As her life dream was to become a psychologist, she enrolled in multiple post-graduate courses, including a Graduate Diploma in Health Psychology, followed by a Masters of Applied Science, which was upgraded to a Ph.D and was completed in 2003. Samantha's Ph.D research combined her two specialty areas: health and sport psychology.
Samantha's clinical work spreads across several domains including, private practice, organization/club consultancy, academic guest lecturing, and group education and workshops. According to her clients, Samantha tends to work in a direct, “down to earth” manner, but this is balanced by much compassion and humour. Although, she was specifically trained in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, she combines a wide range of treatment modalities to ensure each client's needs are best met.
Clinical Health Psychology
Health Psychology centres on the “psychology” of physical health, medical conditions and illness. Samantha specialises in delivering cognitive-behavioral interventions in the areas of traumatic injury and sports injury rehabilitation, including chronic pain, adjustment and disability and post-traumatic stress reactions. Samantha also has specialist experience working with sleep problems, anxiety disorders and prescribed medication dependency.
Sport and Performance Psychology
Samantha has consulted with a variety of elite, professional, and recreational athletes of all ages in both, individual or team sports. She provides individual counselling or group interventions for elite sporting clubs or associations, such as Victorian Institute of Sport, Basketball Australia, and Methodist Ladies' College Gymnastics Club. As well as sports psychology, her expertise in performance enhancement skills is easily transferred to other performance areas such as study or academic success, public speaking, staff or managerial training, musicians and performing artists or medical practitioners/surgeons.
Sport psychology includes mastering performance anxiety, performance enhancement, motivational problems, competition or event preparation, risk of injury or adjustment to injury, career development, the transition out of sport, balancing lifestyle, exercise addiction, and team conflict.
Children and Adolescents
Samantha has a particular interest in working with school-aged children, adolescents and young adults in the areas of study skills, exam anxiety, career development, giftedness, eating disorders, social anxiety, school refusal, sport and exercise psychology, behavioural problems, depression, sleep disturbance and self-esteem issues.
Health Funds and Memberships
Samantha is a registered provider with most major private health funds, Medicare, Transport and Accident Commission, Victorian Workcover Authority, as well as Victorian Institute of Sport. She is registered a practicing psychologist with the Victorian Psychologist Registration Board and is a full member of the Australian Psychological Society including the College of Health Psychologists. In terms of sport affiliations, she is a member of Sports Medicine Australia and the International Sport Psychology Society. Samantha is also a member of TRANX, a specialised organisation, which assists people to withdraw from prescribed medication, such as tranquilizers and sleeping tablets.
