Dr Robyn Brown | Clinical Psychologist
Dr Robyn Brown | Clinical Psychologist
BA (Psychology & Forensic Science), BA (Hons), PhD (Clinical Psychology)
I am a Clinical Psychologist who adopts a warm and empathic approach, working collaboratively to achieve therapeutic goals. With a PhD in positive psychology, I believe in the benefit of focusing on strengths to assist the people I work with to create change and motivate them towards fulfilment in their lives. A good dose of humour doesn’t hurt either!
I have experience working with adolescents (13 +) and adults with a variety of difficulties, including:
- Depression
- Stress
- Self-esteem issues and self-sabotage
- Anxiety conditions (generalized anxiety, panic attacks, health anxiety, social anxiety)
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Eating Disorders and those wanting to improve their relationship with food
- Body image problems
- Social phobia
- Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
- Addiction (Alcohol and drugs)
- Grief and loss
- Work stress
My preferred treatment modality is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), whereby I assist clients to modify their unhelpful thinking cycles leading to positive behavioural outcomes.
As a Clinical Psychologist I have undertaken advanced training in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders.
An interview with Dr Robyn Brown
Why did you become a psychologist?
I guess growing up, I was always the friend that people spoke to and shared their problems with. I really enjoyed it (as corny as it sounds), I really enjoyed being their friend and helping them during difficult times. After a long time of hearing many friends saying ‘You know, you’re really good at this’, I reflected on what I might want to do as an adult and realised that psychology really fits my values. It really aligned with my interests. And it really fit with what I was good at and my strengths. So that’s when I started with my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and took it from there.
What are you passionate about in Psychology?
I find human beings and human behaviours fascinating. I think everyone should be in therapy or study psychology at least, because it’s everywhere. Psychology is life. It’s all around you all the time and in everything we do, think and feel. I love talking to people, I love interacting with people, relating to people. So I find that it really suits my interests. I just find it immensely interesting and an interesting space to be in.
What gives you a sense of satisfaction?
I find it really satisfying when I form solid, collaborative relationships with my clients. Once we find a good groove and they’re making some real positive changes in their lives, I find this to be the most fulfilling experience. I think that the therapeutic relationship is so important and it’s what I spent a lot of time investing in with all of my clients; seeing the positive changes that they implement, when they have their ‘aha moments’, when they start to make links and find patterns in their lives that they haven’t previously reflected on or noticed can be meaningful for them. So yeah, it’s an honour to be working alongside people so closely, sharing with them, them sharing vulnerabilities with me and being able to be a part of that process for them.
What can a client expect in their first session?
The first part is getting them to feel settled in the space especially if they’ve never seen a psychologist before. And then what goes with psychology is usually a bit of an exploration of their life experiences, trying to get a sense of who they are and the development of their core beliefs, life experiences that shaped who they are today and how they relate to others, how they see the world and also a good sense of what brings them to therapy. So also, questions such as what are their main concerns? What are the things they’re struggling with? How can I best support them with a good sense of our goals, so that we can work together to achieve what they need to achieve?