Dr. Rita Younan
Dr Younan is the director and founder of the Schema Therapy Institute Australia. Dr Younan works both in Individual and Group Schema Therapy and was the Director of The Schema Therapy Department at The Victoria Clinic, a private psychiatric hospital in Melbourne, Australia. In collaborating with the founders of Group Schema Therapy, Professor Joan Farrell & Ms Ida Shaw, Dr Younan developed an intensive 4-week inpatient program in Group Schema Therapy for Complex Trauma and subsequent outpatient program.
Dr Younan has been provided with permission to empirically assess the feasibility and efficacy of this treatment program and recently presented the data as part of a Schema Therapy Panel at the 8th World Congress of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies. Dr Younan was invited to present this data in Vienna, Austria at the International Conference for Schema Therapy as part of a panel devoted to Group Schema Therapy.
Dr. Younan is also a member of the Certification Committee for Group Schema Therapy and Publication Committee for the International Society for Schema Therapy.
Dr. Younan is a clinical supervisor and honorary Associate at Australian Catholic University at the Post-Graduate level.
Dr. Younan works Monday to Friday 9-5pm and is involved in facilitating the Group Schema Therapy Program offered at Schema Therapy Institute Australia.
Ms. Charlotte Bull
Charlotte is a Clinical Psychologist who is completing certification in Schema Therapy as recognised by the International Society of Schema Therapy (ISST).
Charlotte has worked extensively with clients in settings including private practice and tertiary counselling. She assists clients experiencing a broad range of psychological concerns, and has a particular interest in working with clients experiencing longstanding problematic patterns in their close relationships. She also has expertise working with clients struggling with low self-esteem, body image and eating concerns, emotional regulation difficulties, and trauma.
Charlotte’s therapeutic approach is tailored according to each client’s needs and treatment goals. Her primary therapeutic modalities are Schema Therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, and she draws from family systems and psychodynamic approaches.
Charlotte has a warm and collaborative style, and uses a supportive interpersonal approach to encourage clients to explore their experiences without judgement. She shares her rationale for treatment and encourages client feedback.
Charlotte works Mondays from 8.30am – 1.30pm & Wednesdays from 9am – 4 pm.
Dr. Tracy Garvin
Tracy is a clinical psychologist with over 15 years’ experience working as a clinical psychologist in a range of settings. Tracy has predominantly worked with young people and families as well as adults in both hospital and private settings. Tracy utilises a range of approaches including schema therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and mindfulness based approaches.
Tracy has extensive training in mindfulness meditation and provides training on mindfulness and self-compassion to health practitioners. She has also been involved in research in the application of mindfulness to depression. Tracy is a registered supervisor and provides clinical supervision at Headspace sites and Australian Catholic University.
Tracy is undertaking her schema therapy accreditation and has an interest in helping people overcome past trauma, disordered eating and difficulties with anxiety and depression. Tracy will collaboratively work with you develop an approach that suits your goals, needs and strengths.
Tracy works Tuesdays from 9-6 pm
Ms Parris Davenport
Dr. Bonnie Albrecht
Bonnie is a registered psychologist with endorsement in the area of Forensic Psychology. She has experience working with adults in hospital and community settings, and is a registered supervisor currently supporting staff and trainee psychologists across these settings.
Bonnie is particularly interested in working with people who have experienced trauma, personality or interpersonal difficulties, or who struggle with emotion and/or anger regulation. She has undertaken training in individual schema therapy, and is passionate about working within this modality and is working towards certification in Schema Therapy.
Bonnie uses schema therapy, cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), and acceptance and mindfulness-based approaches to tailor treatment to each client’s needs, goals and preferences. She believes strongly in developing, with each client, a shared understanding of their experiences, and in working collaboratively to develop or enhance the skills or strategies needed to achieve their goals. She aims to provide clients with a safe and transparent space for therapy, and welcomes feedback from clients about their experience working with her.
Bonnie works Thursdays from 11.30 am to 8 pm.
Dr. Simone Farrelly
Dr Simone Farrelly is a registered psychologist (& Clinical Registrar) who has worked for the NHS in the UK for several years specialising in treatment for individuals with psychotic disorders and complex trauma. She is currently working as a Clinical Consultant at ORYGEN Youth Health. She has also worked privately assisting people with a wide range of difficulties including anxiety, depression, psychosis, emotional regulation difficulties and trauma.
Simone’s primary therapeutic modalities are Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Schema Therapy, but she draws on other evidence based approaches to best meet clients’ needs including mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Simone has also recently trained in EMDR. Simone is passionate about building up a strong therapeutic relationship with clients and working collaboratively to improve their quality of life.
Simone works Monday mornings from 9-12 & Wednesday evenings from 5-8pm.
Ms. Alina Shushkevich
Alina is a generally registered psychologist currently working towards gaining endorsement in Clinical Psychology. For the past few years she has worked in private practice, but has experience working in hospital, community and university settings.
Alina is committed to person-centred care and works with her clients to understand their unique concerns, therapeutic goals and tailor an individualised treatment plan. She believes that establishing a safe therapeutic space enables her clients to explore the emotional problems that underlie the challenges they face in their daily lives. Drawing on this understanding, she supports her clients to develop practical psychological skills to help deal with their difficulties and increase their psychological well – being.
Alina applies an integrative approach in her practice, incorporating a range of therapeutic approaches including Schema Therapy, Mindfulness Based Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. She has completed training in Schema Therapy and plans to increase her expertise in this approach. She has experience working with adults experiencing a range of mental health issues and has a special passion for working with people impacted by traumatic experiences and personality disorders.
Alina works Monday & Wednesdays 2-8.30pm and Thursdays 9 to 5.30pm
Ms. Lee Carlson
Lee is a registered Psychologist with over 15 years of experience in working with many clients in community health and private practice. She is passionate about her work and utilises her strong interpersonal skills to build a safe therapeutic space where clients can share and develop a deeper understanding of the source of distress that they experience in their lives.
Lee’s approach is collaborative and draws from a range of evidence based approaches that include Schema Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Solution Focused approaches, Mindfulness and Family Systems.
She works with older adolescents and adults of all ages and enjoys working with a wide variety of presenting issues. These include anxiety, depression, stress, family and relationship problems, trauma, adjustment issues, and grief and loss.
Lee works Saturdays from 9 to 5pm.
Ms. Rachael Torcasio
Rachael is a registered psychologist who is passionate about working with children and adults. She is involved in facilitating group Schema Therapy programs offered at Schema Therapy Institute Australia.
Gavriel Garrison
Whilst working towards his professional qualifications Gavriel works as the intake coordinator for Schema Therapy Institute Australia, and assists people in finding the right practitioner for their individual needs, Gavriel does this with compassion, warmth and understanding. Gavriel is currently studying psychology and has an interest in working with marginalized communities, specifically in the areas of gender and sexuality. Gavriel is passionate about helping people understand themselves better, develop a quality of life that is meaningful to them and believes the field of psychology, through therapies like Schema Therapy, can assist people in achieving these goals.
Provisional Psychologists in Training
The Schema Therapy Institute is committed to help train provisional practitioners to learn the Schema Therapy Model and provide this method of treatment to consumers. All provisional therapists are supervised and guided not only by a supervisor within their tertiary institution but also by a senior member of staff at the Schema Therapy Institute who has permission to supervise and train provisional practitioners as authorised by AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Agency).
For those who cannot afford to see a fully registered practitioner and would like to see one of our provisional psychologists for a lower fee can email intake at schematherapyinstituteintake@gmail.com.
The fee to see a provisional psychologist is $30 per 50 min consultation.
Please note all sessions are recorded for training and quality assurance purposes and is a condition in receiving treatment from a provisional clinician.
To see one of our practitioners please call intake on 0455 668 028 or email: schematherapyinstituteintake@gmail.com.
Consultation fees range from $200 to $240 to see one of our practitioners; Medicare rebates apply and range between $86.15 to $126.50 when a referral from a GP or psychiatrist is supplied. A sliding scale exists for students and pensioners. This can be discussed with your treating practitioner directly.