People First

Practice Manager

Michelle works her magic from a far, so you’ll never actually see her around the clinic, but it’s her who answers the phones, takes the bookings and manages the diaries. She’s like our virtual Mum, who can do ten things at once.

Michelle is a wizard when it comes to Medicare, and she never fails to chase our young people about getting their treatment plans sorted. When she’s not answering four phones at once, she’s taking long walks on the beach, watching animated movies or smothering her grandchildren in lots of love.

Work days - Monday to Friday.

Principal Clinical Psychologist

Courtney grew up on the South Coast by the beach and studied at UOW. She’s a massive bookworm, is obsessed with listening to podcasts and very much struggles to do nothing.

At work, Courtney has a special interest in supporting young people struggling with eating disorders. Since she graduated, she worked exclusively with young people, parents and families, across a range of different settings.

Alongside her clinical work, Courtney also has a huge passion for engaging youth in mental health care. The Wattle Tree Clinic is her commitment to this passion - to create a mental health service that makes a difference.

**Courtney is currently taking a hiatus from clinical work. As such, her books are closed to new or returning clients.

Client Liaison Officer

Jo works as our client liaison officer – this means she’s responsible for all the communication stuff that takes place AFTER you’ve been booked in for your first appointment. Essentially, it’s her job to make sure your experience of Wattle is smooth sailing; kind of like the go-between you and your clinician. And because we’re up-with-the-times, Jo also works remotely in the background, so you’ll probably only know her via email or text!

Alongside working with us at Wattle, Jo also works in the not-for-profit sector supporting teens and young adults with disabilities (this is her REAL passion). She spends most of her spare time down the south coast surfing or camping and her favourite thing to do is cook for the ones she loves.

Registered Psychologist

Another graduate from UOW, Sam is the creative type – she loves singing, piano, and musical theatre. Occasionally she writes songs, although she told us “they’re not that good, so maybe don’t write that.” When she gets a chance she travels, often taking a book with her.

Sam works from the position that everyone is doing the best they can with what they’ve learnt from past experiences. Above everything else, she tries to be as warm and empathetic as possible. Her favourite type of work is the deep stuff; supporting young people over a longer period of time.

Work days - Tuesday & Wednesday afternoons

Registered Psychologist

Another graduate from UOW! Over the last three years, Andrew has been working regionally as a psychologist, supporting kids and adolescents with their mental health in schools. He’s now back home in the Illawarra and looking forward to bringing his skills and knowledge of the education system into the private practice arena. Andrew brings the sporty guy vibes to the team - which is great because the rest of us suck. He’s a keen rock climber and soccer player and spends his down time either at the beach or playing video games.

At work, Andrew loves building connections with kids. His number one strength is the ability to talk the language of teenagers. He finds genuine enjoyment in his role, creating a space for young people to feel heard and understood.

Work days - Monday to Friday.

Registered Psychologist

In keeping with our theme, another UOW graduate! Daisy joins our team after spending two years working with children, adolescents, and families in the not-for-profit sector. She’s the daughter of an artist and a musician, but according to her, she did not inherit any of their artistic or creative abilities. When Daisy isn't working, she spends her time hanging out with her dog Winnie, going to live music, or buying plants for her house and trying to keep them alive.

At work, she endeavours to be as friendly and warm as possible. She describes herself as being fascinated by psychology, and always aims to form genuine connections with her clients. Daisy is joining the Wattle Team, hoping to extend her love for long term therapeutic work.

Work days - Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays

Clinical Psychologist

Dayle remains on trend as a graduate of UOW. Having worked across a range of services and settings, Dayle finds working with young people and their families, the most rewarding. In her downtime, Dayle is always trying (and failing) to reach the bottom of her To-Be-Read pile of books, unwinding with video games, or just hanging out with her cat.

At work, Dayle gets that coming to see a psychologist can be a lot, and so she aims to create a genuine and warm space. She is flexible in her practice, and is able to draw from a number of therapies as needed. Overall, Dayle believes that people are doing their best with what they’ve got, and sees therapy as a way to deepen self-understanding and develop skills to help live your best life. She enjoys the journey of self discovery, and finds being able to walk alongside people in that journey an immense privilege.

Work days - Monday & Wednesday mornings.

Registered Psychologist

Sophie joins our team after studying at UOW and working for the last few years, supporting a diverse range of clinical presentations. She’s looking to join Wattle to further her love of supporting young people.

IRL Sophie is a tea drinker, a local AFL player and a musician. Sophie plays the guitar AND the fiddle, and she will jump at any chance to talk folk music. Apparently, this raises eyebrows in Wollongong’s punk/funk music scene.

In her work, Sophie has a great respect for working with young people and believes that children and adolescents often understand a lot more than the world might give them credit for. Sophie has interests in supporting young people with suicidality, those who identify as gender diverse, and LGBTIQ+ presentations. She loves nothing more than helping to navigate identity and growth and above all else, believes that recovery from mental illness is always possible and that there is always hope.

Work days - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

Senior Registered Psychologist

Megan joins our team after working for almost a decade in various roles across the Not-For-Profit sector, supporting teenagers, young adults, and their families with all sorts of different mental health and drug & alcohol struggles. Working with young people is an area she is particularly passionate about, having spent the time in her early career refining her skills to focus specifically on this population. Megan approaches her work understanding that everyone is an expert on themselves, and it is her role to support people to be whoever they want to be. Megan enjoys working with complexities and feels so privileged to be able to sit with people when they are having a hard time. She aims to be neuro-affirming, LGBTQIA+ inclusive and culturally sensitive.

Outside of work Megan loves to read, walk/hike (but nothing strenuous), trying new teas, exploring new places and doing yoga (although she is currently struggling to find time to do this). She also loves spending time with her young family, which also includes a very green bird and a boisterous dog.

Work days - Thursday & Friday

Registered Psychologist

As an early career psychologist, Kate also joins our team after several years in the Not-for-Profit space. A graduate from UOW and Monash in Melbourne, Kate is looking to move into private practice to extend her skillset working with kids and families. Kate describes her approach to her work as warm and relaxed, seeking to meet her clients wherever they are at. Kate particularly loves working with families, helping to support parents with whatever is required to support their young one to thrive. Alongside this, Kate’s special interest area is working with young people with neurodevelopmental needs, because “they’re just great.”

When she’s not working, Kate spends most of her time with her dog and two cats, watching (read: binging) her favourite comfort series on repeat or playing Nintendo Switch.

Work Days – Mondays & Thursdays