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 25 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.

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In the last few years Carla also completed her Certificate III in Floristry and gained her qualification as a Florist and was introduced to therapeutic horticulture and the benefits of using flowers and psychology together. She recently gained her full membership as a Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner with Therapeutic Horticulture Australia and runs in person and online workshops combining Floristry, Mindfulness and Self-care.

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Carla is a long-standing member of the Centre for Perinatal Psychology (a nationwide network of psychologists who have been personally selected for their extensive experience, knowledge, training and skill in working with perinatal and infant mental health related concerns). And is honoured to be on the board of advisors for the Perinatal Training Centre. Carla is also a member of the Perinatal Training Centre's training and supervision team, co-developing perinatal loss training; "Grief, Trauma and Attachment: An Integrated Approach to Perinatal Loss" with Bronwyn Leigh, Charise Deveney. Prior to this "Bearing the Unbearable: A relational approach to perinatal loss" was developed by myself, Bronwyn Leigh, Charise Deveney and Julie King.

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

 

• 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)

• Gidget Foundation- Start Talking Psychologist and External Trainer for Clinicians

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

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Also passionate about providing training and supervision related to Perinatal and Infant Mental Health, 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 has been involved in a number of national projects within the perinatal field, and has published research in the Australian Psychologist Journal for her research on Pregnancy-related Anxiety. She also previously co-facilitated Becoming Us "Perinatal Relationships, Wellbeing & Mental Health" training with Elly Taylor. ​

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Recognising the complexity of the perinatal period and all the perinatal concerns that parents experience, Carla has special interests in perinatal loss, fertility, pregnancy, birth trauma, young parents, neurodivergent parents and women’s sexual difficulties in the perinatal period. Working 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. 

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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, is a member of ANZICA (Australian and New Zealand Infertility Counsellors Association), APS (Australian Psychological Society), MARCE Society and AAIMH (Australian Association of Infant Mental Health).​​