We are a team of mental health professionals dedicated to offering clients professional support to work through issues in a safe environment. We are passionate about providing the highest quality care and support.

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Martina is a psychotherapist and counsellor with post graduate qualifications in Gestalt Psychotherapy & Counselling and Bowen Family Systems Theory & Practice. Martina also has training in Brainspotting, Gottman Method Couples Therapy and a Certificate in Group Leadership and Facilitation. She is a clinical member of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA). Martina is currently enrolled in a Masters of Social Work. She co-owns Affinity Psychotherapy.

For over 14 years Martina’s clinical work has included private practice, adult mental health, couples counselling, family therapy and group therapy. She has experience in drug & alcohol, having worked in relapse prevention programs, is skilled in the area of addictions and recovery and well versed in 12 step programs. Martina has also worked in organisations such as ACON (AIDS Council of New South Wales) and has experience working with LGBTQI people and people with HIV.

Martina has been a faculty member of two Sydney based psychotherapy institutes. She has experience in facilitating both Gestalt and Yalom psychotherapy groups, mindfulness based groups and professional development workshops.

Areas of Interest
Martina became interested in the work of Dr Murray Bowen in 2013, since then she has been an avid reader and a committed scholar of Bowen Family Systems Theory which she applies to both her clinical work and personal life. Martina has published two articles on Bowen Family Systems Theory through Wiley publishers in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy which were amongst the top 10% downloaded articles in both 2016-2017 and 2018 2019. She has presented her work at symposiums and conferences.

Martina has been embedded in contemplative practices and the healing arts for over twenty years, with experience in the practice and teaching of Yoga, a Diploma in Zen Shiatsu and a long term commitment to meditation in the Theravada Buddhist tradition. Over the last two decades she has regularly partaken in silent meditation retreats to enhance her knowledge of the mind with some of the world’s principal meditation teachers.

Martina brings a wealth of experience to her clinical practice in the form of mindfulness, presence and incisiveness.

English & Italian Speaker
Martina speaks English and Italian and employs a culturally-sensitive practice.

Publications:
Palombi, M. (2016). Separations: A Personal Account of Bowen Family Systems Theory, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 37(3), 327-339.

Palombi, M. (2018). From Gestalt Therapy to Family Systems: How Theoretical Frameworks Inform Clinical Applications,  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy.

Martina works with the following:

• Family therapy
• Couples Therapy
• Infidelity
• Divorce
• Conflict
• ​Depression
• Anxiety
• Anger management
• Trauma
• Stress management
• Life transitions
• Work related issues
• Drugs and alcohol
• Parenting problems
• Relationship counselling
• Grief and loss
• Family related issues

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Qualifications & Training:

• PACFA Reg. Clinical 23338
• B.F.A. (UNSW)
• Grad Dip. Gestalt Psychotherapy & Counselling
• Adv. Cert. Bowen Family Systems Theory & Practice
• Gottman Method Couples Therapy Level 2
• Cert. Group Leadership and Facilitation​

  

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John Gordon

‘ Do not feel lonely, the entire Universe is inside of you ‘ ( Rumi )

John is a licensed psychotherapist providing support and counselling for both individuals and couples. He has a Psychotherapy practice in Sydney and also together with his partner has built a retreat centre in Kangaroo Valley, NSW ( Arawaka…A Place of Sacred Nourishment ). This retreat centre allows for deeper healing and immersion for individuals and couples as they explore the deeper meaning and essence of who they are choosing to become. Using nature as an instrument of profound healing we can potentiate and mature when soul and our wild nature guide’s us. It is in the presence of a past, present and emerging rainforest setting at Arawaka that a template for a more mature, fulfilling and purposeful life can lead to inner healing and a better world

John works with INDIVIDUALS to explore those parts of selves that behaviourally get in the way from living a more authentic and meaningful life. These old patterns are formed in the developmental years of growth and often reflect our experience of Family of Origin. Letting go of these patterns often associated with a residue of trauma, allows for more healthy resourcing and self discovery. John is particularly interested in the body’s ability to self heal… psychologically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually

Couples Counselling
Many COUPLES seek Couples Counselling only when their relationship is either in crisis or stagnation. We now know, however through discoveries in neuroscience and interpersonal attachment that Couples can acquire and learn skills that can strengthen their relationship. Whether you are in a new relationship, an old and successful relationship, or a troubled relationship, couples counselling can enhance the quality of your life/lives

John works with the following:

• Anxiety & Stress.     
• Codependency
• Depression
• Divorce
• Dream Work
• Drugs & Alcohol
• Family Conflict
• Grief & Loss
• Infidelity
• Marital & Premarital
• Marriage & Family
• Men’s Issues
• Conflict Resolution
• Parenting
• Sexuality
• Spirituality
• Trauma PTSD
• Women’s Issues

MENTAL HEALTH

• Mood Disorders

MODALITY

• Individual
• Couples
• Family

QUALIFICATIONS

• Grad Dip. Gestalt Psychotherapy & Counselling
• SE ( Somatic Experiencing Advanced ) Trauma based… Dr Peter Levine
• DARE 1,2,3 & 4( Dynamic Attachment Re-patterning ) Somatic Attachment
•  … Diane Poole Hellar
• PACT 1 ( Psychological Approach to Couple Therapy )… Dr Stan Tatkin

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Declan Brady

‘ Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it ‘( Rumi )

Declan is a qualified psychotherapist, trainer, educator and supervisor. He is a core faculty member of a psychotherapy training institute and has been in private practice in Sydney for over 13 years. He has a specialisation in working with trauma using somatic experiencing, BrainSpotting and compassionate mindfulness approaches.

Declan has a long running interest in contemplative practices and their application in improving our experience of life and living well. He applies his knowledge of these practices in his work, such as mindfulness, non-duality instructions and breathing practices.

He is a clinical member and accredited supervisor of the Psychotherapy & Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA). Declan also works with issues of stress and anxiety, depression, relationship issues, existential issues and life and identity transitions. 

Declan has over 30 years experience working in the corporate sector, having held senior positions in multinational organisations in the financial services and insurance sectors. He understands the stresses and strains of daily life in the corporate sector and is ideally placed to provide support to people working in this context. Visit his corporate website here: centreforappliedtransformation.com/. He also previously served as a core faculty member of another psychotherapy training institute and worked in several rehabilitation centres as a psychotherapist helping clients in recovery from addictions and trauma.

Having two children, Declan also understands the responsibilities, challenges and joys of being a parent.

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