Meet The Team
Shaunagh Pugh
Clinical Psychology Registrar
Provider number: 6649891L
• Depression • Cognitive Assessments • Self-Esteem and Body Image • Anxiety and Panic • Grief and Loss, • Adjusting to Life Transitions • Young Adults (18-25) Shaunagh is interested in understanding her clients on a holistic level and recognises that each client brings their unique lifestory into the therapy room. As such, creating a client-centred and collaborative therapeutic relationship is an important part of Shaunagh’s therapeutic style. She has a particular interest in working with young adults and adults, as well as members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Holly Smallbone
Clinical Psychology Registrar
Provider number: 5934581T
• Telehealth • Depression • Social skills • Child and adolescent • Emotion regulation • Interpersonal and relationships difficulties • Adjustment difficulties Holly enjoys working with individuals of all ages and across a range of different backgrounds. Holly has a warm, empathic and non-judgmental therapeutic style and aims to build strong and trusting therapeutic relationships. She believes that a strong client-therapist relationship is key for therapeutic change.
Michelle Hansen (Elle)
Clinical Psychology Registrar
Provider Number: 6331131J
• Young people • Anxiety • Depression • Self-esteem • Stress Management • Work-life integration and balance Elle enjoys working with people across the lifespan and has a strong interest in supporting young people. She strives to create a warm, supportive, and person-focused environment to allow for exploration and support of the person’s concerns. Elle has a particular interest in working with people to help manage anxiety and mood difficulties and to build self-esteem.
Dr Alice Gornall
Clinical Psychologist
Provider number: 6142551H
• Grief and loss • Parenting • Depression • Anxiety • Sleep problems • Relationship difficulties • Low self-esteem • Adjustment difficulties Alice recently completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Monash University in Melbourne before relocating to Brisbane to complete her clinical registrar program with Benchmark Psychology. Alice draws upon a range of evidence-based therapeutic techniques including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy and Schema Therapy to develop a deep understanding of each individual client to help them achieve meaningful and lasting positive change.
Shalini Alé
Clinical Psychologist
Provider number: 4876722J
• Anxiety and Panic • Depression • Coping with Marital Separation • Managing Chronic Illness • Treatment for Adolescents • Clients who identify as LGBTQI • Drug and Alcohol Addiction • Sleep Problems • Clinical Supervision Shalini primarily works with adolescents and adults and has experience in treating a wide range of presenting problems. She has a client-focused approach and is passionate about achieving long term sustainable change.
Dr Alex Gardner
Clinical Psychologist
Provider number: 5636192J
• Anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders • Low mood • Depression • Management of suicidality • Self-esteem • Grief and loss • Parenting and parent-offspring difficulties • Interpersonal relation difficulties (e.g., coping with rejection, attachment difficulties) • Appearance concerns and disordered eating • Personal and occupational adjustment difficulties Alex works primarily with children, adolescents and adults experiencing emotional difficulties (e.g., mood, anxiety, low self-esteem, grief and loss, adjustment challenges) and interpersonal problems (e.g., parent-child conflict, difficulties with peers, dealing with rejection and romantic relationship difficulties). He is passionate about working with young people and helping all clients feel sufficiently motivated to engage in change within an atmosphere of warmth, understanding and compassion.
Andrea Richardson
Clinical Psychologist
Provider Number: 6319993H
• Perfectionism and self-criticism • School and work anxiety • Health anxiety • Obsessive compulsive disorder • Phobias and panic • Adolescent and young adult coping skills Andrea completed her Master’s of Clinical Psychology in Darwin. She later moved to Brisbane to continue her career and enjoy the milder weather. She has experience working with adults and adolescents with both mild and complex mental health issues. Her special interest areas include anxiety and anxiety-related disorders, emotional regulation, and self-criticism. Andrea’s approach is to be person-centred and recovery-oriented, always on the background of a solid evidence-base. For Andrea this means finding a balance that fits for the individual between being guided by her clients whilst providing clarity and thoughtful insight, always noticing and nurturing the strengths and resources they already have. Andrea commonly uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Compassion Focussed Therapy. Andrea is passionate about helping people reduce their suffering and work towards their values.
Sarah Scupham
Clinical Psychologist
Provider Number: 5571372L
• Self-esteem and confidence • Relationships and emotional intimacy • Couples therapy • Anxiety and panic • Trauma recovery • Young adults Successfully completing Honours in Psychology in 2014, Sarah relocated to rural Queensland to help children and families in the NGO sector. Since then, she completed a Masters of Clinical Psychology and gained experience in both private practice and in the public sector for Queensland Health.
Nicole Ho
Clinical Psychologist
Provider Number: 5278578W
• Cognitive Assessment • Functioning Assessment • ADHD • ASD (ADOS) • Academic Achievement Test • Cross-cultural Issues Nicole conducts a range of psychological assessment, including diagnostic assessment, cognitive assessment, functioning assessment, academic achievement testing, ADHD, and Autism (ADOS) assessment. She is able to provide assessment in Cantonese and Mandarin.
Jackie Yuen
Senior Clinical Psychologist
Provider Number:
• Children and adolescent • Mood disorders • Grief and loss • Neurodiversity (Autism, ADHD) • LGBTQIA+ • Trauma • Cognitive Assessments • Diagnostic Assessments (DSP, NDIS, ASD) Jackie has worked with individuals across the lifespan as a mental health professional and clinical psychologist in community mental health, disability, rehabilitation, and private practice. She has worked in both metropolitan and regional Queensland.
Dr Jennifer Wilson
Clinical Psychologist
Provider Number: 4717583B
• Couples therapy • Parenting • Depression • Anxiety • Adjustment to life changes • Children’s mental health • Child behaviour problems • Clinical Supervision Jenni’s PHD research focused on the development of children’s thinking and reasoning skills, and the role that temperament plays in children’s mental health. Jenni combines evidenced-based treatments with a compassionate approach, and aims to work with each person’s strengths to help people achieve lasting change.
Michelle Costa
Senior Clinical Psychologist
Provider Number: 4874902Y
• Cognitive Assessment Anxiety Disorders • Mood Disorders • Self-esteem and Confidence • Sleep Issues • Stress Management • General Wellbeing • Disordered Eating Michelle has experience working across a number of diverse settings, including public mental health, private practice, research and university settings, as well as developing mental health policy and guidance for mental health services in the UK.
Cherie Dalton
Senior Clinical Psychologist
Provider Number: 25659595A
• Coping with relationship break-up • Life transitions • Grief and loss • Anxiety • Mental wellness for working professionals • Work-life-study balance • Self-esteem and confidence • Health issues and adjustment to medical conditions • Clinical supervision Cherie is a warm and experienced Clinical Psychologist. She takes a passionate interest in working with adults who seek to improve wellbeing in the areas of work-life balance, adjustment to early career, coping with study and navigating life transitions. She is particularly interested in assisting people with anxiety, romantic break-ups, return to the workforce, care for aging parents, adjustment to early work and new graduate positions and moving through the process of grief and loss. With a deep understanding of a range of therapeutic approaches, she utilises Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT). Cherie works predominantly with short-medium term treatment toward agreed-upon goals to help you reach a sense of wellbeing. Cherie is a board-approved supervisor with the Psychology Board of Australia and is a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society College of Clinical Psychologists. She offers clinical supervision to psychologists, clinical psychology registrars and psychology university placement students.
Dr Vanessa Spiller
Clinical Psychologist
Provider Number: 4064178X
• Anxiety in adults and adolescents • Trauma • Adjustment and life transitions • Grief and Loss • Parenting Support (for neuro-atypical young people) • FASD including education and consultancy • Clients who identify as LGBTQIA+ • Supervision including group/team supervision Working as a clinical psychologist for over 20 years Vanessa is a feedback informed therapist (FIT) who believes that therapy should be designed and adjusted to fit the client’s individual needs and personal preferences. Vanessa is experienced in working with adults and adolescents using an integration of various evidence-based approaches including CBT, ACT, and Solution-focused therapy. Vanessa is particularly passionate about working with parents of neuro-atypical young people such as those with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and complex multiple diagnoses (ODD, ADHD, ASD) using brain-based strategies and approaches.
Mallika Varrier
General Psychologist
Provider number: 1564351A
• Adjustment and life transitions • Anxiety disorders • Depression • Adult ADHD • Fluent in Malayalam Mallika is a dedicated therapist with a passion for helping individuals from all walks of life. She is committed to creating a safe and empathetic space for exploration, where people can discuss their concerns and the factors that shape them. Mallika mainly works with adults, providing strong support to those navigating life's complexities. She has a special interest in assisting individuals facing challenges such as adjusting to major life events, grief and loss, dealing with Anxiety, Depression, borderline personality disorder and ADHD, in adults. Mallika brings a wealth of experience and a warm, genuine approach to her practice. Mallika is flexible in her therapeutic style, rooted in a person-centred perspective. She tailors her approach based on the nature and severity of the issues presented, seamlessly integrating Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, elements of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, and the empowering aspects of Narrative Therapy. Adding an extra layer of connection to her practice, Mallika is fluent in Malayalam, providing a supportive environment to those who may find comfort expressing themselves in their native language.
Veronica Bell
Clinical Neuropsychologist
Provider number: 5676363X
• Cognitive assessments • Neurodevelopmental Assessments • Functional capacity assessments • Comprehensive neuropsychological assessment • Depression and anxiety • Trauma and attachment Veronica has a special interest in cognitive assessment, with experience across a range of referrals including diagnostic, neurodevelopmental (e.g., intellectual, autism), academic/learning, psychological, decision-making capacity, functional behaviour, strengths and weaknesses, and comprehensive neuropsychological. She works across the lifespan and has a special interest in assessing decision making capacity. She uses her experience with delivering therapy to provide a comfortable space within the assessment setting, with the goal of ensuring clients have a comfortable and helpful experience. Therapeutically, Veronica has an interest in trauma-informed practice and attachment. She primarily works with adults and uses an eclectic approach, informed by Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Dialectic Behavioural Therapy (DBT). She strives to create an authentic and compassionate therapy space where clients can feel safe and welcomed. Veronica has a passion for passing on her knowledge about the brain. She offers supervision for psychologists (provisional, generally registered, and endorsed) around cognition and cognitive assessment. When she's not working, Veronica can be found spending time with her 2 cats or cross-stitching memes.
Meet The Administrative Team
Mikayla
Receptionist
Mikayla is currently completing her psychology studies, and hopes to one day become a clinical psychologist, working with children. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, going to the gym, watching movies and spending time with family and friends.
Chris
They/Him, Receptionist
Chris is currently completing his undergraduate studies in psychology, and he hopes to one day become a clinical psychologist working with survivors of complex trauma. In his spare time, Chris enjoys reading, watching movies, and playing with his cat, Stella.
Anneke
Senior Receptionist
Anneke is a second-year psychology student and is working towards completing her Honours and Masters. In her spare time she loves crocheting, cooking and spending time with her fiancé and their cat, Lacey.
Katie
Senior Receptionist
Katie is currently studying Psychological Sciences and is enjoying the learning experience. In her spare time, she enjoys playing the piano or reading a good book, with a fresh cup of coffee nearby.
Ruby
Receptionist
Ruby is a second year Speech Pathology student. She is a cinephile and has a fondness for classic black and white films.
Eugenie
Receptionist
Eugenie is currently studying her masters of Counselling and has a background in behaviour support and helping individuals with disability and mental health improve their quality of life. Eugenie enjoys a good cup of coffee while watching detective TV shows.