic on 9434 4161 or via email at [email protected]

My name is Dr Rebecca Braid and my passion and life's work is to provide a safe place for you to heal, recover and ultimately empowered to go forward in life. With over 35 years working with individuals in the area of sexual assault and childhood trauma, I utilise empowerment, narrative therapy and Milan systemic family therapy for optimal healing outcomes.

The inclusion of Milan couple and family therapy became the basis of a research Masters in false memory syndrome, augmented by ongoing private practice, leading to a research PhD in the client informed healing process of complex trauma survivors. A PhD was conferred in 2009 and has been the foundation for client informed individual, group and advocacy work at Eden Therapy Services.

For nearly 20 years I offered counselling through Victims Services which has provided a wealth of knowledge and information to complex trauma survivors, particularly in the areas of redress, recognition payment and restitution to survivors of trauma. I conduct 'Safe Place' group work programs for women, men and children. These groups were referred to in the NSW Government Submission Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Issues Paper 10 – Advocacy and Support and Therapeutic Services dated November 2015. I was also called on by the Commissioner of Victims Services to debrief the victims of the Martin Place siege in 2014, highlighting my capacity to work with complex trauma cases. A client who came into the practice with a domestic violence and institutional sexual abuse history became empowered enough to testify at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

My private practice is a dedicated office space for clients only. We have created a homely space, with a withdrawal room for clients to utilise before or after a session, or at any time during practice hours that you require some peacefulness. Upon your first visit you will be welcomed by our front desk PA who will introduce you to the practice. She is available at the end of the phone Monday - Thursday to discuss any concerns, and I am available via text and mobile. We use a systemic and holistic approach to support all clients including clients' spiritual resources.

I look forward to meeting you.