I get it life doesn’t always go to plan... I am a very real person... I’m a working parent... I've also done the work, studying (and parenting) juggle .. I understand the mental load and the pressure ...

This makes me relational, nonjudgmental and flexible in the way I work with you on what's going to help you make the changes you need.

We're often not aware of, if or how, the patterns in one area of our life repeat in other. That’s why I focus on building better relationships and understanding these patterns, as from there we can change many aspects of your life.

While what you are experiencing might be anxiousness, low mood, distress, sleeplessness or feeling stuck in your life, these are often the things that help us know there is something wrong, and something needs to shift.

Creating a meaningful change doesn’t stop at this level.

I've been a registered Psychologist since 2004, my path to registration included completing a Bachelor of Applied Science in Disability Studies and Honours as a 4-year approved sequence of study to become a psychologist. I then completed a two-year internship, which allowed me to complete my 6 years while working and learning.

In 2018, wanting to extend my skills and refresh my learning, I commenced a post registration (meaning it's designed for people who are already registered psychologists) Masters of Clinical Psychology.

My Story

So, I didn’t always want to be a Psychologist... I was going to have a career in art and design, I was sure of it.... but turns out it really didn’t suit me and I found myself like so many young people, thinking no one ever told me I should have a plan B.....

Through a turn of events, I ended up working in the disability support sector, from there my passion for working with people began.

I undertook a range of studies and embarked as a ‘mature age student’ into a degree that allowed me to keep my interest in both disability, mental health and psychology.

For many years I worked in the not-for-profit sector, supporting people manage and adapt to the impact of poor mental health, return to work and engage with their community, family and friends.  Passionate about human rights and equality (combined with a love of travel) I completed a 2 year work placement with Australian Volunteers International working in Eswatini's (formally Swaziland) only abuse service the Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse.

Establishing Jacqueline Ross Psychology means I can work one on one with you to help you change how you experience your life.

My Mission 

To support people to make the lasting changes they need to have a meaningful and fulfilling life.

Am I the right person to work with you?

How do you choose someone who will be right for you?

When you look at our websites we all look a little the same. The thing is in many ways we are the same, we all have the same fundamentals in our training and we have to meet the same requirements to be able to be registered as psychologists. From there we may vary in the additional training or areas of interest we have.

Well, that’s not at all helpful I hear you say.

What about therapy styles, most people have a long list of those, will that help you know if this person is right for you?

CBT, ACT, CPT, IPT, Schema - How do you know which of those is the right one for you?

It’s confusing isn’t it!

What all the research has told us after many years is that some approaches are better than others at treating certain symptoms and conditions but the biggest factor is that you feel comfortable with your psychologist.

We are asking a lot of you, we expect you to come in and talk to a person you don’t know about things that you don’t fully understand yourself,  that you might feel confused about or that you might not have talked to anyone about. So, it’s not surprising really why you feeling comfortable or what is called the ‘fit’ is so important.

My style is relaxed and conversational, that doesn’t mean we are just having a chat we are working on the goals that you set and the things you want to work on. My role as your therapist is to work with you, but YOU do the work. While I bring information, skills and strategies that is only part of the journey.

I do work that focuses on relationships so we look at how you relate to your world, the people in it and how successful it feels for you. While we can focus on things like anxiety or mood what I have found is once you have some strategies to make it manageable, to make a lasting change we need to look a little deeper - how you relate or interact with your world.

If you only want strategies, and symptom reduction, I am not your person.  This doesn’t mean that I am not practical or that I won’t provide actionable ways to improve, or that I am not interested in reducing your symptoms – on the contrary - but that is only a part of what will create meaningful and lasting change.  

While not always comfortable some of the ‘doing’ is experiencing rather than avoiding your thoughts, feelings and experiences.