I am a clinical psychologist with experience in a wide variety of settings, having worked with a diverse client population, and I have training and experience in many therapeutic orientations and techniques. From this broad background, I now tend to focus on two major themes in my work – trauma and ADHD in adults.

I engage in trauma informed practice. This type of practice involves having an understanding of the high prevalence of trauma, especially in those presenting for therapy, recognising the effect of trauma, and working with those effected by trauma in a different way to more standard or conventional approaches.

From EMDR training I have found it extremely important to understand that trauma is not only “big T traumas” that are traditionally associated with PTSD, involving war trauma and life threatening situations, but also “little t traumas” which may or may not involve life threatening situations, and are repeated, chronic and often based in childhood and early experiences such as bullying and emotional abuse or neglect.
“Little t traumas” are often called relational trauma, complex trauma or cPTSD. The thing that can make “little t traumas” tricky is that they often don’t present as “trauma” but as a number of broad presentations such as problems with addiction (drugs, alcohol, gambling, food, exercise) and habits, chronic pain, anger and problematic  relationship patterns, panic attacks and treatment resistant depression
and anxiety.

More recently in my practice I have upskilled in the area of Adult ADHD due to the enormous increase in presentations. This is a fascinating area to work in, to help adults understand ADHD and how it has effected their lives in profound ways without them realising it, and the options for assistance. Especially important is utilising a neurodiversity affirming paradigm, which involves setting up a life for oneself based on your “neurotype” (brain type).

In a similar way to “little t traumas” not being obvious or easy to spot, Adult ADHD is often overlooked, especially in those with an “internalising” form of ADHD who are high masking. These are the cases responsible for the recent increase in presentations, and are often picked up in difficulties with life transition and adjustments, such as moving out of home, commencing your first job or changing jobs, starting university, and relationship breakdowns.

There is also a significant overlap between trauma and ADHD. ADHD is associated with a greater risk of experiencing trauma, and one can also experience relational trauma as a result of ADHD. This overlap is of particular interest to me.