Clinical Psychologists and Neuropsychologists
Melbourne Clinical & Child Psychology is a group of independent, highly experienced Psychologists who work together to create a family focused and supportive therapeutic environment for you.
Our Psychology Clinics are in Melbourne’s Inner East and South East, and we also offer online counselling.
All independent practitioners have post graduate qualifications or are pursuing post graduate study. They are committed to evidence-based practice and ongoing professional development. We are also a training clinic for Intern Psychologists completing a Masters in Clinical Psychology. You can read more about the Clinical Psychologists, Clinical Neuropsychologists, Registered Psychologists, Registrars and Provisional Psychologists in their individual profiles below.
We are here to help with choosing the best Psychologist for you or your child. Please contact us for a confidential discussion or to make an appointment. You can Book Online after your first appointment with us.
Clinical Psychology
Clinical Neuropsychology
How do I choose the best Psychologist for me?
“We can assist with a complimentary discussion about your needs. Psychologists at MCCP are experienced in working with children, adolescents or adults and each have training and qualifications in different areas. Clinical Psychologists provide clinical assessments and therapy sessions whilst Clinical Neuropsychologists provide assessments only. We can answer any questions you might have and help you to make a decision that is right for you”
Dr. Amanda Nagulendran
Clinical Psychologist, DPsych (Clin), BSc (Hons) (Psych)
Consulting at the Armadale Clinic
Clients: young people, adults and older adults
Amanda holds a Doctor of Psychology (Clinical) degree. Her professional experience includes treatment of anxiety and depression at a private hospital clinic, providing psychological services for medical inpatients, and facilitating day programs delivering Dialectical Behaviour Therapy. Amanda has worked in a range of settings in public and private healthcare across Melbourne. She is passionate about providing evidence-based treatment to support clients in reaching their goals. With a research background in cross-cultural psychology, Amanda enjoys working with adults from a range of cultural backgrounds. She is particularly interested in working with anxiety disorders, depression, adjustment difficulties, trauma, and difficulties with emotion regulation. Amanda‘s therapeutic approach combines elements of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), including mindfulness.
Dr. Renee Hewitt
Clinical Neuropsychologist, Clinical Psychologist, BSci, BA (Hons), MPsych (Clin), MPsych (Clin Neuro), PhD.
Consulting at the Armadale Clinic
Assessments only
Clients: Children, adolescents and adults
Therapy sessions and intellectual and educational (Cognitive and Neuropsychological) assessments by arrangement. Please phone reception to discuss joining a waiting list for appointments.
Dr Renee Hewitt has obtained her Masters in both Clinical Psychology and Clinical Neuropsychology. She has also completed a PhD at the University of Melbourne focusing on adolescent mental health. Renee has over 10 years experience working in public health settings with clients across the lifespan.
Renee has an interest in supporting children with acquired brain injury and neurodevelopmental and learning difficulties. She also has an interest in working with adults with acquired brain injuries and progressive neurological conditions. She is a strong advocate for her clients and adopts a practical approach to optimising learning outcomes. She also provides psychological support for individuals experiencing depression, anxiety, stress and coping, adjustment, and health related concerns. She practices predominantly from a cognitive behavioural therapy focus and enjoys integrating new skills and practices into sessions. She provides a flexible and collaborative approach to promote emotional wellbeing through life’s daily challenges.
Lisa Bloom
Clinical Psychologist, MPsych (Clin), BA (Hons) (Psych), MAPS
Beaumaris Clinic: Appointments available in January 2024
Clients: young people (15 and older) and adults
Lisa is a Clinical Psychologist with extensive experience working in different public mental health settings, including with young people (aged 15-25 years) with severe depression, anxiety, emotional instability, self-harm, and eating disorders, as well as adults with mood, anxiety and eating disorders and other mental health difficulties.
Lisa believes in creating a safe and supportive space where clients can explore their difficulties, including the underlying causes and maintaining factors, and develop strategies to enhance coping, and move towards meaningful change.
Lisa enjoys working with adolescents and adults, and her interests include Depression and Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Difficulties with Emotions and Self Harm, Eating Disorders and Body image Difficulties, and personality difficulties.
Lisa draws on a range of evidence-based approaches, including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Cognitive Analytic Therapy and mindfulness.
Tessa Bellamy
Clinical Psychologist, MPsych (Clin), BPsychSci (Hons)
Consulting at the Armadale Clinic
Clients: Older children, teenagers and adults
Tessa is a warm, genuine and open-minded Clinical Psychologist who prioritises establishing a trusting relationship with her clients. She enjoys working with individuals of all ages, specifically adolescents and young adults. Tessa has experience working with people across the lifespan, in both Government and private settings. She has also worked within schools, promoting positive psychology to the school community using a strengths-based approach. Tessa’s therapeutic interests include Depression and Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Sleep and Stress difficulties.
Tessa uses a collaborative and adaptive approach to therapy, fitting her approach to each individual client. She draws on evidence-based therapies including: Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Solution-Focused Therapy and Compassion-Focused Therapy.
Dr. Nellie Lucas
Principal Clinical Psychologist, DPsych (ClinChild), BPsych (Hons), MAPS FCCLP
Consulting in Armadale and Beaumaris.
Clients: Parents and infants, children, teenagers and adults
Nellie established Melbourne Clinical & Child Psychology in 2006. She enjoys seeing infants and parents, children, young people and adults and is empathic, supportive and caring in her approach. She has over 20 years experience in mental health, having first worked in adult mental health in Sydney and then completing a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Child & Adolescent Specialisation) at The University of Melbourne. She has since worked in a number of private and public health services across Melbourne and New Zealand including as a Lecturer and Clinical Supervisor at Monash University and Clinical Supervisor at Wellington University. She has expertise in treating a range of difficulties in adults including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, trauma, and personality difficulties. She has a specific interest in seeing infants and parents, children and young people with attachment, emotional, social and behavioural concerns. Therapy is always evidence based and principally draws upon Cognitive Behavioural Therapy approaches within a developmental framework.
Abby Aizenstros
Clinical Psychologist Registrar, BPsych (Hons), MPsych (Clin)
Consulting at the Armadale Clinic
Clients: Adolescents (13+ years and above only) and adults
Abby has worked in public and private healthcare settings and completed a Master of Clinical Psychology at the University of Melbourne. She enjoys working with young people and adults to improve their health, well-being, and functioning. She is collaborative, understanding, and caring in cooperating with her clients to explore their difficulties and coping strategies.
She is particularly interested in working with clients who experience anxiety, depression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and difficulties with sleep, relationships, assertiveness, and self-image.
Abby uses evidence-based psychological interventions such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and supportive counselling.
Abby is accepting new clients now. Please book directly online and reception will be in touch to confirm your appointment.
Jesse Richardson
Clinical Psychologist, BApp.Sci, GDip.Psych, MPsych (Clin), MAPPS, CCL
Consulting at the Armadale and Beaumaris Clinic. Consulting in Armadale only from 2024
Clients: Children, teenagers and young adults
Jesse is a Clinical Psychologist, who has experience working with children and young people across both private and public sectors. He loves utilising fun and creative ways to engage young people in the maintenance of their mental health.
Jesse tailors therapy to individual client needs, drawing from training in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). He is also trained in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR).
He enjoys working with young people and their families to work on a range of mental health difficulties, including depression, anxiety, disruptive behaviours, attachment disorders and trauma. Jesse has a specific interest in the mental health of children and young people who have a diagnosis of cancer and has worked at the Royal Children’s Hospital Children’s Cancer Centre. He has experience working with children, young people and their families going through active cancer treatment, end of life care and re-adjusting to life post-treatment.
Jesse loves working with young people as they grow through their mental health journey, moving closer to what they want to achieve. He welcomes new clients to book online and reception will be in touch to confirm your appointment.
Sally Smith
Psychologist, BPsych (Hons), MPsych (Clin)
Consulting at the Armadale Clinic
Clients: Adolescents and young adults
Sally is an empathetic and collaborative registered Psychologist with a passion for working with adolescents and young adults. Sally places great importance on creating a non-judgmental, respectful, and safe environment when working with people. Sally has worked with a range of issues including anxiety, panic attacks, depression, life transitions, stress, emotion regulation, self-esteem and confidence, relationship and attachment issues and anger management. She is LGBTQIA+ and neurodiversity aware and affirmative.
Sally has worked in a number of settings including private and public youth mental health, schools, forensic and not for profit community settings. She has worked as a Psychologist in both Australia and Berlin, Germany. Working internationally has given her the opportunity to work with people from many different cultural backgrounds.
Sally uses a holistic and individually tailored approach to therapy. She draws from various evidence-based interventions including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Solutions Focused Therapy.
Louise Moncur
Clinical Psychologist Registrar, BA, GradDipProfPsych, MProfPsych, MPsych(Clinical)
Consulting at the Armadale Clinic and Beaumaris Clinic
Clients: Older adolescents and adults
Louise is a registered psychologist currently completing the registrar program for endorsement in Clinical Psychology. She has a diverse professional background with experience counselling within the community, private, and university mental health sectors, as well as in research within the health and clinical psychology domains. Such varied experiences have been invaluable in informing her dynamic, integrative, and highly individualised approach to therapy.
Louise is particularly passionate about collaborating with individuals to overcome the psychological barriers that prevent them from living the fulfilling lives they deserve. Her clients describe her as warm, genuine, empathetic, and as dedicated to providing high quality support and care.
She has a keen interest in a variety of therapeutic frameworks including Schema Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Psychodynamic Therapy. Louise works flexibly facilitating exploratory, insightful discussion, therapeutic skill-building, or a combination of both as determined by the needs and preferences of the individual. Within the context of a non-judgemental, safe, and encouraging therapeutic relationship, Louise looks to empower individuals to realise their capacity to cope and thrive through leveraging their strengths.
Louise welcomes older adolescents and adults seeking support for depression, anxiety, stress and burnout, self-esteem and confidence, identity, perfectionism, relationship issues, grief and loss, life transitions and trauma.
Calypso Strauss
Provisional Psychologist, BPsych (Hons)
Consulting at the Armadale Clinic from mid January to mid July 2024 inclusive internship.
Clients: Children and adolescents
Calypso is a Provisional Psychologist who is currently completing her Masters in Clinical Psychology at the University of Melbourne. She has experience working with a diverse set of clients in private practice suffering from a wide range of psychological difficulties. These include depression, anxiety, stress and poor self-confidence as well as communication, emotion and behavioural difficulties. Calypso is particularly interested working with younger individuals and their families, helping them to feel supported and empowered.
She adopts a warm, flexible and collaborative approach and uses evidence-based psychological interventions such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Meta-Cognitive Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Motivational Interviewing.
Calypso is accepting new clients now and appointments can be made for January 2024. Please contact reception to arrange your appointment.
Ellaina Andersson
Clinical Neuropsychologist, BPsych (Hons), GradDip (InfnImm), MPsych (Clin Neuro)
Providing assessments only for children and adolescents.
Consulting at the Armadale Clinic
Intellectual and Educational (Cognitive and Neuropsychological) Assessments by arrangement. Please phone to discuss.
Ellaina is a registered Clinical Neuropsychologist who has a specific passion for paediatric neuropsychology and has worked extensively in clinical and research roles within this field. She has considerable experience administering a range of paediatric neuropsychological assessments in addition to developmental assessment tools and the Autism Spectrum Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd Edition. She strongly believes in the provision of family centred care and aims to provide evidence based neuropsychological assessment to answer parent/carer questions about their child, assist with diagnostic understanding and inform targeted intervention. She hopes that all families leave the service with a greater understanding of their child’s strengths and difficulties, the functional impacts those difficulties may be having, and the targeted recommendations to help the family support the child’s needs so they can reach their full potential.
In addition to her clinical experience, Ellaina has also worked extensively in developmental and learning disabilities research. At the University of Sydney, her research involved the successful rollout of behavioural interventions supporting families and children with challenging behaviours, including children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Her master thesis explored the underlying neuropsychology profiles of children with learning difficulties and her prospective PhD project aims to develop a digital intervention for children with executive functioning difficulties at school.
Ellaina is also a founding member of the Kimberley Brain and Mind Foundation. A charitable organisation that supports the communities in remote and regional areas of Western Australia develop and implement research programs to help children with developmental and neurological disorders.
Lauren Libeson
Clinical Neuropsychologist Registrar, GradDip (Psych), BSci (Hons Psych), PhD (Clin Neuro)
Providing assessments only. Consulting at the Beaumaris Clinic
Clients: Children, adolescents and adults
Intellectual and educational (Cognitive and Neuropsychological) assessments by arrangement. Please phone reception to arrange an appointment.
Dr Lauren Libeson obtained her PhD in Clinical Neuropsychology at Monash University and has worked in both public health and community settings with clients across the lifespan. Lauren has experience providing neuropsychological assessment, intervention and support to young people presenting with a range of complex difficulties including neurological disorders (multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, motor disorders) neurodevelopmental disorders (learning disorders, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), trauma, psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, OCD, eating disorders, anxiety and depression) and personality disorders. She is also skilled in the assessment and management of neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s and other dementias and Parkinson’s disease), and acquired brain injuries (traumatic brain injury, brain tumours, stroke, alcohol and substance related brain injury).
Lauren has experience in neuropsychology research and holds a research role at Monash University where she is continuing her PhD research, working with individuals with traumatic brain injury and supporting them to return to work.
Lauren has an interest in supporting children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental and learning difficulties and mental health challenges and takes a practical, empathetic, and supportive approach. She works collaboratively with parents and careers, families, teachers, psychologists, counsellors, and other care providers to provide holistic assessment, management and care.
Hannah Thomson
Clinical Neuropsychologist Registrar, MPsych (ClinNeuro), BPsychSc (Hons), BAppSc (Psych)
Consulting at the Armadale Clinic
Clients: Children, adolescents and adults
Intellectual and educational (Cognitive and Neuropsychological) assessments by arrangement. Please phone reception to arrange an appointment.
Hannah is a registered Clinical Neuropsychology Registrar who has completed her Masters in Clinical Neuropsychology at La Trobe University in 2020 and has recently obtained a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience and Addiction from Australian Catholic University. Hannah has experience working in public health care settings with a vast array of in- and out-patients. She is also currently completing a post doctorate in Addiction Neuroscience at Australian Catholic University.
Hannah is experienced in completing comprehensive neuropsychological assessment, developing behaviour support plans, and delivering ongoing cognitive interventions. Specifically, Hannah has worked in dementia diagnosis, assessment of Decision Making Capacity, and cognitive characterisation for a range of conditions, including multiple sclerosis, stroke, acquired brain injury, alcohol- and other-substance-use-related brain injury, and eating disorders.
Hannah is particularly interested in neurodevelopmental disorders, in both children and adults, supporting ADHD and specific learning disorder diagnostic assessment plus the ongoing development of compensatory strategies.