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Hi, I’m Nicki.

I’m a Clinical Psychologist
located in O’Connor, ACT.

Professional, Integrated Psychological Treatment for the Resolution of Trauma

About Nicki

Nicki is a clinical psychologist with over 20 years experience working with individual adults, and couples. She is extremely passionate about providing empathic and supportive therapy.

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What is EMDR therapy?

Seeing a clinical psychologist should be a positive, nurturing experience but it’s natural to still have questions on what goes on during a session.

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Available online

COVID-19 has been challenging for all of us but it has meant therapy no longer has to be location-specific. Nicki is now fully set up to provide online sessions.

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About Nicki

Nicki is an empathetic and passionate therapist with over 20 years of experience working with individual adults and couples. As a registered Clinical Psychologist she is highly adept in providing comprehensive supportive therapy to assist in the resolution of trauma. Her warm and non-judgemental approach to working with her patients has a proven record to facilitate change in overcoming long-standing issues.

Nicki’s qualifications include a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and full membership to the following:

  • Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA); Registration number: PSY0001234252
  • Australian Psychology Society (APS)
  • EMDR Association of Australia (EMDRAA)
  • International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD)

Nicki specialises in trauma and provides psychotherapy for a full range of issues including:

  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Complex PTSD
  • Anxiety & Phobias
  • Depression
  • Adult survivors of sexual abuse, physical and/or emotional abuse
  • Sexual difficulties
  • Dissociative Disorders
  • Addictions
  • Post Natal Depression

Nicki and her son
Illustration comparing a brain showing overactivity with the same brain after EMDR treatment.

What is EMDR?

EMDR is recognised as a highly effective treatment methodology designed for PTSD and or Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) with outstanding results. EMDR enables people to heal from the symptoms of emotional distress in a manner that is significantly more rapid than traditional talk therapy techniques.  

EMDR has been used successfully as a treatment in the management of any number of disorders, including but not limited to:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Grief
  • Eating disorders
  • Sexual difficulties

For more information (including research) about EMDR, you may want to visit: EMDRAA, the EMDR Association of Australia.

www.emdraa.org.au

Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS)

Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS), otherwise known as Parts work, recognises that our minds are made up of different parts. Within every person there are multiple parts and sometimes they are in conflict with one another such as angry parts that want to lash out and approval seeking parts that keep us quiet. Most people have heard themselves say, one part of me would love to lose weight and another part needs to binge. 

During a person’s early life, Inner parts are forced from their valuable states into extreme roles, often with a protective focus. Parts work helps a person develop insightful into their patterns of behaviour and allows them to work directly with the origins of their problems. It is also highly stabilising, even for dissociative patients. 

As well as improving general functioning, parts work has been shown to be effective in stabilising patients to prepare them for EMDR therapy. Some patients will have emotional parts that do not want them to reprocess trauma (e.g., blocking parts or distractor parts). Parts work will relax the parts to allow for more efficient reprocessing of trauma. 

Parts work is an evidence based approach that has been shown to be effective to treat a full range of disorders including:

  • Binge eating
  • Procrastination 
  • Poor Self esteem 
  • Addictions 
  • Depression
  • Phobias
  • Physical health conditions

For more information see: https://ifs-institute.com/about-us

Breathwork

Coupled with IFS, Nicki teaches breath work as it can dissolve stress, anxiety and depression, improves intuition and brings one’s self into the present moment.  

Breathwork is a term that has traditionally been used in alternative medicine wellness circles to refer to various breathing practices in where deliberate control of one’s breathing can influence a person’s mental physical or emotional state. Although it has existed for many. years, it has only more recently been something to consider by the wider community as a form of treatment. 

Nicki has always been a firm advocate both as a practitioner and in her work with patients as it complements and can significantly improve the deeper connection and effectiveness of formal psychotherapy practices.

She has demonstrated breathwork can help a person come into their Core Self, where emotional parts more easily separate and therapy can progress with ease and efficiency. 

Complex Trauma (C-PTSD)

Complex PTSD occurs as a result of long-term exposure to unrelenting stressors, repeated traumatic events, or attachment wounds that occur during childhood. A person might have experienced chronic neglect, abuse, or exposure to domestic violence.

Chronic trauma can also come from ongoing experiences of being bullied without protection, having an undiagnosed disability or condition (ADHD), or being discriminated against without an advocate.

In all forms of C-PTSD, the injury is repetitive, prolonged, and cumulative. Often the trauma occurs during vulnerable times of development such as in early childhood or during adolescence. These early experiences tend to shape the clients’ identity.

Fees & Rebates

$270.00 per session (50 min)

$310.00 for the initial appointment (50 min)

$400.00 in-depth trauma sessions (80 min)

$310.00 for couples sessions (50 min)

Nicki is a registered Medicare provider. If you obtain a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP, you will receive a Medicare rebate of $129.55 for each session. Under a Mental Health Care Plan will you will receive up to ten sessions each calendar year.

During the COVID-19 period, Nicki is seeing patients via online platforms and credit cards are taken prior to appointments and charged remotely.

Please note Nicki does not receive referrals from insurance companies (workers compensation) or NDIS. 

Contact Nicki

Nicki specialises in real time sessions online or via phone call, you can reach her on 0404 447 432 or send her a message using the enquiry form below. She’ll endeavour to get back to you soon.

Where required, Nicki can be available for face to face sessions from her O’Connor office in the ACT or can negotiate travel where necessary.