MY STORY

My approach to therapy blends the 'head' and the 'heart'. I am an active scientific researcher, trained at The University of Melbourne and Harvard Medical school. I enjoy ideas, and I stay up to date with evidence-based psychotherapy. From the heart, my approach to therapy is naturally quite gentle. I have spent many months in silent meditation at a Buddhist monastery in the Sri Lankan Jungle and for the past decade I have volunteered to co-ordinate silent 10-day mindfulness meditation retreats. Over the years I have had the opportunity to meet and learn from many senior Buddhist teachers including His Holiness the Dalai Lama (pictured below), Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Roshi Joan Halifax, Ajahn Brahm and many others.  My background in Buddhist meditation has helped me to understand my own mind and emotions in subtle detail, as well as the nature of suffering more generally. I would consider myself to be a 'secular Buddhist'. First and foremost I am a scientist, but I also try to live my life by the Buddhist principles of compassion and wisdom. I deeply value Buddhist ideas about the value of mental training through meditation. My contemplative background means I have an authentic understanding of mindfulness and compassion-based practices. I enjoy sharing mindfulness and compassion-based approaches with my clients where relevant.