Psychology Services in Melbourne
Psychoanalytic Therapy for Children, Adolescents, and Adults
Clinical Expertise with Compassionate Insight
Clinical Expertise with Compassionate Insight
At our practice in Richmond, we believe that meaningful psychological healing cannot be achieved through superficial labeling or rigid, quick-fix behavioral conditioning. Human suffering is complex, singular, and deeply rooted in individual history. To honor this complexity, my practice focuses strictly on two highly specialized, depth-oriented areas of clinical care: Lacanian Psychoanalytic Treatment and the comprehensive management of Functional Neurological Disorder (FND).
Whether your body is expressing distress through somatic neurological symptoms or your psyche is caught in repetitive, painful unconscious cycles, we provide a secure, rigorous, and respectful environment to explore the underlying architecture of your presentation.
Many contemporary psychological frameworks approach the human mind as a machine to be corrected, narrowing a person’s experience down to a set of diagnostic checkboxes or offering pleasant, superficial advice. Psychoanalysis offers a radical alternative. Rooted in the clinical traditions of Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan, this approach views your symptoms not merely as faults to be eliminated, but as profound, structural expressions of the unconscious. It is an exploration of the unresolved aspects of the psyche that quietly inform your thoughts, relationship patterns, anxieties, and behaviors.
In our sessions, you are invited into a dedicated space of free speech. Lacanian psychoanalysis is fundamentally concerned with desire—uncovering how you navigate your own singular desires versus the exhausting demands and expectations of the outside world. We look closely at the structural gaps in identity, the contradictions we all carry, and the symbolic frameworks through which you orient your life. This treatment is particularly effective for adults and young adults dealing with complex presentation, long-term trauma, identity crises, persistent personality struggles, or a pervasive sense of emptiness that structured, short-term therapies fail to reach.
Healing in psychoanalysis does not mean conforming to an arbitrary social norm or a sanitized ideal of “happiness.” Instead, it is about helping the subject move from a state of alienation or false knowledge toward a profound, authentic engagement with their own truth. It is demanding, challenging work that respects your unique individuality, allowing you to untangle the unconscious knots of the past so you can claim your own speech and agency in the present.
Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) exists at the complex intersection of neurology and psychology. It is a condition where the brain’s signaling system misfires, sending incorrect messages to the body. This can result in deeply debilitating physical symptoms—such as motor weakness, involuntary tremors, functional seizures, gait difficulties, or sensory disturbances—despite there being no structural, disease-related damage to the nervous system. For many individuals, receiving an FND diagnosis can be a isolating experience, often worsened by a medical system that struggles to bridge the gap between physical mechanics and emotional architecture.
My approach to FND is heavily informed by both modern clinical evidence and the deep history of psychoanalysis, which first took shape through the study of somatic conversion. We recognize that the physical symptoms of FND are entirely real and profoundly disruptive; they are not “imagined” or “all in your head.” However, the body often functions as a site of expression for what the mind cannot consciously process or articulate. Traumatic experiences, chronic stress, systemic pressure, and deep-seated psychic conflict can manifest somatically when symbolic avenues of expression are closed off.
Treatment and management for FND in my practice involve a compassionate, dual-focused framework. We work diligently to understand the physical triggers and management strategies for your somatic symptoms while simultaneously exploring the underlying psychological landscape that informs them. By providing a secure environment to investigate these intersecting layers, we work to re-establish a cohesive connection between the mind and the body. We help you decode what the body is speaking through its symptoms, offering a path toward stabilization, symptom reduction, and a restored sense of bodily agency.
How to Begin
Both psychoanalysis and FND management require a commitment to looking beneath the surface of immediate symptoms. If you are experiencing complex psychological distress or navigating the realities of a functional neurological presentation, I invite you to reach out. Initial consultations at my Richmond clinic are dedicated to a thorough exploration of your background and goals, ensuring a rigorous clinical understanding before we begin our deeper associative work together.
Contact our clinic today to discuss scheduling an initial consultation.
