Hi, I'm Panda. I know it’s a strange name. It's a name I chose for myself for its gender neutral undertones and personal symbolic meaning.

In the professional context i am a registered psychologist who practices with an Integrated Framework - all this means is that I do not subscribe to one way of practicing or one way of interacting with my psychological practice. People are complex beings so i believe in a complex approach to working together. I have an Education and Psychology background, having started my career in schools as a psychologist.

I am also proud to identify as a peer practitioner. This particular coming out journey has been a long one, polluted with deep indoctrinated shame. I have numerous lived knowledges which inform my work: system knowledges, emotional knowledges, experiential knowledges, practice knowledges, trauma knowledges. These lived knowledges all sit alongside and elevate my western psychological training. I would like to see all our lived knowledges recognised and valued more in society. The future is peer.

My interests within Psychology change and grow depending on what sparks my inquiring mind. I am currently thinking a lot around body based practices and Psychology’s slow move back to the “whole” person. I have also been thinking at length about nature as therapy, and how nature impacts on our brains. I am drawn (pun intended) to creative therapies, mostly because of my own creative practice, but also because our higher order brain functions love getting in the way of some of our deeper knowledges. I am also pulled to the practice of community of care, especially reflecting on how Psychology can engage in this “effectively” coming from an individualist perspective. Most importantly, I enjoy combining Psychology with de-colonising actions, reflecting on the ways in which we can decolonize our minds, while also querying how Psychology has contributed to colonising practices.

On a personal level I am creative, inquisitive, playful and easygoing. What this means for my 'professional self' is that these qualities are present in our interactions. I am excited by authenticity and its importance in building meaningful relationships. I pride myself on genuineness and honesty, which I believe helps people build the necessary trust for the therapeutic relationship to be helpful.      

what about you?

I am excited to work alongside people who are engaged and active in the therapeutic process. The hour we meet is where the work can start, but what you do beyond that hour is where the actual magic of the work happens.