Self Psychology

Self Psychology Self Psychology is a Townsville based psychology service providing therapy, assessment, clinical sup

10/05/2026

Happy Mothers Day

A little personal and professional milestone I’m really excited to share. Two of my abstracts have been accepted for bri...
22/04/2026

A little personal and professional milestone I’m really excited to share.
 
Two of my abstracts have been accepted for brief oral presentation at the World Association of Infant Mental Health (WAIMH) 2026 World Congress in Toronto, Canada.
 
As someone whose work sits in the space of perinatal psychology, attachment, and psychological birth trauma, this feels incredibly meaningful. So much of this research has come from sitting with women’s stories, hearing what birth has meant for them, and recognising that even when things look “fine” on paper, that is not always how they are experienced emotionally.
 
The two presentations are based on my PhD work. One focuses on conceptualising psychological birth trauma as an early prevention target for infant mental health, and the other explores the emerging evidence around psychological birth trauma and adult attachment styles.
 
Research can sometimes feel very quiet and behind-the-scenes, so moments like this feel especially special. They are a reminder that the work matters, that these conversations matter, and that women’s experiences deserve to be understood with more care, nuance, and compassion.
 
I feel very grateful to have the opportunity to share this work in an international space, and very aware of the many people who have supported, encouraged, and believed in it along the way.
 
Toronto, here we come 🇨🇦
of.whiam

 
PhDJourney

// I N T R O D U C I N G   a new addition to my kids therapy room. Play therapy-informed CBT is where meets . Instead...
12/04/2026

// I N T R O D U C I N G   a new addition to my kids therapy room.
 
Play therapy-informed CBT is where meets .
 
Instead of expecting children to sit down and talk like little adults, this approach uses the language children know best: play, imagination, creativity, and connection.
 
It blends the practical tools of with fun, child-friendly activities like games, drawing, storytelling, role play, toys, and creative exercises. So rather than simply talking about worries, a child might draw their anxiety as a silly monster, use puppets to act out tricky moments, or practise brave thoughts through play.
 
The goal is still to help children understand their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, but in a way that feels safe, natural, and engaging.
 
Because for children, play is not “just play.”
Play is how they communicate.
Play is how they make sense of the world.
And often, play is how healing begins.
 
Tiny humans. Big feelings. Play can help bridge the gap.
 

H A P P Y   E A S T E R Wishing you an Easter that’s sweet, slow, and sprinkled with a little joy. 
05/04/2026

H A P P Y   E A S T E R
 
Wishing you an Easter that’s sweet, slow, and sprinkled with a little joy.
 

// The lost art of doing things that don’t optimise you. // Conversations without an outcome// Reading without finishing...
02/04/2026

// The lost art of doing things that don’t optimise you.
 
// Conversations without an outcome
// Reading without finishing
// Hobbies without turning them into a side business
// Coffee made slowly, just because
// Playing for the sake of playing
 
These are not indulgences.
They are cues of safety.
 
Not everything needs to be productive to be meaningful.
 
In psychology, we know that unstructured time supports:

// Emotional regulation
// Creativity
// Relational safety
// Nervous system recovery
 
Rest is not the absence of growth.
It’s often where integration happens.
 
A regulated nervous system is built in ordinary, repeated moments where nothing urgent is happening.
 
You don’t heal only in therapy.
You heal in the spaces where your body learns:
“I am not under threat right now.”
 

Happy birthday to me, and to my yearly reset. Every year around my birthday, I do a full check-in on my life. A promise ...
31/03/2026

Happy birthday to me, and to my yearly reset.
 
Every year around my birthday, I do a full check-in on my life. A promise I made to myself the year I turned 40, to invest in me. Health, wellbeing, finances, home, pets, paperwork, goals, stress levels, and all the practical things that are easy to avoid when life feels busy.
 
There’s something grounding about taking stock. It’s a way of gently noticing what needs attention, what feels out of balance, and what might need a reset before it becomes a bigger source of stress. Small acts of maintenance can be a form of self-respect. They help create a sense of steadiness, clarity, and care.
 
Maybe the best birthday gift I can give myself is self-care. Not the pretty kind. Not the curated, aesthetic kind. The real kind. The kind that books the appointments, checks the accounts, updates the paperwork, asks the hard questions, and takes care of what needs taking care of.
 
It may not always look glamorous, but it is always important.
 

A P R I L: make room / for feelings and imperfect days she stops fighting the feelingand it loosensshe names itand it sh...
31/03/2026

A P R I L: make room / for feelings and imperfect days
 
she stops fighting the feeling
and it loosens
she names it
and it shrinks
she breathes beside it
and learns
emotions are visitors
not verdicts
 
 
may you make room for your feelings
may you stop fearing your inner weather
may you feel safe to be honest
may you learn you can hold complexity
may you practise self-acceptance daily
 
 
 
// Prompt: What feeling are you making room for this month?
 
 
 

// A little full-circle moment.  Over the weekend, I was featured in the  sharing the story behind my Mundingburra pract...
29/03/2026

// A little full-circle moment.
 
Over the weekend, I was featured in the  sharing the story behind my Mundingburra practice space and the unexpected discovery that made it feel even more meaningful.
 
During renovations, I uncovered the original plans for the building and learned that, decades ago, it had been designed as a space for mothers, babies, and families. For someone whose work is so deeply connected to women’s mental health, the perinatal period, and birth trauma, it felt incredibly special to realise this space had always been intended to hold care.
 
Sometimes a place just fits. Not only because of what it is, but because of what it has quietly been all along.
 
I feel very grateful to do this work here in Townsville, in a space that feels grounded in both history and purpose. Thank you to everyone who has supported and helped shape what this practice has become.
 
This story meant a lot to me 🤍
 

I was let down today by a friend. At 7.34am. Not in a loud or dramatic way, but in a quieter way that still hurt. The ki...
25/03/2026

I was let down today by a friend. At 7.34am.
 
Not in a loud or dramatic way, but in a quieter way that still hurt. The kind of hurt that comes when someone you trusted suddenly reveals that they do not see things the way you do, do not hold the same values, or do not move through the world with the same care you thought they did.
 
That kind of clarity can be painful.
 
And still, it is okay to feel hurt. It is okay to validate your feelings. It is okay to acknowledge that something landed heavily.
 
What is not helpful is staying there. Holding onto resentment, replaying the pain, and letting it take up more space than it deserves does not serve anyone.
 
So today, I chose compassion. Compassion for myself, because my feelings are valid. And compassion for her, because people respond from their own wounds, limitations, and blind spots.
 
I chose to be the bigger person.
I chose not to harden.
I chose to let it go.
 
Not because it did not matter, but because my peace matters more.
 

Psychological health isn’t about pushing harder.It’s about responding honestly to your internal state. Save this for the...
21/03/2026

Psychological health isn’t about pushing harder.
It’s about responding honestly to your internal state.

Save this for the next time you need permission you don’t actually need.
 

Address

2/42 Ross River Road, Mundingburra
Townsville, QLD
4812

Telephone

+61747677093

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