Our Psychologists

Shashi Naidu is a Senior Clinical Psychologist with more than 24 years of clinical experience. Shashi holds Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, Master’s in Clinical Psychology and Post Graduation in Clinical Psychology.

She is a registered Clinical Psychologist with APHRA, Member of the Australian Psychological Society and Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society Clinical College.

Shasi has worked in India and New Zealand, across different district health boards including child and adolescent mental health services and adult community health services.

On Coming to Australia, she worked as consultant clinical psychologist in Victoria in the Maternal Child Health Centre and was part of Beyond Blue initiative in perinatal mental health.

Currently Shashi works as senior clinical psychologist for Westmead Oral Restorative Sciences, and utilises her experience with genuine passion for helping those individuals facing mental health challenges due to chronic orofacial pain conditions.

 Shashi also offers workshops for the health profession.

Age Groups

• Adults
• Children
• Adolesces
• Families

Therapeutic Modalities

•  Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
•  Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
•  Schema therapy
•  Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
•  Psychodynamic psychotherapy
•  Attachment based therapeutic interventions.
•  Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
•  Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
•  Systematic desensitisation behaviour therapy
•  Play therapy
•  Art therapy

“My journey as a psychologist has been driven by a passion for supporting people navigating through their life challenges, providing them a safe space to share their stories, facilitating the process of change, healing and self-discovery, attaining greater satisfaction in life.”   Vidya Pachipala

Vidya is described as a warm and compassionate practitioner who believes in building a therapeutic relationship based on active listening and genuine empathy. Vidya has extensive experience working with adults presenting with anxiety, mood disorders and adjustment to life transitions (relationship endings, job loss/change), Grief and loss, stress related disorders (work related stress, stress related to university studies) and interpersonal relationship difficulties. She also enjoys working with children and teenagers presenting with anxiety, emotional regulation and behaviour challenges, school refusal, self-harm behaviours and adjustment issues during parental separation. Vidya further provides parenting support. Vidya has a special interest in neurodiversity, providing therapy to children and teenagers with ADHD, and ASD.

Vidya is known for fostering a calm and safe space that promotes healing, self-discovery and resilience. Vidya likes to educate her clients to achieve better understanding of themselves and offers a range of tools assisting them to gain confidence and skills to deal with their challenges. Vidya believes in a collaborative approach to understand her client’s needs and provides therapy using a variety of evidence based therapeutic approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), interpersonal psychotherapy, Solution Focused Therapy (SFT) and parenting and attachment theory, that best suits their needs.

Vidya has over 12 years’ work experience in the field of psychology across various settings including private practices, community health setting, Child Safety, and not for profit organisations, training and education roles. Vidya enjoys working with clients across the life span.

Age Groups

• Children 
• Teenagers 
• Adults 
• Older Adults

Therapeutic Approaches and Modalities

• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) 
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) 
• Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)
• Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) 
• Behaviour Therapy (BT) 
• Cognitive Therapy (CT) 
• Parenting Support

Collette is a compassionate and empathetic psychologist who takes a strength-based approach to therapy. She values a holistic and systematic view of mental health, recognising the interconnectedness of physical health, nutrition, and the influence of family and social dynamics on overall wellbeing. Her main areas of interest include adjustment disorders, anxiety disorders, mental health, and trauma related concerns including PTSD.

Collette is committed to working collaboratively with her clients, placing emphasis on supporting those who are new to therapy or hesitant to seek psychological support.Collette is dedicated to creating a safe, supportive, and trusting therapeutic space where clients feel comfortable and respected. She is passionate about understanding how mental health challenges and other presenting issues affect her clients’ daily lives and overall wellbeing.

Her approach combines thoughtful treatment planning with personalised, evidence-based interventions tailored to each client’s unique needs. Drawing on a range of modalities including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Schema Therapy, and Trauma-Focused Therapies, Collette helps clients regulate emotions, build resilience, and enhance their quality of life.

She is deeply committed to fostering compassion and offering the support clients need to work through life’s challenges and create meaningful, lasting change. Collette has 20 years of experience working as a registered psychologist, including nearly 15 years of experience working in forensic mental health. Her work has primarily been with adult men aged 18 and over. Since moving into private practice, Collette has broadened her focus to include both males and females in their late teens, as well as adult women. Collette holds a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours).

Age Groups:

• Older adolescents
• Adults

Treatment Modalities

• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
• Schema Therapy
• Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)
• Behaviour Therapy (BT)
• Cognitive Therapy (CT)
• Psychodynamic Therapy
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
• Mindfulness

Empowering people to understand and reshape their own narratives and guiding them through complexities of life has been the driving force behind Disha’s work.

Disha holds a particular interest in working with clients with depression, anxiety, eating disorders and trauma including PTSD and her therapeutic practice is distinguished by her cultural sensitivity and commitment to personalised care. Her approach integrates a wealth of knowledge across different client demographics and therapeutic issues, ensuring that each client receives tailored and effective support.

Raised in India and having lived in Kenya and now Australia, Disha is well-versed in working with culturally and linguistically diverse clients. She offers therapy in English, Hindi, Gujarati, and several other Indian languages, allowing her to connect with clients from various backgrounds more effectively.

She excels at forming robust therapeutic alliances, skilfully navigating the complexities of working with clients from diverse backgrounds and across different stages of life. Her approach combines expertise with empathy, making her a trusted and effective practitioner.

Disha has eight years’ experience in the field and enjoys working with children, adolescents, families and adults.

Disha holds a Bachelor of Arts and Masters in Arts (Psychology) and General Registration as a Psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

Age Groups

• Children (5+)
• Teenagers
• Adults
• Older Adults

Therapeutic Modalities and Approaches

• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) 
• Cognitive Therapy (CT) 
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) 

Languages Spoken

• English
• Hindi
• Gujarati
• Marathi

Denise believes that personal growth often comes from struggle and conflict, and that people can turn challenging times into valuable learnings, giving their experiences deeper meaning and appreciation. Her approach is grounded in aligning therapeutic interventions with each person’s goals, supporting meaningful change in how they relate to themselves and others.

Denise seeks to create a safe therapeutic environment where clients can openly explore their thoughts and emotions. Her approach fosters a trusting relationship and supports clients in gaining personal insight and facilitating their growth. Denise uses evidence-based frameworks to tailor her therapeutic approach to the individual needs of clients, including, Psychodynamic Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and trauma-informed interventions.  

Denise has experience promoting mental health and wellbeing in community, organisational and educational settings, including working as a psychologist overseas and in Australia. She is interested in working with clients from diverse life paths across the lifespan.

Denise completed a Bachelor of Psychology and postgraduate studies in Clinical Psychology overseas and is registered as a Generalist Psychologist in Australia.

Veronica Randjelovic has worked in clinical mental health settings in rural, regional and urban areas. She is passionate about the connection between mental health, physical health, and well-being. During Veronica’s training, she developed a special interest in helping individuals understand how attachment theory can impact adult mental health, behaviours and relationships.

Veronica has also gained knowledge and experience in the corporate and private sector. She has assisted many people overcome workplace stressors, including conflict and trauma, and has helped build resilience. Veronica provides individual coaching to help people harness their strengths, achieve their goals and reach their potential. 

Veronica’s clinical practice is eclectic in nature and based on the most effective and suitable approach to help a person achieve a sense of well-being and fulfillment. She achieves this by gaining an in-depth understanding of a person’s presenting issues, their unique needs and desired goals.

Veronica’s compassion creates a calm, therapeutic space that allows a person to feel accepted and safe.

Shelley holds a Masters of Psychology (Counselling Psychology) which involved six years of training at university. Since being registered as a psychologist, Shelley has worked with clients of all ages and from a variety of different backgrounds in various different services and settings.

One of the most integral aspects for healing and change to occur is the relationship between the client and the therapist. Shelley’s approach to therapy is person-centred and respectful, her therapy style is often very active, whether it be somatic mindfulness, schema work or EMDR. Through working in a non-judgmental way, where clients feel accepted and heard, this allows clients to fully engage in the therapeutic process.

Shelley works with adolescents from age 16, young adults and individual adults. She has a special interest in working with clients who are experiencing relationship difficulties, have experienced trauma, women's issues and young adults transitioning to new life experiences. Shelley enjoys working with a wide variety of issues including (but not limited to) anxiety, depression, stress, relationship difficulties, work stress, migration and assimilation issues, grief and loss, body image issues, self-esteem and trauma (including PTSD and complex trauma).

Shelley draws techniques from evidence-based modalities and tailors therapy to meet the individual needs of her clients. Because each person's experiences and challenges are different, she uses a flexible, integrative, eclectic approach and draws on several psychological approaches.

In addition, Shelley is a Registered Board Approved Supervisor.

Age Groups

• Adolescents (16+)
• Young Adults
• Adults
• Older Persons

Therapeutic Modalities

• Interpersonal Therapy
• EMDR (Advanced training completed)
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Brief Solution Focused Therapy
• Schema Therapy
• Attachment theory
• EFT Tapping (Level 1 and 2)
• Somatic Mindfulness
• Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (Level 1)
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
• Emotion Focused Therapy
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

Stefan is an experienced senior Clinical Psychologist offering compassionate, collaborative and evidence-based assessment and psychotherapy for individuals and groups. He works from a humanistic and client centred base and tries to make each session as meaningful as possible for each person.

Stefan’s broad experience allows him to choose from a number of evidence-based approaches to suit each individual person’s situation. He has a special interest in anxiety, mood, personality, trauma, stress and substance related difficulties as well as issues with anger, adjustment and relationships. 

Stefan’s extensive experience in various public and private settings in Germany and New Zealand enables him to support people from diverse backgrounds. He has broad experiences in working with people with acute and complex presentations as well as less severe difficulties. Stefan has been supporting people in community mental health teams and acute inpatient wards as well as correctional, dual diagnosis (mental health and addiction) and private settings over the years.  

Stefan is passionate about tailoring evidence-based approaches to each individual situation and collaboratively supporting people to reach their goals.

Stefan is also a board-approved supervisor and is currently accepting requests to provide supervision to psychologists and other professions. 

Age groups:

• Adults
• Young adults
• Adolescents

Therapeutic Modalities:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
• Schema Therapy
• Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Motivational Interviewing (MI)
• Client centred and mindfulness-based interventions

Ashley is a Clinical Psychology Registrar who completed her Clinical Psychology Masters at Central Queensland University  Rockhampton, with thesis research exploring bariatric surgery patient’s wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She previously completed a Master of Professional Psychology degree at UNE and bachelor’s degree in psychology at JCU, which included a thesis component focused on the benefits of psychological interventions for bariatric patients. She also has an Honours degree in Anthropology, to enable a greater understanding of cultural practices and diversity.

She prefers a person-centred approach, is interested in the story and narrative of each individual and uses evidence-based strategies. She has worked in various positions in public and not-for-profit health settings, working with people of all ages and backgrounds with various presentations including depression, anxiety, stress, gender identity, trauma and adjustment. She has worked in many areas of health such as older persons, paediatrics, rehabilitation, orthopaedics and renal services.

Ashley is experienced in psychometric testing and screening for children and adults. Her special interests include education, cultural psychology and bariatric psychology. She has presented her research on the benefits of psychological counselling for bariatric surgery patients at many national and international conferences and is particularly passionate about this area.

Ashely is trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

Therapeutic modalities:
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Age groups:
• Children
• Adolescents
• Young adults
• Adults
• Older P\persons

Jackie is a Registered Psychologist with experience in psychological assessment and measurement, counselling, and provision of evidence based psychological treatments. Jackie has experience working with people from across the lifespan and diverse groups, over a broad range of psychological illnesses. Jackie has an interest in psychometric testing and working with those who experience difficulty as a result of symptoms associated with illnesses including depression, anxiety, stress, trauma, addiction and chronic pain.

Principles most important to Jackie are empowering people by providing individually tailored tools and guidance to support prosperity and wellbeing with compassion, open and honest communication, integrity and respect.

Jackie adopts a holistic, recovery focused approach when collaborating with clients to develop treatment planning and interventions, ongoing monitoring of treatment goals and relapse prevention. Jackie applies evidence-based strategies including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Mindfulness and Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT).

Following a successful career in the mining sector working in Fly-in-Fly Out (FIFO) roster arrangements for 15 years in Occupational Health & Safety, Jackie transitioned towards a fulfilling career as a Psychologist, enabling her to help support those in need within the FNQ community. Jackie has experience working for not for profit and private organisations providing psychological assessments, counselling, interventions, safety planning and relapse prevention to assist those experiencing depression, anxiety trauma, career burnout., workplace issues, chronic pain and addiction in both individual and group settings.

Age Groups:

• Adolescents
• Adults
• Older Adults

Treatment Modalities

• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
• Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)
• Behaviour Therapy (BT)
• Cognitive Therapy (CT)
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
• Motivational Interviewing (MI)
• Mindfulness