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Gemma van Heyst, Clinical Psychologist, My Space Pscyhology

Gemma van Heyst
Clinical Psychologist

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Clinic Days: Thu, Fri

Gemma holds a Master of Clinical Psychology from the University of Technology Sydney and a Bachelors degree with Honours in Psychology from Charles Sturt University. She is a registered Clinical Psychologist with The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and is a Member of the Australian Clinical Psychologists Association (ACPA).
 

Gemma is a warm, compassionate and considered therapist who feels passionate about creating connection and safety within the therapeutic relationship. Gemma works collaboratively with her clients to improve psychological wellbeing and reduce suffering, and feels privileged to ‘walk alongside’ her clients in their journey. Gemma works primarily with young people and adults experiencing a range of concerns including stress and anxiety, depression, complex trauma, PTSD, life transitions, grief & loss, body image & self-esteem concerns, personality vulnerabilities, relationship challenges, issues relating to gender and sexuality diversity and interpersonal difficulties.


Gemma enjoys working with young people and their families, working slowly to build a trusting environment for support and growth.  She has a great appreciation of the unique challenges facing adolescents, and of the complexity of transitioning from adolescence to adulthood. Gemma has diverse experience in this area through her previous roles within tertiary education, an adolescent inpatient hospital and now within community mental health. Gemma is currently working as the Clinical Lead at the Youth Brief Intervention Service in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. This is a dedicated brief intervention for young people and their families who are coping with suicidality or self-harm.


Working through the effects of trauma is a particular interest and passion of Gemma’s. She has extensive experience working with people in heightened states of stress or crisis, and values the opportunity to sit with her clients while working towards a more grounded state of being using mindfulness-integrated therapies. Starting therapy is an act of bravery and Gemma works to create a safe and warm environment to support her client’s as they go through the process of recovering from trauma. Gemma has pursued specialized training in trauma-informed therapy to enable her to best support her clients.

 

Alongside her work at My Space Psychology, Gemma has worked at a private psychiatric hospital where she facilitated the group therapy program, working primarily with patients experiencing mood-related difficulties along with drug and alcohol misuse. Gemma values the opportunity to create a safe space for shared healing in a group setting. Here, Gemma also worked as the Allied Health Manager, where she offered clinical supervision and oversaw the clinical program for both inpatient and outpatient services.


Gemma’s work is grounded in a relational and attachment-informed framework. She flexibly tailors treatment to individual needs using a range of evidence-based therapies in her work, including: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Schema Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

 My Space Psychology
A place to feel safe and share your story

(02) 9555 2611

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