Meet Rebecca
Who am I?
I’m really passionate about what I do and would go so far as to say that I don’t see my job as merely a career but as my life’s mission. In my work with clients I intermingle my academic knowledge with the lessons that have come through the ‘school of heart knocks’ (coined by author Jeff Brown). I’m a self-confessed human optimisation junky and this has seen me change careers and take more workshops, seminars, retreats, and courses than you can count. All this knowledge and experience I bring to my sessions and share with you.
At times it can feel like there is a war raging inside us with our inner critics yelling harsh things, our inner children flooding us with difficult emotions and the external world wanting our attention and needing us to keep doing what we’re doing. My mission is to help bring peace and ease to the internal chaos so that you can hear that still, small, quiet voice inside and allow it to guide you to your most authentic, truthful and fulfilled life.
I don’t have a one size fits all formula which is why I spend the first session getting to know you so that we can map out a way forward that is specific to you and your own history. Some of the therapeutic styles that I use are cognitive behaviour therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy, schema therapy and mindfulness-based interventions. Although there are so many wonderful therapeutic modalities out there, I find that my favourite one is internal family systems since it has compassion, kindness, respect and non-violence at its core.
Those who know me describe me as empathetic, compassionate and non-judgemental. I think these qualities have always been in me, even as a little child when I used to secretly save caterpillars from being squashed by other kids. Although I’m still a big fan of caterpillars, nowadays I use these qualities to provide a safe and welcoming space for individuals to unburden themselves and share openly what is on their hearts.
My education
Although I always had a burning hunger for self-discovery, I wasn’t always a clinical psychologist. When I left school, I studied computer science (see below for the formal university education that I’ve completed) and ended up working as an IT project manager in the corporate world.
Master Coach with the Elementum Coaching Institute
Master of Psychology (Clinical) – University of Wollongong, graduated with Disctinction
Graduate Diploma of Psychology + Honours (University of Sydney)
Bachelor of Computer Science and Technology (University of Sydney)
This goes to show that sometimes one needs to take a meandering path and become a little (or a lot!) lost before the right way appears. On the plus side, at least I can fix my own computer….how many psychologists can say that!!
My areas of interest
I’m most passionate about helping people in the arena of sex, love and relationships and provide couples as well as individual therapy. I’m especially interested in how our past experiences shape who we are and what we do and enjoy working with people to help them shift long-standing patterns that may be getting in the way of living a wholehearted life.
I also have a particular interest in religion and spirituality and am passionate about working in the arena where spirituality and psychology intersect. Other areas that I find fascinating to work with include:
Grief, loss and bereavement including loss/changes in identity and relationship breakups
Life transitions and changes that occur when moving from one stage of life to another
Perfectionism
Burnout
Self-esteem, self-confidence, self-worth issues
Challenges with emotions. This may include not being able to regulate emotions, feeling too much of something e.g. anger, anxiety, numbness or not feeling enough of something e.g. joy, contentment, peace.
If, after reading the above, you think I may be able to help you as you journey forward into growth and transformation then please feel free to get in touch. I look forward to working with you.
My publications and past experience
Eventually, my IT skills did come in handy. I had the opportunity to mix my IT education with my interest in psychology. Me and a cast of thousands created an app for suicide prevention in Aboriginal Youth. The app has even been studied scientifically to prove that it did what we hoped it would do. If you’re curious about some of this work check out the publication details below and feel free to get in touch if you’d like more information.
Shand, F., MacKinnon, A., O’Moore, K., Ridani, R., Reda, B., Hoy, M., Heard, T., Duffy, L., Shanahan, M., Jackson-Pulver, L., Christensen, H. (2019). The iBobbly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander app project: Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials, 20(1):198.
Ridani, R., Torok, M., Shand, F., Holland, C., Murray, S., Borrowdale, K., Sheedy, M., Crowe, J., Cockayne, N., Christensen, H. (2016). An evidence-based systems approach to suicide prevention: guidance on planning, commissioning, and monitoring. Sydney: Black Dog Institute.
Ridani, R., Shand, F., Christensen, McKay K., H., Tighe, J., Burns, J., Hunter, E. (2015). Suicide prevention in Australian Aboriginal communities: A review of past and present programs. Suicide and Life Threatening Behaviour, 45(1), 111-140.
Shand, F., Ridani, R., Tighe, J., Christensen, H. (2013). The effectiveness of a suicide prevention app for Indigenous Australian youths: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials,14:396
Tighe, J., Shand, F., Ridani, R., Mackinnon, A., De La Mata, N., Christensen, H. (2017). Ibobbly mobile health intervention for suicide prevention in Australian Indigenous youth: A pilot randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open, 7(1), e013518.