My training in psychology commenced with a Bachelor and Postgraduate Diploma in Psychological Science, followed by a Masters of Clinical Psychology.

Following university level training I sought additional specialised training and supervision to build a skill set that allows me to work confidently with complex emotional patterns, relational difficulties, and trauma, ensuring I can provide therapy that is both effective and deeply attuned to each person I work with.

My ongoing training includes fortnightly clinical supervision and intensive ISTDP training.

I’ve had the privilege of training in a wide range of therapy approaches. My work is primarily grounded psychodynamic therapies. In particular my preferred approach is Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP). This approach help us get beneath surface symptoms and into the deeper emotional patterns that shape how we feel and relate.

Alongside this, I have also trained in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Schema Therapy, and trauma-focused approaches. This additional training serves to strengthen the tools we can use when working psychodynamically for emotional insight, regulation, and mindful processing.

I’ve worked across a wide range of settings, which has given me the privilege of supporting people through very different life challenges. My experience spans community services, veterans’ support, youth mental health, and private practice. Along the way, I’ve worked with children, adolescents, and adults — including neurodivergent patients and people living with complex trauma, severe anxiety, depression, and personality difficulties.

I have been working privately for several years now, where I work primarily with adults.

My primary area of academic research has been in the field of Alexithymia.

Alexithymia describes the difficulty many people have in recognising, naming, and expressing their emotions. From the lens I work through, it isn’t a flaw or deficit, but often a protective adaptation — a way our minds learn to shield us from overwhelming or conflicting feelings. While protective, this distance from emotions can leave us feeling disconnected, misunderstood, or unable to fully engage in relationships.

I’ve published several papers in this area, and through the exploration of this topic have come to a deep belief that therapy can support people in reconnecting with their emotional selves.

This work continues to inform my clinical practice, keeping me curious and attuned to the many ways people express — and protect against — their feelings.

Sweetnam, T. J., & Flack, M. (2023). Ready, set, …and difficultly slowing down: What role does alexithymia, emotional regulation and interoceptive awareness play in exercise dependence? Acta Psychologica, 237, Article 103958. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.103958

Lyvers, M. F., Sweetnam, T., & Thorberg, F. (2021). Alexithymia, rash impulsiveness, and reward sensitivity in relation to symptoms of exercise dependence in physically active young adults. Australian Journal of Psychology, 73(4), 475-485. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530.2021.1981747

I am a Registered Psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), which means I meet the national standards for safe and effective practice.

Additionally, I am a member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS), Australia's leading professional association for psychologists. APS supports ongoing professional development, ethical practice, and advocacy for the psychology profession.

Diagnosis is not something I provide as part of my direct therapy services. Diagnostic labels such as those found in the DSM-5 can be very helpful, but in therapy, they can also be limiting.

The human mind naturally uses categories to make sense of the world as this helps us create mental shortcuts for faster decision-making. Diagnoses are no different, and they can therefore create assumptions about how a person with a certain diagnosis may think, feel, or behave.

By setting these aside, we focus on you as the person who walks into the room, understanding your experiences on your own terms without preconceptions.

I grew up on the Gold Coast, but did my postgraduate training in the Northern Territory. My partner is also a therapist, and together we’re raising our beautiful little boy who gives us plenty of opportunities to navigate our own internal conflicts and mixed emotions that come with parenthood.

I’m fairly dependent on coffee to get through the day, love a great book, and take any excuse to sit by the water.

I’m a chronic hobby hopper. At the moment, I’m trying my hand at pottery and experimenting with growing and harvesting flowers to create arrangements for my home. (The pottery is lopsided and the floral arrangements are a work in progress, but it’s all about the process…right?)