ABOUT ILSE
MPsych (Clin), BBehSc (Psych Hons), EMDRAA
MY TRAINING & BACKGROUND
I am an endorsed Clinical Psychologist registered with the Psychology Board of Australia, a full member of the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc (AAPi). I have training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and other body-oriented approaches. I favour a relational way of working with clients to help them identify their patterns of interacting with others that contribute to their presenting issues.
I work with adolescents and adults and have experience in the treating anxiety, depression, anger, addictions, functional disorders and trauma. I have experience working in both community and public mental health settings, and currently works in private practice and the NGO space. I am a Board Approved Supervisor and provides supervision to provisional psychologist and registered psychologists.
INTEREST AREAS
EMDR
A key area of interest for me is using EMDR to help people overcome a range of emotional difficulties. EMDR is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. Using this approach I work with people to treat anxiety, depression, anger, addictions and trauma.
I have undergone additional training in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including single incident trauma as well as more complex trauma related issues.
While EMDR is one of my key approaches in treatment I will at times use other therapies modalities that I believe will be helpful to my clients.
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Functional Disorders (FD) / Functional Neurological Disorders (FND)
I have an interest in treating people diagnosed with FD. While the exact cause of FD is currently unknown we do know that there are several biological, psychological and social factors unique to each person that contribute to the onset of FD and its continuation.
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These factors seem to make the brain sensitive, trigger symptoms and prevent the person from getting better. Stress, trauma and pain can be common triggers. Sometimes a previous mental health disorder, such as anxiety and depression, can also make a person vulnerable to FD. However, the experience differs for each person, and not everyone diagnosed with FD has a mental health disorder or traumatic life experience.
While the symptoms of FD are not the result of a known disease we do know is that FD is the result of a problem with the “function” of the body’s nervous system. We also know that it is a very real disorder and is often immensely impactful on a person (and their family's) life. Treatment is often more effective when the sufferer has a good medical team around them (i.e. GP, physiotherapist, specialist medical doctor, psychologist).
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For more information on FND see:
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WHAT TO EXPECT
In your initial session I will get to know you and what it is you would like to work on in therapy. We may discuss your background, your current situation, any challenges or difficulties you are experiencing and how you generally cope. This will enable us to get a shared understanding of your needs and goals.
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The number of sessions you attend will depend on your requirements, situation, circumstances and commitment to sessions.
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The stance I take is to encourage you to bring yourself to therapy, no matter who you may be, what thoughts you have about yourself or other people. I believe in working together to understand how you have come to be the person you are today and value being non-judgemental and curious.