The first appointment is an opportunity to get to know each other. If you feel up to it, I will often start an assessment, with more in-depth questions that aren’t on my intake form. You have the opportunity to ask me questions too. There is no rush to complete the assessment in the first appointment. If your circumstances are straightforward, it might only take one appointment but it’s normal for the assessment and treatment planning to take 2-3 appointments.

I have a consulting room at Yoga Farm in Mount Duneed. I am located there and offer regular weekly or fortnightly appointments on Fridays. You have the option to see me in-person or via Telehealth. My available appointment times are 9AM, 10AM, 11AM, 1PM and 2PM. I do not offer out of hours appointments.

The frequency of sessions I usually recommend is a recurrent fortnightly appointment, for example every second Friday at 1PM. However, you may also opt for a weekly appointment, if you require more intensive treatment. We also know from research that higher session frequency resulted in faster recovery - weekly and fortnightly appointments are associated with the most efficient treatment outcomes (Erekson, Lambert & Eggett D, 2015).

In addition to this scheduling structuring being best practice for clinical outcomes, I am also a single independent practitioner offering just five appointments per week. This scheduling structure allows me to offer consistent and equitable care to as many people as possible, within such a limited schedule. I’d rather you have your first six fortnightly appointments held for you in advance, and cancel them if you don’t need them all, than leave you high and dry whilst you’re feeling most vulnerable, but I’m booked out for several weeks.

How long is a piece of string… Depending on your circumstances, therapy take merely a few sessions, or a few years, but I do not believe you need to recline back on the couch for 30 years to “fix” yourself. Lets go slow, and work hard - together, to get you where you want to be, as soon as possible. I am very transparent and upfront about my recommendation for the duration of your treatment during treatment planning (in the second or third session). If my recommendation seems to be more or less than you where expecting or hoped, we can negotiate a briefer and more targeted treatment plan, or similarly, if you aren’t ready to let go, I can add you to a cancellation list so you could have the occasional “maintenance” appointments if I have a late cancellation.

I am a single independent practitioner and manage my own appointments. When I receive your referral from your GP or specialist, I email you to offer you a first appointment. If you are sure you will want to work with me, I can schedule your first six (weekly or fortnightly) appointments in advance to ensure you have consistency. You can cancel them if you change your mind or get what you came for before the sixth session, but usually six is the minimum number of sessions people need and why the MHTP review is required following the sixth, to determine if another four sessions are needed or if treatment can be concluded there.

I can process your payment and generate your Medicare automatically with my booking software, using your stored card details. Alternatively, if you would like to manually pay for your appointment by card, or bank transfer (PayID) to avoid the card processing fees, this is an option and I can manually generate your Medicare rebate after receiving payment.

I highly recommend emailing me to change your appointment to Telehealth or even a telephone appointment, rather than rescheduling or paying cancellation fees during pain flares. I can help you to work with and through the pain flare - it’s not an inconvenience to our work. Not attending therapy because of a pain flare is a missed opportunity to do the work, when you need it most.

Great question. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines persistent (previously called chronic) pain as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience, that may or may not be related to tissue damage. Most people are conditioned to think of pain as a medical problem but psychology is actually embedded into the definition of pain. It’s kinda bewildering to me that we don't tend to focus on the emotional, cognitive and social dimensions as primary components of persistent pain treatment. To be honest with you, most people find me when they are at the end of a long road of medical and physical interventions that not only didn’t help, but sometimes even made their pain worse. Psychologists are experts in sensory, emotional, cognitive and psychosocial dimensions of health. I teach people about pain science, how to learn to self-regulate the natural physiological hyperarousal that comes with the experience of pain, and how to reconnect with their bodies without fear. What is often overlooked by medically and physically trained practitioners is the unresolved traumatic stress response of the injury or stressful life transition that started around the same time as the pain. In some cases, resolving the trauma also pulls the pain out by the root. Some psychologists are also highly skilled at trauma resolution. General awareness of mental health and psychological science has increased in recent decades and fortunately seeing a Psychologist for your persistent pain is increasingly being seen as one of the smartest treatment avenues you can choose.

Many people feel hesitant about starting with a new Psychologist because they worry they will have to retell painful or traumatic parts of their story all over again. While some understanding of your past can be helpful in making sense of what you’re experiencing now, usually just what you have shared on the intake form can be enough to guide me and therapy certainly does not require you to go into graphic detail about what has happened to you to be effective. I have worked with people who have never actually told me details of the traumatic event that bought them to see me, and still we have been able to process the memory that haunts them. If you have any concerns or questions regarding telling your story, please feel free mention it on your intake form so I am aware before we begin.

Any diagnosis is a double edged sword. A diagnosis of Complex PTSD for someone that has been emotionally abused for much of their life, can be a validating and empowering diagnosis and offer a clear pathway to recovery with trauma therapy. For another person, a diagnosis can feel like a disease or defectiveness in them, and life sentence they must serve - even if there are treatments that would likely resolve it. This is similar with persistent pain, some people feel as those their pelvic pain is not valid because they did not get a diagnosis of endometriosis, or their back pain doesn’t make sense because they were told their spine was healthy when scanned. For others, the diagnostic findings of a scan can terrify them about their body being fragile or broken.

There are risks and benefits of diagnosis. Sometimes your GP will offer you a mental health diagnosis during the assessment for your MHTP. If you are interested in my diagnostic impression, that is part of what I can offer following assessment. However, if this is not of interest to you we can work therapeutically without it. I see the value of diagnosis at times, but I also think that our culture over-pathologises normal human experiences too, and that all our symptoms and suffering makes sense when we understand what people have been through.

EMDR is my psychological therapy of choice, however it’s not the only one that I can offer you. If you come to me for pain-related insomnia, I tend to offer people Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), which is the gold standard for insomnia and an approach I have extensive experience providing. CBT and EMDR have the most evidence for the focus areas I work with. However, we discuss and mutually agree on the psychological therapy approach I think would best meet your goals and hopes for treatment during our early treatment planning.

I understand that sometimes people have had trauma therapy in the past and have been re-traumatised by the experience. It is courageous to come back to therapy on the back of that. I appreciate that you may need a slower pace, alternative ways of processing trauma to eye movements and other measures to make you feel safe and comfortable in therapy with me. We can use bilateral sounds or bilateral tapping to reprocess traumatic memories within an EMDR approach, if that is preferable to eye movements for you. I have extensive experience and accreditation in EMDR, and can flexibility meet your needs using this approach, or negotiate an alternative approach or practitioner.

I am a certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. However, SE is not currently an evidence-based treatment. In other words, there has not been enough research conducted to scientifically qualify whether SE is effective or not. Therefore, it does not currently attract a Medicare rebate.

In saying this, SE is a framework for understanding shock trauma, how trauma is stored and released from the autonomic nervous system, how to notice the story the body is telling in each moment, and work with the body and physiology, without touching you. SE informs all of my work, from my intake form to how I regulate myself before, during and after our sessions. I cannot “do” SE with you, there is no manual or protocol to follow, but I integrate my understanding of physiology and the autonomic nervous system, as well as simple somatic techniques I have learned from SE, into EMDR therapy.

The carpark is accessible and there is a ramp into the building. There is a half step down into my consulting room. The building is an old farm house and sadly the toilet is not accessible. I am able to offer Telehealth as an alternative to attending my consulting room at Yoga Farm.

Yes you can, I see Victorian residents on Telehealth. If you are outside of Victoria, please feel welcome to get in contact to discuss if treatment via Telehealth may be appropriate for your circumstance.

I admit that I have been a slow and cautious adopter of AI. I avoid using it in my personal life, and have serious concerns for the health, social, environmental and existential risks AI poses. I am also an advocate for using our on human intelligence to solve simple and complex daily tasks - it keeps our brains healthy! However, I am trialling using an AI scribe for my private work, as most practitioners have already been using them for some time. I will be trialling using an AI scribe in 2027. However, I am only permitted to use it with your informed and written consent and I take no offence to typing and even handwriting my notes from our sessions if you’d prefer I not use it - this is the now old-fashioned what I am used to working anyway!

Sadly, no. This is not a preference, it is a professional obligation, and it exists to protect you. You can read more about how and why I keep my psychological services and yoga teaching seperate on the Scope of Practice Statement on my Polices page.

I have listed other yoga teachers that teach the styles of yoga I offer on a document called Referral List of Alternative Practitioners in my Resource Library. I highly recommend practicing yoga whilst in therapy, however legally it just can’t be with me!

Great question!

Clinical Supervision is an ongoing structured professional relationship in which I support the development of your practice in my focus areas of trauma, persistent pain and somatic symptoms. I am commited to both practically helping and deeply nurturing you and your practice over an extended period, for as long as is useful for you.

Peer Supervision is structured professional discussion between practitioners on a collegial basis. As a Clinical Psychologist, I am skilled in facilitating peer group supervision within interdisciplinary settings, such as public health settings and private group practices that have the same focus areas as me. Allied health pracitioners sometimes just want a peer who can provide a more psychological oversight than they have, or give them the space for reflective practice that is not baked into their current workplace culture or available to them as a solo private practitioner; individual peer supervision can be a good option for practitioners in this situation.

Case Consultation is a one-off or occasional consultation on a specific matter, without an ongoing supervisory relationship.

As is best practice, all of my supervisees and consultees create a Supervision Agreement before we meet (we often finalise it during the first appointment), to ensure we are both on the same page from the beginning about our professional relationship.

Yes potentially, but only via Telehealth; get in touch to find out if I currently have capacity to offer out of hours appointments.

Sorry, I don’t provide supervision to provisional psychologists, registrars, students on placement in an accredited higher degree program, or psychologists completing a re-entry or transitional program in my private practice.

Please feel welcome to get in touch with me once you have obtained your area of endorsement though, I’d be most happy to provide your Clinical Supervision at that time.

I hope so, but I cannot guarantee that any hours undertaken within a supervision or consultation agreement will be recognised by any registration board, professional association or other body, for CPD, supervision, registration, endorsement, accreditation or any other purpose. So please determine with your own professional body, the requirements as to the qualifications, membership, registration, and so forth required for recognition of hour of supervision, before contacting me to arrange supervision or consultation.

You can find a list of my qualifications and professional memberships in my About Me page to help you determine whether any hours of supervision or consultation with me could be recognised for your desired purposes.

Absolutely, just ask and I can write it up according to my records, and email it through to you as soon as I can.

Yes, I can offer you clinical or peer supervision via Telehealth. However, please be mindful that when it comes to state-specific legal obligations and regulations, I am only familiar with the Victorian jurisdiction.

Yes, check out my Therapy Clients page which has detailed information about Referral Pathways (found under Important to Know section) written to help clients decide on the best way to access my psychological services according to their circumstances.

The only exception of course, is when there is a conflict of interest regarding the referral.

Sadly, no. This is not a preference, it is a professional obligation, and it exists to protect you. You can read more about how and why I keep my psychological services and yoga teaching seperate on the Scope of Practice Statement on my Polices page.

I have listed other yoga teachers that teach the styles of yoga I offer, on a document called Referral List of Alternative Practitioners in my Resource Library. I highly recommend practicing yoga whilst in clinical practice, however legally it just can’t be with me!

The best way is to email me: hello@mindfulwithmeg.com.au

I’m also on Instagram (@mindfulwithmeg), LinkedIn (@Meg Barber) and Research Gate (@Meg Barber) - let’s connect!

All Open classes include 14 elements in a sequence creatively designed by me with a corresponding eclectic music playlist - no boring spa music in my classes! The 14 elements of a Jivamukti Open class that you will soon come to recognise, include; dharma (a spiritual discourse or contemplation), devotional chanting, asana (postures) of which several are included in every class, pranayama (breathing) and dharana (meditation). The asana sequence is a balance of sun salutations, standing, forwardbending, twisting, backbending asanas and inversions. In all my classes I offer hands-on assists. To ensure safety and choice, all students are given a consent card to establish your preference for hands-on assistance or verbal assistance only, during any given class.

Yes, you certainly can. My Jivamukti Open classes are called “Open” because it is open and suitable to all levels of practitioner, including beginners. Even so, beginning students should know that there will not be much detailed “how to do” descriptions; for that I recommend attending other classes including Jivamukti Basics, Magic 10 and Beyond, Restore and Renew, Jivamukti Yoga Meditation and iRest Yoga Nidra classes. These are my slowest paced classes and therefore, most accessible for beginners. Jivamukti Open classes are faster paced however, I am used to supporting beginners in my Open classes, and my first experience of a yoga class was an Open class - and I’ve never looked back!

I primarily teach Jivamukti Yoga, and within this yoga method there are a few different types of classes that I offer:

• Jivamukti Open Class (90 minutes)

• Spiritual Warrior (60 minutes)

• Jivamukti Basics (60 minutes)

• The Magic 10 and Beyond (60 minutes)

• Restore and Renew (60 minutes)

• Jivamukti Yoga Meditation Class or iRest Yoga Nidra (60 minutes)

To read about these classes in more depth, check out my blog post that describes each in depth.

The Vegan Society defines veganism as; a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals. To practice veganism based on values surrounding animal, social and climate justice is commonly referred to as ethical veganism (as opposed to plant-based eating simply for good health). Hence, ethical vegans commonly avoid products such as wool, down, leather and silk, as well as products tested on animals. Most oppose animal-based entertainment industries too like zoos, rodeos and horse racing.

The practice of Jivamukti Yoga is a path to enlightenment through compassion for all beings. David Life and Sharon Gannon were and continue to be, animal rights activists first and yoga teachers second. You do not have to be vegan to practice Jivamukti Yoga. However, I think that this practice is remarkable in its capacity to awaken us to our interconnectedness with life and therefore, to inspire compassion for all beings. I don’t coerce or shame students into becoming vegan as I consider this a harmful approach to activism. All people are welcome to attend my classes; it is a special refuge for vegans.

You can arrange an individual private class on a Saturday morning after my public classes finish (around 10AM). This is a great option for those students returning from injury, postpartum or if you would like some personalised attention and advice about how to modify your practice around changing mobility or aging.

You are also welcome to contact me to arrange a private or corporate group class, either at Yoga Farm or at your own event venue.

My hourly rate for private yoga classes at Yoga Farm is $120, and $150 if the class includes travel to your private venue.

My strong preference is to teach only in-person classes. You can find a small collection of classes I recorded during the 2020-21 lockdowns here. 

Sadly, no. This is not a preference, it is a professional obligation, and it exists to protect you. You can read more about how and why I keep my psychological services and yoga teaching seperate on the Scope of Practice Statement on my Polices page.

I have listed other Psychologists that practice similarly to me, on a document called Referral List of Alternative Practitioners in my Resource Library. I highly recommend therapy as an accompaniment to yoga practice, however legally it just can’t be with me!