About Us
At Wise Mind Psychology Clinic, each of our psychologists has had the privilege of working with many individuals, families and groups, with a particular focus on parents and parents-to-be. From fertility difficulties and pregnancy to life with a new baby, returning to work, and raising children through different ages and stages, these transitions can bring sleepless nights, exhaustion, anxiety and self-doubt.
We all hope things will go smoothly when we become parents or start planning a family. Yet these times are often unpredictable and hard to navigate.
When things don't go to plan, it is easy to slip into self-criticism, and many of us end up struggling in silence, feeling embarrassed or believing nothing can change. It doesn't have to be this way. Help and hope are available.
We offer a warm, non-judgmental space where you can feel heard, and we welcome families of every shape, including LGBTQIA+ families, solo parents, blended families, and families created through donor conception, surrogacy, adoption or kinship care.
Together we will work towards your goals, using evidence-based approaches to help you manage difficult feelings, ease your symptoms and strengthen your close relationships, including your relationships with your children if you’re a parent. Our aim is to support you and your family thrive.
If you would like support to make positive changes for yourself and your family, please get in touch, as we would love to hear from you.
If you would like guidance and support to make positive changes to benefit you and your family, please get in touch. We look forward to talking to you!
Depression/sadness/low mood
Anxiety/worry/nervousness
Pre and postnatal depression and anxiety
Fertility challenges and navigating assisted reproduction
Grief and loss
Parenting challenges, including difficulties in the parent-child relationship and low parenting confidence
Family and relationship difficulties
How we can help…
We work with people to assist some of the following issues:
Low self-esteem and confidence
Difficult childhoods, including abuse, neglect or the loss of loved ones
The effects of trauma
Major life changes or events, such as breakups, physical illness or loss
Issues related to culture, immigration, or adjusting to a new place
This is not a complete list. Please get in touch about the specific difficulties you are facing and we can discuss this in more detail.
Our Psychologists
Emily Wilkinson
Clinical Psychologist
Hi, I'm Emily, a Clinical Psychologist and the founder of Wise Mind Psychology Clinic. I find joy in helping people work towards a rich and fulfilling life, despite any obstacles they may face. I have a particular interest in the perinatal period and parenting, and I support people who are thinking about starting a family, navigating fertility challenges, expecting a baby, or raising children of any age.
I’ve had the privilege of working with many individuals who have experienced major challenges. These changes can be overwhelming.
The therapeutic relationship is one of the most important parts of therapy, so I place a strong emphasis on connection, rapport and building trust. Our work together will be highly collaborative. In my work, I draw mostly on compassion-focused, strengths-based and attachment-focused approaches. Where relevant, I also assist clients to build parenting skills and parenting confidence, so that they can thrive in their family context.
I came to this work because I believe parents need more support than many of us receive, and that when parents are well supported, our families also have the chance to thrive. This can also have a ripple effect through the generations.
Qualifications and memberships
Registered Psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
APS College of Clinical Psychologists Fellow
Accredited Bringing Baby Home (Gottman Institute) workshop facilitator and completed couples therapy training with the Gottman Institute
Certified Circle of Security Parenting (COSP) program facilitator
Perinatal-specific training with the Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE) and the University of Sydney
Sarah van Ree
Psychologist, Board Approved Supervisor
Welcome, and thank you for taking the time to be here. I'm Sarah, and I have been a Registered Psychologist since 2010. I've had the honour of holding space and sitting with parents, bearing witness to life's struggles, joys and mundanities. I hold this sacred space carefully, because opening up and being vulnerable is difficult.
I have experience working with people in the pre-conception, infertility, assisted reproduction, pregnancy loss and stillbirth stages. I also support people antenatally, as well as those experiencing birth trauma, the adjustment to parenting and changes in their relationships. People come to me for parenting support, and I draw on Attachment Theory and Circle of Security principles in this work. More broadly, I have extensive experience supporting people with perinatal depression and anxiety. I have been practising via telehealth since 2020.
When we work together:
I will work at your pace, unpacking, stabilising and grounding, so that therapy feels safe.
I will notice your intuition and strengths, observing and naming the innate wisdom within you.
I will draw out your unique and emerging values, tailoring interventions to suit the family you want to create.
I will remain firmly grounded in evidence-based practice, using strategies and ideas that have been rigorously tested.
I will provide affirming and inclusive care, creating a safe, predictable and collaborative space.
I will remain open and curious as we share the stuff of life.
Qualifications and memberships
Registered Psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) approved supervisor
Certified Circle of Security Parenting (COSP) program facilitator
Perinatal-specific training with the Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE) and the University of Sydney
Teresa Sartor
Psychologist
Hi, I’m Teresa. I’m a Registered Psychologist with over eight years’ experience in perinatal mental health and a particular interest in reproductive mental health. I feel privileged to support individuals and couples through some of the most challenging and emotionally complex experiences involved in building a family.
I have extensive experience supporting people through infertility, fertility treatment and assisted reproduction, pregnancy loss, pregnancy after loss, and alternative pathways to parenthood. I also work with people experiencing perinatal anxiety and depression, birth trauma, adjustment to pregnancy and parenthood, parenting challenges, grief and loss, anxiety, stress and significant life transitions.
My approach to therapy is warm, compassionate, collaborative and practical. I believe it is important that people feel genuinely heard and understood, while also having support to make sense of what they are experiencing and develop practical ways of moving through difficult periods. I draw primarily on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), alongside attachment-informed, grief-informed and trauma-informed approaches.
Qualifications and memberships
Registered Psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
Member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS)
Member of Australian Association of Psychologists (AAPi)
Member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and its Mental Health Professionals Group
Certificate in Perinatal Mental Health, University of Sydney
Specialised reproductive mental health training through ASRM and the Seleni Institute
Certified Circle of Security Parenting (COSP) program facilitator
Currently completing Psychology Board-approved supervisor training
How to Book
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New Clients
Contact us to book an initial free 15 minute phone session here.
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Existing Clients
Contact us to book your next appointment.
Treatment Philosophy
Our clinicians use an integrative approach, which allows us to draw on a wide range of theories and techniques to provide therapy that is tailored to your needs.
We use numerous evidence-based techniques, including those drawn from:
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
Interpersonal Therapy
Narrative approaches
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
Mindfulness
Attachment-based approaches
Schema Therapy
Strengths-based approaches
Our clinicians work within a culture of regular supervision, reflection and ongoing learning, so the care you receive is thoughtful and sustainable.
Being based at Footscray Community Arts and offering Telehealth appointments reflects who we are. We value the accessibility that telehealth can offer. We also value creativity, community and belonging, so we want our clients to come to a welcoming community space when they work with us in-person.
Wise Mind Psychology Clinic respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners of this land, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong peoples of the Kulin Nation, and pays respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.
We acknowledge that this land is stolen land and that sovereignty was never ceded. We work to honour the living culture, knowledge and struggle of Australian Aboriginal peoples.
We acknowledge the value and importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories, traditions, knowledge, psychology, and way of life that shape and sustain our national identity and way of life, and the historic and ongoing impact of colonisation and inequality.