Trauma Support Providers

Alicia is a registered Psychologist who enjoys working with adults experiencing a wide range of mental health concerns, including mood and anxiety disorders, single-incident or complex trauma, grief and loss, relationship difficulties, workplace issues, body image concerns, eating disorders, addiction or problematic substance use, anger, identity-related issues, and concerns related to sexual behaviour or sexuality. She also has a particular interest in the psychological challenges that can accompany chronic illness, disease, or disability.

Alicia’s practice focuses on providing psychological therapy within a psychodynamic framework. This approach supports exploration of how past experiences shape the ways you think, feel, and relate to others in the present. By developing deeper insight into these patterns and connecting with emotions in a safe and supported way, psychodynamic therapy can help you to gradually find new ways of responding to yourself, others, and the challenges of life. Alicia believes that lasting psychological change is best achieved through this kind of meaningful self-understanding, rather than through a narrow focus on symptom management.

Alicia began her career in mental health in 2016, working in the domestic and family violence sector. She has since worked across community, university, and public health settings before entering private practice.

Hello, I’m Sue. I am a Counsellor and Art Therapist. As part of being human, we find ourselves in dark times. It takes courage to reach out. You are not alone. I offer being present with you and where you are in your life experiences. Trauma informed ways of working can include verbal, visual, and sensory methods. Together we choose therapeutic process and tools that best match you, to illuminate moving toward what is most meaningful for you.

I established Bright Black Art Therapy & Counselling in 2018. I have the honour to work with those who have complex experiences of anxiety, depression, PTSD, family violence, chronic physical conditions, cognitive impacts, alcohol or drug coping, identity conflict and grief. Moving side by side, we will co-create your next steps.

I work across hybrid roles and am entering my seventh year working in the disability sector within the NDIS, providing both mobile and in clinic services, alongside private practice work. I also have experience working within the justice system. I am deeply committed to supporting individuals accessing the National Redress Scheme, particularly those who have experienced institutional abuse, trauma, and complex trauma.

I bring a warm, compassionate, and trauma informed approach that prioritises safety, choice, and empowerment. I centre each person’s needs, preferences, lived experiences, and values, recognising the impact of trauma on trust, relationships, and engagement with services. I work at the client’s pace, actively listening to their story and ensuring they feel heard, respected, and supported throughout the therapeutic process.

My practice draws on evidence based approaches including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), trauma informed therapy, and emotion focused approaches. Interventions are carefully tailored to support stabilisation, emotional regulation, and recovery while minimising the risk of re traumatisation.

My goal is to empower individuals, enhance emotional well being, and support meaningful healing by respecting autonomy, promoting informed choice, and encouraging active involvement in decision making. I am committed to creating a safe therapeutic environment where survivors feel validated and supported in regaining a sense of control and self worth.

I have experience supporting individuals with anxiety, depression, borderline personality disorder, dissociative identity disorder, schizophrenia, trauma and complex trauma, autism, and hoarding.

I am an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and Accredited Supervisor with over two decades’ experience working in public and NGO clinical mental health settings. My practice offers trauma-informed therapy, EMDR, group work (all with Medicare rebates & NDIS), social prescribing (NDIS) approaches (including field recording), as well as clinical supervision for individuals and groups.

I work with individuals, families, and groups with a range of complex mental health presentations, including trauma, mood dysregulation, adjustment challenges, psychosis, comorbidity, and suicidality. Sessions are available in person at my practice space located in Spring Hill, Brisbane or via teleconference.

My therapeutic approach is ethical, safe, participatory, non-judgemental, and relational. I aim to support people to make sense of their experiences, manage distress, and develop greater clarity, connection, and choice in life.

My clinical background includes trauma informed mental health practice, EMDR, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behaviour Therapy modes (Mindfulness based CBT), Motivational Interviewing, Family Therapy and other group work modalities. I integrate these approaches flexibly in response to client needs, capacity, and goals.

I believe people have a natural capacity to heal. Therapy can support the integration of experiences that feel overwhelming or unresolved, enabling adaptive understanding, emotional regulation, improved wellbeing with meaningful acceptance and change.

Dr Stephanie Kalanj-Mizzi
Psychologist, BSc, PG Dip Psych, MPsych/PhD

With over 20 years of experience working in the mental health and welfare industry on the Gold Coast, Stephanie is a skilled Psychologist who has dedicated her career to supporting individuals and families in need. She has worked extensively in non-profit (NFP) and non-government (NGO) organisations as well as in the mental and allied health sector, where she lead a diverse, multidisciplinary team. As a member of complex needs assessment panels for both adults and children, she has worked closely with a vast array of professional services across the Gold Coast. This extensive experience led her to establish her own Psychology Clinic, upon completing her Master’s and PhD programs at Monash University.

Stephanie is strongly committed to providing a safe, relaxing therapeutic space to enable clients to feel supported and make positive and lasting changes in their lives. She specialises in providing therapeutic support to individuals, couples and families. She also has extensive experience working with neurodiverse clients and can assist in the assessing and diagnosing of disorders.

Her areas of practice include:

- Adolescent Counselling
- Anger Management
- Anxiety and Depression
- Child Counselling
- Family Counselling
- LGBTQIAP+ issues and gender questioning
- Grief and loss
- Marriage and Relationships
- Parenting Support
- Stress Management
- Trauma Counselling
- Adjustment post-injury
- Personality Disorders

Stephanie understands that a strong client/therapist alliance is essential to successful counselling outcomes. This is achieved by ensuring clients feel valued and are treated with respect and compassion. At SKM Psychology, clients are not judged for their choices, decisions or beliefs. Stephanie uses evidence-based psychological, counselling and family therapy models to promote positive outcomes and make a genuine difference in her client's lives.

Stephanie works from a client-centred, whole of person approach. This ensures that the unique needs of the client are fully considered and that therapy is tailored to the individual person. Interventions are drawn from an array of therapeutic models including: Person-Centred Therapy, Positive Psychology, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Humanistic Therapy and Behavioural Therapy.

Stephanie has been a proud Gold Coast resident since the 1980’s where she has balanced her professional journey with a fulfilling personal life. She enjoys the beach, reading, camping and food.

Dr Melanie Strang is a registered psychologist who supports adults. She uses a combination of therapy modalities including:

- Internal family systems
- Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR)
- Emotion-focused therapy
- Compassion-focused therapy
- Supportive and person-centred psychotherapy
- Cognitive behavioural therapy
- Acceptance and commitment therapy
- Neuro-divergent affirmative practice
- Trauma informed practice.

She see adults with a range of concerns including but not limited to: depression, anxiety, stress, OCD, low self esteem, binge eating disorder and emotional eating, grief, parenting, perinatal depression and anxiety, relationship concerns, transition issues, autism spectrum, ADHD, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex PTSD, developmental and attachment trauma.

Melanie also has an interest in seeing couples who are seeking to create a more secure and safe relationship.

With an initial career in medicine (in particular, psychiatry), Melanie has a broad and deep understanding of mental health.

Hello, my name is Alpha Ponce. I am a counsellor and psychotherapist, supporting adults who are ready to reconnect with their inner wisdom and heal the impacts of complex and developmental trauma.

My work is rooted in a body-oriented and relational approach, integrating Compassionate Inquiry, Somatic Experiencing, Gestalt Therapy, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and Family Constellations. Together, we gently explore how your experiences live in your body, emotions, and patterns, creating space for awareness, regulation, and lasting transformation.

I offer a safe, respectful, and collaborative space where you are met as an equal. Your thoughts, feelings, and experiences are welcomed with curiosity and care. Through our work, you will deepen your understanding of your nervous system, develop emotional regulation skills, and reconnect with your innate capacity to heal, respond, and live with greater clarity and ease.

Bel Fin - Psychotherapist and Counsellor - Masters trained, Level 3, ACA
Adults, Young people, Couples, Friends.
All relationships – love, family, friendships, work etc
Parenting – Women (all birthing parents), Men (all non-birthing parents) & all caregivers.

Bel has a particular interest in helping people with relationships of all kinds, including intimate relationships, family relationships, friendships, workplace dynamics, parenting relationships and the relationship people have with themselves – including a changing identity.

Recovery from Early life difficulties is her hyperfocus. Namely, where complex family patterns, emotional neglect and trauma and where that intersects with burnout, high-functioning stress, identity shifts and parenting.

Bel welcomes people of all identities – culture, religion, age, sexuality, etc. without judgement. She sees people who are often capable, caring and high-functioning, but feel ‘not themselves’, stressed, stuck, overwhelmed or disconnected. Many people come to therapy during periods of change, including separation, pregnancy, early parenting, relationship difficulties, career transitions, burnout, grief, identity shifts or a loss of direction. Others seek support because the same patterns keep repeating, such as use of substances, emotional overwhelm, shutting down, people-pleasing, conflict, self-criticism, numbing out or difficulty expressing what they need.

Bel has a strong interest in perinatal therapy, including pregnancy, early parenting, birth transitions and the emotional adjustment to becoming a parent. She is fully inclusive and works with all caregivers navigating the changes that come with family life.

Her approach is relational, trauma-informed, practical and grounded in evidence-based psychotherapy. She draws on Attachment theory, Family systems, and uses body and emotion based trauma therapy, parts work, relational communication, Gottman Method training and current understandings of interpersonal neurobiology. You want just be talking – working only with thoughts and stories - but also with emotion, the body, the nervous system and relational patterns as they arise in real time.

Bel supports people to make sense of why they react the way they do, how past experiences have shaped current patterns, and what may need to shift for life and relationships to feel different. Her sessions are warm, direct and conversational, with a focus on insight, emotional regulation, communication, boundaries and embodied meaningful change.

Email Bel to enquire about an initial call:
[email protected] check out www.belfin.com.au to learn more.

Victoria is a Credentialed Mental Health Nurse with over two decades of clinical experience in trauma-informed care and complex mental health, providing therapy, counselling and case coordination. Her approach is grounded in compassion, clinical excellence, cultural responsiveness, and a deep respect for each client’s lived experience and strengths.

Throughout her career, Victoria has supported clients from diverse backgrounds providing compassionate, evidence-based care to individuals experiencing mental health concerns, trauma, and crisis.

Victoria’s professional journey spans work with serving ADF members, community and acute care, the National Redress Scheme, and NDIS. She delivers specialised therapeutic support for people living with complex PTSD and longstanding trauma. Her work includes psychosocial assessment, risk management, crisis intervention, safety planning, and ongoing therapeutic care for clients navigating distress or impacts of violence.

Her commitment to supporting victim-survivors of violence began early in her career while working closely with multicultural communities and collaborating with the InTouch Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence. This passion has continued to shape her practice for over a decade. Victoria provides trauma-informed clinical interventions grounded in cultural sensitivity, empowerment, and advocacy.

Victoria’s qualifications include a Master of Counselling, a Postgraduate Diploma in Mental Health Nursing, and credentialing through the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses. She has completed additional specialised training in trauma informed practices, training in recognising and responding to sexual violence and Identifying and training in responding to family violence risk including MARAM Framework.

Nicole Withers is a Clinical Psychologist based in Werribee, Victoria, with extensive experience supporting adults, adolescents, and couples to address a range of mental health concerns. She is committed to providing evidence-based psychological assessment and therapy in a safe, warm, collaborative, and compassionate environment. Nicole works with clients experiencing anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, relationship difficulties, and life transitions, tailoring treatment to each individual's unique needs and goals, with a particular interest in complex trauma. Her approach focuses on fostering resilience, self-understanding, and practical strategies that support lasting wellbeing and personal growth.