Psychotherapist
Biography In 2008, I arrived in Australia to study a Bachelor of Nursing through Queensland University of Technology. From there I specialized in Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) for my nursing career. Since then, I have worked for the Queensland Health Community AOD services, hospital AOD services, and the QLD Regulatory Department. On top of this extensive experience, I now hold two Masters, one as a Nurse Practitioner and one in Mental Health (specializing in Psychotherapy). A Nurse Practitioner is a registered nurse educated and authorized to function autonomously and collaboratively in an advanced and extended clinical role. The Nurse Practitioner role includes the assessment and management of patients using nursing knowledge and skills and may include but is not limited to initiation of diagnostic investigations, prescribing of medications and direct referral of patients to other health care professionals. I am honored to be the first private Nurse Practitioner endorsed to prescribe medications (methadone & buprenorphine) in QLD and ACT under the opioid replacement program. I am a member of the Australian College of Nurse Practitioner. As a Psychotherapist, I offer individualized counselling for clients struggling with Substance Use Disorders and mental health issues. Psychotherapy is a journey to explore the conscious and unconscious factors that shape a person’s life experience, behaviors and values. A person’s functionality and stability are reflected in many aspects including mental, physical, emotional, behavioral, relational, and spiritual health. I enjoy working with clients to establish stability in their life, and then explore their potential in counselling. I am a Level Two member of the Australian Counselling Association. My model of care is to combine pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. Research shows pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy complement each other in the treatment for substance misuse and mental health issues. The outcomes of these combined therapies have proven to be more sustainable than therapy alone. I use an individual-need based approach to work out which therapy to apply to emphasis different presenting issues.
