Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy offers a unique space to deeply explore your thoughts and feelings, with the ultimate goal of fostering emotional maturity and better mental health. This journey may involve discovering your God-given identity, clarifying life direction, developing assertiveness skills, and learning to navigate challenging mental states such as anxiety and depression. Our lives are shaped by patterns rooted in both conscious and unconscious thoughts. Living more fully means recognising these patterns and intentionally choosing how we respond. As Proverbs 4:26 reminds us, “Ponder the path of your feet, then all your ways will be sure.”
What is psychotherapy ?
Very simply, psychotherapy is a meaningful and unhurried conversation between two people. It provides a space to explore your feelings, thoughts, motives, and dreams with someone who is qualified and knowledgeable in psychology.
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An important part of psychotherapy is gaining a deeper, psychologically-informed understanding of your own story, shaped by your personality and life experiences. Managing your mental health involves recognising how your unique story influences the way you approach life and relate to others. As your therapist, Mel will guide you through this process — not just helping you build self-awareness, but also directing you towards healthier, more constructive ways of relating to yourself and the world around you.
What issues can psychotherapy treat?
Mel has experience in a broad range of areas including:
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Depression, anxiety, social anxiety
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PTSD, childhood trauma, complex trauma
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Body image, eating disorders
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Sexuality, gender dysphoria
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OCD, addictions
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Abuse, domestic violence
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Grief, loss
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Self-esteem, assertiveness
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Relationship issues, current or past, familial or social
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Life direction, life-stage challenges​
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Spirituality, faith
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Ministry & church challenges
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While these challenges often prompt people to seek help, psychotherapy offers far more than symptom relief. It is a collaborative process where you can gain self-understanding and build a healthier relationship with yourself. Psychotherapy addresses the root causes of your struggles and equips you with effective strategies to overcome them. For example, someone struggling with alcohol addiction might start by learning techniques to manage cravings. But for lasting change, therapy treats the deeper issues driving the addiction, such as childhood trauma, shame, attachment issues or low self-esteem. This holistic approach helps foster genuine growth.
What is Mel's approach to treatment?
Mel’s primary therapeutic approach is relational psychodynamic psychotherapy, a modern evolution of traditional psychoanalysis. This approach explores unconscious aspects of the personality and the impact of early childhood experiences on emotional development. It also emphasises the therapeutic relationship as a powerful tool for addressing emotional challenges.
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Mel is also trained in several well-established therapeutic approaches, including Family Systems Therapy (based on Bowen Family Systems Theory), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR). She has a particular interest in somatic therapies, such as Somatic Experiencing, understanding that psychological trauma and distress are largely rooted in the body and benefit from somatic-focused treatment. While Mel's overarching approach is relational psychotherapy, she also integrates these other therapies into her work.​
Does Mel speak Cantonese or Mandarin?
Although Mel's ancestry is Chinese, she was born in Australia and only speaks English.
Does Mel conduct ADHD or autism assessments?
Unfortunately, this is not Mel's area of expertise. However, once you have received a formal diagnosis of either ADHD or autism, Mel is able to help you navigate these conditions.
“Of all the knowledge that we can ever obtain, the knowledge of God, and the knowledge of ourselves are the most important.”
Jonathan Edwards, Works of Jonathan Edwards​​​​​​
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​​“How can you draw close to God when you are far from your own self?…. Grant, Lord, that I may know myself that I may know thee.”
Augustine, Confessions
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