Michelle Dunne

As a clinical psychologist with over 30 years’ experience, I aim to support people gain the knowledge and understanding to increase their choices in life. The process should help reduce pain, help you to find direction, improve how you back yourself up, and to gain a sense of agency over your life. 

With my years of experience, I know there are four essential ingredients needed for symptom relief, or lasting change. 

• Firstly, the knowledge and recognition that something isn’t working. 
• Secondly, to have the desire to change old habits. 
• Thirdly, to have the courage to make the initial step to begin therapy, and to remain invested in yourself. 
• The fourth important aspect is to feel that the therapeutic relationship is safe and supportive, which is essential for healing and change.

WHO I WORK WITH:

I work with adults who are over 25 years of age, and I see younger people who have done prior therapy and hope to re-visit issues or work on new ones.  My approach is informed by psychodynamic, analytic (including dream work), and self-compassion approaches, cognitive work is always involved. I aim to help people untangle the influence of early patterns, that may be out of awareness, and to improve the relationship with themselves and others.  

A sample of the issues that I enjoy working with are:

• ADHD assessment and working with people who have ADHD and want to make changes.
• Relationship problems that recur including with adult children, or parents.
• Problems setting boundaries with employers, family, friends.
• Life transitions e.g., menopause, retirement, career change.
• Grief – prolonged, complicated, and the loneliness and isolation resulting from loss.
• Problems with trust.
• Medical trauma (surgical or other) or health issues e.g., Parkinson’s Disease, Rheumatoid/Psoriatic Arthritis. I do not provide medico-legal assessments or reports.
• Discrete Adult trauma – I provide EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) where there are no ongoing legal matters. 
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Michelle runs her own independent practice and engages Perth Psychology Collective to provide administrative and other business services to enable her to provide assessment and treatment to  her clients.