OUR TEAM
Dr. Nick Richardson - Clinical Psychologist / Practice Director
Nick undertook his training in clinical psychology at Melbourne and Monash Universities and completed his doctoral thesis on how emotion regulation contributes to depression in adolescence. Nick’s practice has a particular focus on difficulties in life-stage transitions such as commencing primary and secondary school, emerging adolescence, young adulthood, and forming relationships. He also provides support to adults with relationship and parenting concerns.
Nick has a friendly, thoughtful and compassionate approach that is tailored to an individual’s and family's needs. He is passionate about helping young people overcome obstacles in their development through fostering confidence, skills and self-understanding. He uses talk and play-based activities such as play and art to help young people share their feelings. He also meets with parents to help them develop a better understanding of their child’s needs and to support their child at home.
Nick is also employed as a senior psychologist in Child & Youth Mental Health Service, Eastern Health, on a sessional basis, through which he provides supervision, which he also offers in his private practice.
Nick is registered with the Psychology Board of Australia and follows a code of ethics to ensure high standards of professional practice. He is a member of the Australian Psychological Society and College of Clinical Psychologists.
To find out more, visit Nick's website www.enrichpsychology.com, email nick@enrichpsychology.com or call 0401 134 787
Marie Mandicos - Psychologist
Marie completed her Master of Applied Psychology (Clinical Psychology) at Victoria University and is currently completing her clinical registrar program.
Marie offers a warm, empathic and collaborative approach to psychotherapy and utilises evidence-based treatments to support individuals to reach their identified goals. She has experience working with a wide range of presentations, with a focus on anxiety and related disorders, mood disorders (depression, bipolar), addiction, sleep and insomnia issues, trauma, relationship problems, grief, life transitions, stress and women's health. She is passionate about supporting children, adolescents and adults to understand their emotional problems and improve their mental wellbeing.
She uses a number of therapeutic styles; however, tailors her approach to suit the needs and goals of each individual. She looks to understand how each facet of health (biological, psychological and social) impacts the individual. She has experience working in community and private mental health sectors, working with individuals and facilitating groups.
Outside of private practice she works at a private hospital which specialises in the treatment of psychiatric mental health disorders and addiction.
If you would like to get in contact with Marie she can be reached on - 0452 648 198 or email - mariemandicospsychologist@gmail.com.
Dr. Swee Ghee Khoo - Psychiatrist
With an eye on the overall well-being of his patients, Swee Ghee is a psychiatrist with strong clinical interest in individual psychotherapy AKA ‘talking therapy’. Using the breadth of his clinical experience and knowledge base, he seeks to work with his patients in a thoughtful and empathic manner to assist them towards a clearer understanding of themselves and their situation, and towards possible useful outcomes.
In addition to the above, he utilises medication where it may be clinically indicated.
Swee Ghee mainly works in English with some proficiency in Mandarin, across the following clinical areas:
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Anxiety
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Bipolar Disorder
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Loss and grief
In Swee Ghee’s clinical practice, he:
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Works with patients from ages 18 to 65
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Offers telepsychiatry where possible
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Offers support to clinical colleagues including nurses, medical students, allied health workers and fellow doctors
Please note that the following areas are outside of Swee Ghee’s scope of practice:
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Alcohol & other substance use
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Workcover/TAC/Worker’s Compensation
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Clinical treatment which requires prescribing permits such as Alprazolam
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Medicolegal/forensic matters
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NDIS
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ADHD as its assessment and management
Swee Ghee welcomes contact at 0491 682 322 or ipsummagnus@gmail.com
Kim Menzies - Accredited Practising Dietitian
Kim is a dedicated and caring Accredited Practising Dietitian with over a decade’s experience and is now running ‘What’s your gut feeling?’ at Birdwood Street Therapy Group. She adopts a client-centred approach to assist people, using scientifically sound dietary advice. Kim is passionate about helping people develop a calm relationship with food and their body.
Over the last decade, she has specialised in gastrointestinal conditions such as Coeliac Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Food Intolerances, working closely with Dr Sue Shepherd at Shepherd Works where she was Senior Dietitian. Kim is highly experienced in educating people how to successfully follow the low FODMAP diet. The dietary changes required for these conditions can be challenging therefore her goal is to guide you with foods that can be enjoyed as well as those that may need to be restricted for your health and well-being.
She also works with people who are struggling to intuitively listen to their bodies due to restrictive dieting or disordered eating. She greatly enjoys helping people realise that it is possible to develop a peaceful relationship with food and their body, without guilt and/or food anxiety.
Kim is a member of the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) and a Professional Member of Coeliac Australia. A former Home Economics, Food Technology and Biology teacher, she has a love of creating and sharing good food and assisting others to develop their food and nutrition skills and brings her extensive knowledge in a practical and down-to-earth manner.
To contact Kim, please call 0432 410 336 or go to the ‘What’s your gut feeling?’ website www.whatsyourgutfeeling.com.au
Dr Jessica Kuc - Psychiatrist
Dr Jessica Kuc is a psychiatrist specialising in perinatal mental health. Her areas of expertise include:
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Pre-conception mental health planning
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Mental health treatment in pregnancy and the postnatal period
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Medication safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding
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Parent-infant attachment
Dr Kuc also provides general psychiatric care to women and has an interest in Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, anxiety, young adult mental health, perimenopausal depression, and ADHD in women.
Please note Dr Kuc is only able to accept referrals for new perinatal patients at this time.
To make an appointment, a GP referral must be emailed to birdwoodst@iinet.net.au or faxed to 9018 4341. After the referral is reviewed you will be contacted to schedule an appointment. In the event that the referral cannot be accepted, your referring GP will be notified.
Danielle Dabley – Clinical Psychologist
Dani is a friendly psychologist, who values the importance of providing a safe and non-judgmental therapeutic space. Her clients describe her as authentic, perceptive, and at times humorous.
Dani commenced her career as a mental health social worker and worked in the public hospital system for over 8 years across community mental health and crisis emergency teams. Through her experience, she was drawn to the significant impact that mental health, in particular trauma, has on an individual’s life, and yet one’s ability for restorative growth and healing.
These experiences drew her to further develop her skills in the field of clinical psychology and specialise in trauma informed practice.
Services.
Dani ensures therapy is tailored according to an individual’s therapeutic goals and draws on evidence based therapeutic approaches from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectic Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Schema Therapy.
Dani has a particular interest in working with individuals over 18 years old presenting with:
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Depression and Low Mood
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Anxiety, Panic and Worry
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Grief and Loss
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Work Stress
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Adjustment-Related Concerns
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
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Complex Trauma
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Borderline Personality Disorder
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Bi-Polar Affective Disorder
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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
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Interpersonal Relationship Difficulties
If you would like to learn more, please contact Dani on 0467 383 093, email info@brightpathpsychology.com.au, or visit brightpathpsychology.com.au.
Elissa Moore - Clinical Psychologist
Elissa is a clinical psychologist and board-approved supervisor who has worked across private, community and tertiary service settings. She has also spent 15 years in the education sector where she taught VCE psychology and held coordination and welfare-related roles.
In private practice, Elissa works with clients who talk about having increased difficulty in coping with their daily lives for an array of reasons. Clients often say that they had been managing previously, but additional stressors have been more than they could cope with on their own resulting in a deterioration in their overall mental health.
Elissa prefers to work collaboratively with her clients, inviting clients to sit alongside her in the therapeutic process, welcoming review, and feedback to ensure treatment is meeting the expectations of those entrusting her with their care.
Areas of interest / expertise:
- Mood disorders
- Anxiety disorders (generalised, social, OCD, perfectionism)
- Adjustment disorders
- Women's health (fertility difficulties, pre/post-natal, peri/menopause)
- Child focussed parent work
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Relationship conflict/ separation
- Self-esteem
- Personality disorders
- Grief and loss
- Post-traumatic stress (PTSD)
- Stress / burn-out
Elissa provides evidenced based treatment that is multifaceted and individualised to the client's presenting difficulties. She draws on a range of therapies including cognitive behavioural (CBT), acceptance and commitment (ACT), schema, mentalisation (MBT), cognitive analytical (CAT), and solution-focused therapy.
For further information Moore Psychology can be contacted via:
www.moorepsychology.org |ph: 0490 903 467 | e: elissa@moorepsychology.org
Christine Dodds – Certified Practising Speech Pathologist
Christine Dodds has a Master of Speech Pathology and bachelor’s degree in communications, and blends her professional expertise with a warm and friendly approach to speech therapy including:
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assessment and therapy,
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education and advocacy,
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speech,
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language,
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literacy,
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neurodiversity affirming social communication,
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alternative & augmentative communication such as sign, low and high-tech devices, as well as
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paediatric feeding assessment and therapy following a responsive feeding therapy framework.
She is passionate about helping her clients reach their communication or mealtime goals - working collaboratively with children, families, and educators, to create a positive and supportive environment in which children and teens can thrive.
She has a passion for supporting neurodiverse children and teens, as well as those with feeding and learning difficulties. Her approach is rooted in helping clients to discover and leverage their strengths, to make therapy and home practice meaningful, engaging, and effective.
Christine is a certified practising speech pathologist with Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) and follows the SPA code of ethics and standards of practice.
To find out more, visit Christine’s website www.seabirdspeech.com.au, email christine@seabirdspeech.com.au or call 0493 732 649.