Dr. Rachel Bushing
POP Psychology Director and Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Rach is a Clinical Psychologist and she works with children, teenagers, families, couples, and adults in the assessment and treatment of mental health problems. She is passionate about bringing out the good in people and she likes to bring fun and creativity into the therapy setting.
Rach's special interest areas are in postnatal mental health, parent-child relationships, the demands of adolescence, unpicking the impacts of trauma, and infant and toddler emotional development.
My Background
I am a mum to 3 early-waking children under 8, and being mum to them has been my greatest education! I have been a psychologist for 17 years and in that time I have worked in mental health and counselling services in Australia and the United Kingdom, across government, NGO and private practice settings.
My foundational psychology training (Bachelors, Honours, Masters) was with the University of Queensland. Since then I have been continuing to learn and grow, picking up several therapy approaches and a bunch of techniques along the way. My job is to make all that "book knowledge" fit with what you're experiencing. Most importantly, I want to find a way to make therapy individualised so that it works for you.
My Clinical Approach
Psychologists are trained to help people who are experiencing mental health problems, or to help intervene early to prevent the escalation of emotional, behavioural, and social problems. A Clinical Psychologist has additional training in the field of clinical mental health practice. We can take whatever you throw at us! All psychologists are registered with the Australian Health Practitioner's Registration Authority (AHPRA) and are bound by an ethical code governing our practice.
I use the following evidence-based therapies:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Strengths- and Solution-Focused Therapy
- Narrative Therapy
- Schema Therapy
- Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)
MARLIES RODRIGUEZ
Psychologist
Marlies has worked with children and families for over 20 years. In her recent work as a school psychologist, Marlies has formed effective and meaningful connections with students due to her warm, playful, and engaging approach.
My Background
My Clinical Approach
Ben Bushing
Psychologist
Ben works on Saturday mornings and is a great fit for busy people who work full time. He particularly likes seeing adult clients with depression and anxiety issues, and those who are struggling with the impacts of trauma. As a Dad, Ben also works well with male clients who are expecting a child or struggling with the transition to parenthood.
Ben has spent most of his career working with adults with severe and complex mental health problems, and is very experienced in liaising with psychiatry professionals and offering compassionate care for those with multiple or complex concerns.
My Background
I have been a psychologist for over 15 years, having worked mostly with adult clients in multidisciplinary settings and clinical teams in the public health system. I have a lot of experience in understanding the case management needs that can present when you have a few different things going on which complicate your mental health issues. This could be things like substance use, relationship concerns, trauma, or stage of life issues.
Some clients prefer to see a male counsellor, especially with issues related to fatherhood, masculinity, mate-hood, and sometimes it takes another man who gets the need to express ourselves in ways that feel natural for us.
My Clinical Approach
I would consider Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to be the main framework from which I work, and this is usually the starting point for clients experiencing emotional problems such as anxiety, depression, or anger. This method helps clients to understand the mechanisms that underpin the emotional triggers, and helps to explore strategies that can disrupt these patterns.
I also like to draw upon narrative and creative lenses, personalising our conversations into ones which help transform and re-contextualise what you are going through, in order to make constructive changes. I have a personal interest in writing, fiction, and film, and I enjoy drawing upon this in order to make therapy conversations more interesting and more likely to fit for you and hour interests.
Freya Comerford
Psychologist
Freya is a psychologist who has a special interest in working with families, particularly those encountering mental health and emotional challenges in the early years of pregnancy and parenting.
My Background
My Clinical Approach
Tarsh Wrensted
Arts Therapist / Counsellor
Tarsh is an allied health professional with a post graduate qualification in Arts Therapy. Tarsh works with adults, teens, and children, aiming to create a relaxing therapeutic environment. Therapy sessions with Tarsh can focus on decreasing anxiety, improving mood, stress management, motivation and goal setting, increasing self esteem, or healing from trauma.
Tarsh's special interest area is general anxiety and stress management, gender and sexually diverse young people, and children's emotional regulation.
Tarsh's skills include art, drama, and play based therapy, along with general counselling.
My Background
