About

Private practice origins

I established my private practice in Kamberri/Canberra in 2008, developing my experience in trauma-informed care through contracts with the Australian Defence Force (ADF), Australian Federal Police, and victims of crime support services in NSW and the ACT.

Move to Melbourne

In early 2022, I moved to Naarm/Melbourne and took on an additional role with the University of Melbourne Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS) until early 2025.

At CAPS, I supervised intern and registrar psychologists, delivered training and consultancy, and provided culturally responsive counselling, trauma psychotherapy, and group programs for domestic and international students. I also held a dedicated position within the LGBTIQA+ counselling team and provided mental health care for staff and students at the Victorian College of the Arts and Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.

From 2022 to 2023, I also had the privilege of supporting Melbourne’s broader LGBTIQA+ community in a year-long volunteer peer counsellor position at Thorne Harbour Health.

In 2025, I returned to full-time private practice, expanding my professional development services and opening a studio in Collingwood Yards with a focus on embodied mental health care for local artists, creative workers, and LGBTIQA+ communities. I also see people beyond these communities, often those seeking specialised care for trauma, and maintain an ongoing contract with Bupa ADF Health Services.

Training & lineage

My doctoral training established a strong foundation in evidence-based practice, which I’ve built on with continuing professional development in somatic and neuroscience-informed approaches across my career.

I became a certified practitioner of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy® (SP) in 2006, following six years of comprehensive training in Melbourne and Sydney. Developed by Dr Pat Ogden, SP emphasises a gentle enquiry into mental health and healing through the body-mind relationship.

During this period, I also attended regular supervision with Dr Andy Harkin, who mentored me in an SP trainer-in-training role, and completed formative workshops with Dr Janina Fisher in Melbourne and London on the application of SP for complex trauma and dissociation.

Parallel training and supervision in other psychodynamic and mindfulness-based modalities further deepened my somatic psychotherapy practice during these years.

Following my SP certification, I continued supervision with Andy, who introduced me to Dr Frank Corrigan's work in Deep Brain Reorienting® (DBR) in 2020. DBR is a neuroscience-informed psychotherapy that supports the healing of shock at the core of traumatic experiences.

In 2025, I was appointed as an Approved DBR Consultant under Frank's ongoing supervision, and regularly assist in online and in-person trainings.

My practice of somatic psychotherapy is further informed by ongoing studies in Body-Mind Centering® (BMC℠) Somatic Movement and Infant Developmental Movement Educator programs that I began in 2019.

Developed by Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, BMC is an experiential approach to movement, the body, and consciousness — grounded in the study and application of anatomical, physiological, psychophysical, and developmental principles.

I have also been fortunate to attend BMC classes and workshops with Bonnie, as well as Olive Bieringa and Alice Cummins.

Personal therapy with psychodynamic and somatic movement therapist Sandra Kay Lauffenburger planted the seed of my somatic movement studies, and continues to inspire the relational nature of my clinical practice.

Broader influences

An additional focus of my professional development in recent years has been culturally responsive mental health care, alongside small group teaching and relationally-oriented supervision.

Foundational workshops on the principles of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, and contemplative practices cultivated through yoga, meditation, qigong, ecosomatics, and dance, have also shaped my treatment philosophy and enriched my professional journey.

Personal interests & identity

Beyond work, I have a deep respect for the arts, am a member of a Budo academy, and enjoy swimming, cycling, studying Vietnamese, and spending time with my partner and collaborator, dance artist Chung Nguyễn (he/they).

I identify as Queer and am a fifth-generation settler Australian of European descent, with an enduring connection to the lands and waterways of the Gamaragal, Ngunnawal, Ngambri, Yuin, and Ngarigo peoples (Sydney, Canberra region, NSW South Coast, and NSW Snowy Mountains). My pronouns are he/him.

Qualifications

Doctor of Psychology (Clinical) — Australian National University, 2005–2011

Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology — University of Wollongong, 2003

Bachelor of Science — Australian National University, 1999–2002

I’m also a Psychology Board approved supervisor and Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society College of Clinical Psychologists.