Carla is the director of the PCF Hub and an endorsed Clinical Psychologist and AHPRA Board Approved Supervisor. Carla holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours Psychology) and Masters of Clinical Psychology, with over 20 years of experience providing psychological and counselling services, setting up her first private practice in 2005 providing psychological support for individuals and families during the Perinatal period and Children and Youth.

 

Carla’s passion with the perinatal period began in 2001 as a volunteer peer support and group coordinator with the Qld Postnatal Depression Association, whilst completing her psychology degree and becoming a mother herself. Through this she became a volunteer bereavement phone counsellor for Bonnie Babes Foundation, before becoming one of their honorary national trainers, training professionals in perinatal loss support skills. Early in her career as a psychologist Carla worked in Child & Youth Mental Health and Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault counselling services, before establishing her private practice. 

 

Carla is also passionate about providing training and supervision related to Perinatal and Infant Mental Health, and has been involved in a number of national projects within the perinatal field, has published research in the Australian Psychologist Journal for her research on Pregnancy-related Anxiety, is on the board of advisors for the Perinatal Training Centre and is a member of the training and supervision team, developing “Bearing the Unbearable” a training program for professionals in perinatal grief and loss, and co-facilitates Becoming Us (Perinatal Relationships, Wellbeing & Mental Health) training with Elly Taylor.

 

Other past roles/projects in addition to private practice work including;

• Gidget Foundation- Start Talking Psychologist

• Co-ordinating Postnatal Depression support groups and training of peer support volunteers for the Gladstone Communities for Children Initiative,

• Lighthouse Project for Children in Domestic Violence,

• Co-ordinator and counsellor for Domestic Violence Women's refuge

• Undertaking assessments for the Child Development Service (Qld Health)

• As well as providing information sessions and training to professionals (mental health professionals, medical, midwives, allied health etc) and parents within the perinatal period.

 

Carla has many years of experience supervising, advising and mentoring clinicians from a range of disciplines, as well as mentoring for peer support volunteers. Carla is passionate about all perinatal concerns, with a special interest in perinatal loss, fertility, pregnancy, birth trauma, young parents, and women’s sexual difficulties in the perinatal period.

 

Carla works within Attachment Theory and Developmentally informed frames, utilising a variety of therapeutic approaches such as Schema Therapy, Circle of Security, Mindfulness, and Compassion Focused Therapies. Carla has also completed training to be registered for Medicare’s Non-directive Pregnancy Counselling item.

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She works individually, as well as with the family and infant/child. Carla provides a professional and caring space to process whatever difficulty clients are experiencing at the time, personalized to suit the individual’s needs.

             

Carla is also registered for Medicare’s Better Access and the Non-directive Pregnancy Counselling items. Carla is a member of ANZICA (Australian and New Zealand Infertility Counsellors Association)