Our Practitioner Community
The consultants at Harris House are independent practitioners, with individual experience and areas of special interest.
Melanie Backwell
Melanie is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker currently working with people of all ages through her business, BeWell Counselling and Wellbeing. She specialises with children, adolescents, parents and families, being familiar with the complexities that can come with the adolescent cohort, and can tailor her practice to meet the needs of the client and their family.
Melanie is committed to her clients and enjoys connecting with people to build a trusting, therapeutic relationship. She strives to meet the needs of the individual through various techniques, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and play therapy. Melanie's services include individual therapy, parent consults, and family therapy.
Melanie holds a Master of Social Work from Deakin University, a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) also from Deakin University, and is an accredited member of the Australian Association of Social Workers.
Services Available
Melanie's specialty areas include Adolescent and Child Psychotherapy, anxiety, emotion regulation, depression, Autism Spectrum Disorder, relationships, social skills development, grief and loss, anger management, LGBTIQI+, trauma, and clinical supervision.
Melanie has been providing professional services in Geelong for over 10 years. She has extensive experience working with children and individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and is confident in her skills to support them and their families. Melanie has the capacity to provide support to individuals and families in a face-to-face or telehealth capacity, in the client's home, or in the community.
Clients are able to access mental health care plans through their GP or Paediatrician, which allows up to ten sessions per calendar year that are claimable through Medicare.
Clients are able to utilise NDIS plans (self-managed or plan-managed).
Clients are able to access Melanie's services privately without a referral and without a Medicare rebate. These sessions are unlimited.
Contact Details
Email melanieebackwell@gmail.com
Phone 0424 240 486
Sophie Buckle
Sophie is a skilled therapist specialising in supporting children, adolescents, and parents facing a variety of social and emotional challenges. She provides a range of services, including parenting consultations, child and adolescent psychotherapy, and family therapy. Sophie's therapeutic approach is tailored to each individual, integrating techniques from Psychodynamic Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Family Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Play Therapy, and Mindfulness. With experience in both short-term and long-term therapy models, Sophie adapts her methods to best meet the unique needs of her clients.
Sophie is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and holds a Master of Social Work from LaTrobe University, a Master of Mental Health Science and Child Psychotherapy from Monash University and is a member of the Child Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Association of Australia. Sophie has over 10 years experience working in both the public and private sector.
Services Available
Clients are able to access sessions for psychological therapy via their GP or Paediatrician for a referral for a Medicare Mental Health Treatment Plan for up to ten sessions per calendar year, or they are able to access services privately (without a referral and without a Medicare rebate). Sophie also accepts clients with NDIS plans or self-managed referrals.
Contact Details
Email sophierbuckle@gmail.com
Call 0448 286 667
Website https://www.halaxy.com/profile/sophie-buckle/psychotherapist/524991?clinic=483511
Charlotte Brough
Charlotte is a registered psychologist with over five years of experience working with children, adolescents, and young adults. Charlotte is currently completing additional studies in Clinical Psychology at the University of Melbourne. Charlotte enjoys working with clients to form trusting therapeutic relationships, reduce distress, improve daily functioning, and assist her clients in achieving their goals. Charlotte works in a relaxed, collaborative, and client-centred manner, engaging in aspects from a range of evidence-based psychological modalities, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Charlotte believes that therapy is not a “one size fits all” approach; rather, she adopts an individual approach, tailoring therapy sessions to meet the client’s presenting concerns.
Services Available
Charlotte offers individual therapy sessions for adolescents, adults and, on occasion, children aged 10 and above who are experiencing a range of differing mental health presentations, including depression, anxiety, panic responses, grief, stress, and relationship issues. Therapy sessions for children generally require parental attendance for the duration of the consultations. Initial sessions for children are parental intake sessions without the child in attendance.
Clients can access sessions for psychological therapy via their GP or Paediatrician for a referral for a Medicare Mental Health Treatment Plan for up to ten sessions per calendar year, or they can access services privately (without a referral and without a Medicare rebate). Charlotte has very limited capacity to work with NDIS plan or self-managed referrals.
Contact Details
Charlotte is contactable via email address (preferred) or phone call on her work days.
Email charlotte@cbpsychologist.com
Phone 0474 787 410
Australian Psychological Society https://psychology.org.au/find-a-psychologist/psychologist?profile=charlottebrough
Tiffany Heritage
Tiffany is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker with 14 years of experience working with children and families. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work, a Post Graduate Diploma of Mental Health Science in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, and a Graduate Certificate of Play Therapy. Tiffany is an Associate Member of the Australian Play Therapy Association (APTA), currently completing clinical hours towards clinical registration. Additionally, she is a certified Autplay® Therapy provider and trained in Theraplay® and Sunshine Circles®. Tiffany offers mental health and developmental therapy for children aged 2-12 years, that is play-centred, and creativity focused.
Services Available
Play therapy is extensively researched and evidence based. It is shown to help children facing a variety of challenges, including developmental concerns, anxiety, trauma, behavioural difficulties, emotional regulation issues, self-esteem struggles, family changes, and social difficulties. In play therapy, children can explore and express their emotions, build resilience, develop coping skills, and navigate their experiences in a safe, nurturing and supportive environment. Attachment-focused methods and other play-based expressive techniques can be integrated into play therapy, determined based on the individual needs of the child and family. Please refer directly to the website – playfulmindstherapy.com.au – for more detailed information about services offered.
Fees, Funding and Rebates
Please refer directly to - https://playfulmindstherapy.com.au/fees
Contact Details
Email admin@playfulmindstherapy.com.au
Call 0413 866 462
Website playfulmindstherapy.com.au
Cate Teague
Cate is a credentialled Adult and Infant Mental Health Nurse with the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses www.acmhn.org
She has recently completed her Masters in Health (Perinatal & Infant Mental Health) at Federation University. She also brings with her over 30 years experience of Midwifery and Maternal & Child Health Nursing, ensuring a depth of knowledge in all things perinatal.
Having worked in Inpatient Mother and Baby setting for the last 10 years, she is highly experienced in mother-infant therapeutic interventions, perinatal adjustment and infants who may be unsettled.
Services Available
Cate is presently offering a variety of programs tailored to newborn infants (0-3 months) that includes infant massage, developmental play and ways to understand your individual infant while holistically supporting parents in their transition to parenting.
For infants over 4 months of age, she can also offer the Watch, Wait and Wonder program which is a gentle intervention for parent-infant dyads to enhance bonding, improve infant sleep, tantrums, and developmental difficulties. To learn more: www.watchwaitwonderdownunder.com
For clinicians, Cate has completed Clinical Supervision training with Centre for Psychiatric Nursing Research and Practice (CPNRP) and is available as a provider for any clinicians working in the perinatal and infant mental health space.
Clients can access sessions directly via email to discuss packages and medicare options.
Contact Details
Email catethenurse@outlook.com