Mette Parkinson Gilligan

Mette is a Registered Psychologist with 18 years experience; she has a special interest in the areas of wellbeing, relationships, self-esteem/confidence, stress, depression and anxiety management. Her wide experience make Mette a wonderful addition to the SmartClinics Windsor team, as does her warm, non-judgemental approach.  She is dedicated to providing a safe space for clients to be heard.

Mette uses Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Interpersonal Therapy, and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) frameworks to help clients to improve their wellbeing and achieve their therapeutic goals. She is a member of the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc (AAPi) and provides services to the Australian Institute of Sport Mental Health Referral Network, AFL Players Association, and Australian Cricketers Association, supporting athletes past and present, and their families.

Mette’s specialist interests:

• Relationships – support for individuals and couples
• Trauma support – including assessment and treatment of PTSD, Veteran support
• Grief counselling – extensive experience supporting clients through loss and grief, bereavement, including managing major changes in job/career, identity, and lifespan development
• Anxiety and Depression – assess and diagnose, explore core beliefs, values, and experiences contributing to the onset or maintenance of anxiety and depression, personalised strategies to shift neural pathways
• Stress management – avoid burnout, stay productive whilst managing physiological and psychological symptoms of stress, using Polyvagal theory to explore impacts of stress and effective strategies
• Self-worth, self-esteem, and self-confidence (SSS Program) – exploring how these develop from childhood into adulthood, identifying unhelpful schemas and self-labels, creating positive long-lasting change
• Assertiveness training and communication skills – vital for good mental health and relationships of all kinds
• Performance psychology – strategies to support Elite/High Performance athletes and staff
• Assessment – NovoPsych used to provide preliminary assessment of a range of mental health conditions, including moods, OCD, PTSD, personality, ADHD and ASD, liaising with GP/psychiatrist for interdisciplinary care
• Health and wellbeing psychology – working closely with Dieticians and Nutritionists, gut-brain axis relationship and its impact on mood.