Who We Are

My approach

People often come to therapy when they feel stuck, overwhelmed, or repeating patterns they do not fully understand. Therapy can provide an opportunity to make sense of these experiences and move toward greater freedom and authenticity. I believe therapy works best when there is a sense of safety, curiosity, and collaboration. My aim is to create a space where people can explore their experiences at their own pace and develop a deeper understanding of themselves.

I offer psychotherapy from a relational, psychodynamic perspective. This means I am interested in how past and present relationships, emotional experiences, and unconscious patterns shape the ways we think, feel, and relate to ourselves and others. Difficulties such as feeling stuck, repeating painful patterns, or struggling with identity and meaning often have understandable roots, and therapy can help bring these into clearer awareness.

I see therapy as a collaborative process. We work together to understand your experiences with curiosity rather than judgement. I aim to provide a respectful and containing therapeutic relationship in which new ways of understanding, and sometimes new ways of being, can emerge.

My background

I am a psychiatrist and Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (FRANZCP) with a specialist focus on psychotherapy. My work centres on helping people understand themselves more deeply, work through longstanding emotional difficulties, and create meaningful and lasting psychological change.

I studied medicine at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, graduating in 2005, and moved to New Zealand in 2007. I completed my psychiatry specialist training in Wellington in 2014. Since then, I have worked in Australia and New Zealand across public mental health services, non-government organisations, and private practice.

Since 2019, I have undertaken advanced training in psychotherapy. I trained in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy through the EMDR Association of New Zealand (EMDRNZ) with an EMDR Institute Trainer. In early 2025, I completed a Diploma in Adult Psychotherapy through the Australia and New Zealand Association of Psychotherapy (ANZAP). I am a Graduate Member of ANZAP and an accredited member of the RANZCP Faculty of Psychotherapy.

My practice

I work with adults aged 18 and over who are experiencing a range of psychological difficulties. This includes concerns such as recurrent relationship patterns, identity exploration, and existential questions, as well as mental health conditions including PTSD and Complex PTSD, dissociative disorders, personality disorders, chronic depression, eating disorders, and somatic symptoms.

My practice is focused specifically on psychotherapy: I am a psychiatrist specialising in psychotherapy rather than a general psychiatrist. While psychiatric formulation and diagnosis may form part of therapeutic work, I do not provide standalone diagnostic assessments (such as ADHD or autism assessments), hospital-based care, or medication prescribing. This allows me to concentrate fully on depth-oriented psychological treatment.

My training as a psychiatrist and psychotherapist allows me to integrate psychological, developmental, and medical perspectives. I place a high value on careful formulation, ongoing professional development, and practising in a thoughtful and well-informed way.

My approach

As a relational psychotherapist I work with adults who are navigating the many complexities of life, relationships, and self-understanding. My approach to therapy is grounded in connection and dialogue: we explore your experiences together, in a space that is safe, curious, and attuned to your unique needs.

Whether you are seeking open-ended psychodynamic therapy or a time-limited, goal-focused approach, our work together is collaborative. You can expect a therapy experience where your thoughts, feelings, and patterns are carefully heard and reflected upon, helping you to understand yourself more deeply and develop new ways of relating to yourself, to others, and to life’s challenges.

I draw on a relational framework, informed by the Conversational Model of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, and integrate specialised approaches such as EMDR where appropriate. This allows me to support clients dealing with a wide range of experiences.

In our sessions, my aim is to create a space that feels both grounded and exploratory, where insight, understanding, and change can unfold naturally. Therapy with me is about more than addressing symptoms, it’s about exploring who you are, what matters to you, and how you can live more fully.

My background

I am a private psychiatrist specialising in psychotherapy, with a practice focussed on psychotherapy, professional supervision and EMDR case consultation.

Originally from Scotland, I trained as a psychiatrist in Wellington, New Zealand. Before moving into private practice, I worked across public mental health services and non-government organisations throughout New Zealand and Australia. From 2019 until 2025 I ran a private psychotherapy practice in New Zealand, before relocating to Adelaide. 

In therapy, I work with clients on a weekly or twice-weekly basis, whether this is for open-ended psychodynamic psychotherapy or for a time-limited, goal-focussed, approach. 

I am a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (FRANZCP) and an Accredited Member of the RANZCP Faculty of Psychotherapy.

I trained in the Conversational Model of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, completing a Diploma in Adult Psychotherapy through the Australia and New Zealand Association of Psychotherapy (ANZAP), and I am now a Clinical Member of ANZAP. I am also working towards becoming an ANZAP Accredited Supervisor, having completed the ANZAP supervisor training. 

I am an Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) Accredited Consultant with the EMDR Association of Australia (EMDRAA) and am currently working towards accreditation as an EMDR Institute Facilitator. I can provide case consultation to clinicians working towards Accredited Practitioner and Accredited Consultant status with EMDRAA. 

My other professional affiliations include membership of The International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy (IARPP) and The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD).

My practice

I work with adults aged 18 and over who are experiencing a range of psychological challenges; from existential concerns, recurrent relationship difficulties and identity exploration, to mental health conditions such as PTSD, Complex PTSD, Dissociative Disorders, Personality Disorders, Chronic Depression, Eating Disorders, and Somatisation. 

I do not provide general psychiatry assessments or treatment, such as focussed diagnostic work or medication prescribing and management. I also do not admit patients to private psychiatric hospitals.