Lovely to have you here,

I’m Steph

Through Homm Psychology, I work primarily with adults and provide psychological support for a range of challenges and life experiences. I have a special interest in mood, anxiety and OCD, as well as the perinatal period and ongoing experience of parenthood. In addition to my private practice work, I also provide perinatal support through not-for-profit organisation, Gidget Foundation.

I take a warm, down-to-earth and collaborative approach with clients. I aim to offer encouragement, curiosity and compassion, while also challenging you or offering a different perspective when helpful.

In addition to my psychology background, I am a trained yoga and mindfulness teacher and have over 10 years experience in research, design and business. I’m also a mother of two, having recently returned from maternity leave with my youngest daughter. Naturally, this background (personal and professional) influences my style and approach as a therapist as well.

Therapeutic approaches

I take a integrated approach to my work depending on presentation, needs and preference. My approach is attachment based, trauma informed and grounded in polyvagal theory and nervous system regulation. I am trained in a range of therapeutic models, and tend to draw upon the following approaches in my work with clients:

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

  • Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)

  • Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

  • Schema Therapy

  • Mindfulness based approaches

  • Attachment models such as Circle of Security

Qualifications

  • Masters of Clinical Psychology

  • Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours)

  • Graduate Diploma of Psychological Science

  • Bachelor of Business and Journalism

Memberships

  • Fully registered member of the Psychology Board of Australia through the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA)

  • Full member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS)

Strategies I’m practising in my own life

Outside of the therapy space, I am currently in the middle of a DIY renovation, and the wild, beautiful, chaotic ride of parenting two young daughters. As I balance and navigate these things, I have found myself needing to consciously practice certain strategies, especially when feeling overstimulated or overwhelmed. I thought this might also provide a glimpse into some of the strategies we may explore in the therapy room as well.

  • Perspective taking, and reminding myself that ‘when in doubt, zoom out’

  • Radical acceptance (a DBT concept), especially when I find myself irritated, resentful or stuck in ‘all or nothing’ thinking (a common cognitive distortion). I anchor to this by taking a big breath, grounding myself to the present moment, recognising what is happening within my mind and body, sometimes saying a phrase to myself “this is feeling hard” etc, and then refocusing on what is within my control.

  • Flowing on from the above point, reflecting on and focusing my efforts on things that are within my control. For example, how I respond to myself in a hard moment, how I choose to behave towards others, how I repair when I make mistakes, and how I fill my cup and check in with my needs.

  • Getting clear on what I value and what really, truly matters, then putting effort and energy into being present for these things. If you’re curious to explore your values, Russ Harris has some great ACT resources on it here

  • When I notice I’m not being present/am getting stuck in my head/not acting by my values; responding to myself with compassion and curiosity, instead of criticism.

  • Helping to regulate and soothe my nervous system with things like breathing, grounding to the senses, play, music, movement, getting outdoors, noticing unhelpful thought patterns, tolerating/sitting with more “difficult” emotions, communicating from a lens of compassion, and enjoying a coffee or an ocean swim in the morning with loved ones.

  • When I am with my daughters, noticing when I get stuck in a productivity or ‘task orientated’ busy mindset. Practising slowing things down, grounding back to the present and reminding myself that as a mum ‘I am doing important work’, right here, right now. Mama Matters talks about this concept a lot if it’s resonating.

Psychology-related resources

BOOKS

My go-to book genre outside of the therapy space is actually a good crime, thriller or a romcom. However, I’m guessing psychology related book recommendations might be more relevant here! Some of my favourites include ‘The Body Keeps the Score’ by Bessel van der Kolk, ‘The Brain that Changes Itself’ - Norman Doidge, ‘Polyvagal Exercises for Safety and Connection‘ - Deb Dana, and ‘Beautiful Chaos’ - Jessica Urlichs. This last one isn’t really a ‘psychology’ book as such, but one that captures the duality of the motherhood experience; the messiness, beauty and everything in between. I regularly gift or recommend this to new mamas.

MEDITATIONS + BREATH

OPEN is currently my favourite platform for meditation and breathwork exercises. I like the tone of voice and music they use, the meditation themes (e.g. nervous system reset, compassion and gratitude, contemplations), and love that they draw upon really interesting psychological concepts as part of their teachings. For free exercises, I love and regularly recommend anything from Dr. Kristin Neff. My personal fav at the moment is the self-compassion while caregiving exercise.

Quotes to ponder

The measure of your life is the amount of beauty of which you are aware - Agnes Martin

Every time you choose compassion, you rewrite old stories

Modern luxury is the ability to think clearly, sleep deeply, move slowly, and live quietly in a world designed to prevent all four - Justin Welsh