Meet the Team

Jane is the principal psychologist at Sunyata Psychology. Jane brings with her an easy-going, pragmatic and irreverent attitude to life. In therapy, Jane is warm, compassionate, playful and open-minded. Jane is supportive, yet also prepared to challenge you when you are seeking to make changes.

Jane did not go to university directly after school. She has lived in many places across the eastern side of Australia and has a wide variety of life experiences to draw from. Jane has worked in many different roles including disability support, employment services, natural therapies, aged care, and childcare. Jane has also worked in pubs, on a station as a cook and has even picked mangoes!

Jane completed a Bachelor of Psychological Science at The University of New England before completing a Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) and a Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology) at Wollongong University. Her PhD research was in the field of non-response to psychotherapy for people with Borderline Personality Disorder.

Jane uses a range of evidence-based therapies to help her clients including Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT). Jane offers 10-session individual DBT skills treatment programs.

Jane is also the head of the mental health arm of The Australian Mind Body Institute, a Registered Training Organisation, that delivers certifications in the areas of mental health, fitness and nutrition. To find out more, check out this page: https://australianmindbody.com.au/

Brooke is a registered psychologist who has experience working with adults, adolescents and children. Brooke believes wholeheartedly in a person-centred approach. She is passionate about supporting individuals and prides herself on providing a safe space for them to feel heard.

Brooke grew up on the mid-north coast of New South Wales and moved to Newcastle after she finished school. Having taken 12 months to travel Australia in her van in 2022-23, she now calls the Illawarra region home. Outside of work Brooke enjoys yoga, meditation, art, getting outdoors, and spending time with friends.

Having completed her Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) in 2017, Brooke commenced work as a disability support worker in the Newcastle region. In 2019, Brooke joined a team of volunteers on a mental health placement in Bali, Indonesia, where she conducted group sessions in a variety of settings with the focus being on key psychological themes such as art and creative therapy, identity, and positive psychology. She returned to the University of Newcastle in 2020 to complete her Masters in Professional Psychology.

Brooke uses a variety of evidence-based approaches tailored to the individual such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness based CBT, Motivational Interviewing (MI), parental coaching, and play-based interventions.

Sarah is a child and adolescent psychologist who has worked with children and families experiencing emotional and behavioural challenges for over 15 years. She takes an attachment-based, relationship-focused approach to therapy, where you are the expert in your child, and her role is to guide and support you on your journey. She believes that creating sustainable change for children is only possible when working with parents and children together. Therefore, she will always invite you to join your child in therapy sessions and work as a team to help your child thrive!

Sarah completed a Bachelor of Psychology and a Masters of Clinical Psychology at the University of Western Sydney. She then spent the majority of her career working as a therapist on a child and adolescent mental health team within the public health system in NSW, supporting children and their families who were experiencing significant mental health challenges.

Sarah enjoys working with families who are experiencing big, overwhelming emotions and behaviours, including anxiety, anger and aggression, and emotional regulation difficulties. But as a self-confessed ‘brain nerd’, she excels at translating complex brain science into language and practical tools that are easy to understand and accessible for children and their families.

Sarah uses a range of evidence-based approaches in her practice, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness-Based CBT, and parent coaching.

Madeline is a registered psychologist who has experience working with adolescents and adults. She believes that in order to build and foster a meaningful connection, therapy must balance navigating the difficult deeper conversations with fun and humour. Madeline is pragmatic and warm in her approach to supporting client’s meet their goals and needs.

Madeline completed her Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) in 2017 at the University of Wollongong. She relocated to Tamworth to complete her Provisional Psychologist qualifications before relocating to Canberra, Batemans Bay and finally back to Wollongong to obtain experience working with diverse client groups.

Madeline is passionate about providing evidence-based interventions to a range of presentations such as eating disorders, anxiety disorders, depression, PTSD and complex trauma. Madeline uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectic Behavioural Therapy (DBT) and Schema Therapy.

Dr Lucy Hobby is a Clinical Psychologist who balances her compassionate, open, and authentic approach with the no-nonsense directness that is required to support psychological change. Lucy draws upon her experience working across the lifespan with children, adolescents, and adults to utilise an ecological systems lens to build a shared understanding of the problem with her clients and work together in partnership towards recovery. She has extensive experience in treating trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder and complex trauma such as experiences of violence, abuse, and neglect, and the impacts of intergenerational, attachment, and relational trauma, which she attained throughout her roles held in the government sector within adult mental health and child protection teams.

Lucy attained her Bachelor and Honours degrees in Psychology from the University of Western Sydney in 2007 and 2008 respectively, obtaining the Dean’s Medal for academic excellence during her undergraduate studies, an Honours Class 1 result and the University Medal for her postgraduate achievements, and the Australian Psychological Society Prize for first place in the Psychology degree. Lucy completed her PhD with the Australian Catholic University in 2016 and graduated from the Master of Psychology (Clinical) with Distinction from the University of Wollongong in 2020. Lucy has worked for many years as a researcher within the academic sector, with her strong knowledge of, and commitment to, evidence-based practice informing her clinical work.

Lucy utilised a strengths-based and recovery-oriented approach in her therapeutic work, drawing upon a range of modalities including Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and systems/family therapy approaches as tailored to the individual needs of her clients.

Lucy is also offering comprehensive psychological assessments for adults who would like clarification around their diagnoses.

Dedar is a warm and compassionate psychologist and a Board Approved Supervisor who believes everyone has the right to feel heard and to work towards healing. She believes in providing evidence-based and effective treatment irrespective of one’s age, gender, sexuality, upbringing, socio-economic background, culture or religion. Dedar aims to create a warm, safe and trusting environment for her clients to allow engaging in meaningful therapeutic work.

​Dedar has experience working with both brief and longer-term therapy frameworks across private practice and non-for-profit organisation settings before joining Sunyata Psychology. Dedar enjoys working collaboratively with her clients to reach their unique therapeutic goals. She prioritises care that is person-centred, trauma-informed and culturally sensitive. Dedar has a passion for working with refugee and migrant communities. Dedar can understand and speak Kurdish (Sorani).​

​Dedar provides therapy for adolescents and adults (including neurodivergent clients) experiencing a range of concerns such as depression, anxiety, complex trauma, grief and loss, perinatal psychology, body image concerns, interpersonal difficulties, emotion dysregulation, gender and sexuality concerns and life transitions.

Dedar tailors her treatment uniquely to her clients’ needs and preferences and draws on a range of evidence-based modalities including Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Dedar’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Psychological Studies from Western Sydney University, a Bachelor of Psychological Science (First Class Honours) from Southern Cross University and a Master of Professional Psychology from Wollongong University.

Anjali is warm, curious, respectful, and collaborative. Anjali provides therapy for adolescents and adults (including neurodivergent and gender and sexually diverse people) for a range of concerns including depression, anxiety, interpersonal challenges, and parenting support. Anjali has a passion for working with queer folk, supporting people experiencing grief and loss and people who are adjusting to chronic health conditions. Anjali speaks Malayalam fluently and can communicate in Tamil and Hindi.

Anjali completed her undergraduate training and masters training in psychology in India where she practiced for 4 years. While practicing in India, Anjali worked with children, adolescents, young adults, and families. She uses a systemic and social justice lens to prioritise care that is trauma-informed and culturally safe.

Since arriving in Australia Anjali has almost completed an additional 2 year’s Masters degree in Clinical Psychology at UOW. During this training Anjali interned at Northfields Clinic, NSW Health, and an Aboriginal Medical Service, before joining Sunyata Psychology.

Anjali tailors treatment with the help of clinical supervision from Dr Jane Woodbridge, using evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Narrative Therapy and Family systems work.

In Australia Anjali is currently a provisional psychologist. She will obtain her general registration in a few months and then she will be a Generally Registered Psychologist and will be undertaking her Clinical Psychology Registrar Program. Therefore, Anjali is currently offering reduced fee psychology sessions while she is finalising her Masters degree training.

Anjali works from our Fairy Meadow Location on Mondays. Sessions with Anjali are currently available at a reduced fee cost of $100 per session.

Theresa is the administration manager at Sunyata Psychology. Theresa is warm, friendly and efficient. Theresa will help you get started when you reach out to book in with Jane, Brooke Madeline or Sarah. She will send you your intake forms and help you make your appointments. Theresa runs her own business called TMA Virtual Solutions. In her free time, Theresa loves bushwalking and runs an injured wildlife centre called Wildlife Rehab Retreat. Check out her page to have a look at the cuties currently in her care: https://wildliferehabretreat.com.au/

Tiger is the Administration Assistant at Sunyata Psychology. Tiger is here to help you book in with our clinicians and to help you with any administration needs that you might have. Tiger has almost finished his Bachelor of Psychology and plans to complete a Masters in Coding next. Tiger loves reading philosophy books and fixing old guitars and computers.