Zoe Vilenica

‘she/her’

senior Psychologist

Available on Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays.

IMG_1183-1.jpg
 

Qualifications

  • Full registration as a Psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Queensland University of Technology

  • Bachelor of Psychology (Honours), Griffith University

  • Trauma-Sensitive Yoga training, Centre for Trauma Embodiment (Boston); Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Australia

I am drawn to the beauty and power of the human spirit, and our innate potential to learn, grow and change throughout our lives in positive and meaningful ways. As your psychologist, I bring my personal qualities of warmth, compassion, and understanding to provide a respectful and safe therapeutic space for us to work through the issues that are challenging you, to draw on and develop your natural strengths, and to learn new skills and perspectives.

My counselling style is gentle, nurturing, containing, as well as grounding and practical. As a trauma-informed practitioner, I have a deep understanding of trauma, and the overt and subtle ways that trauma impacts upon our selves, our relationships and our functioning. I will work with you so that the feeling of calm, acceptance and safety that we create in the counselling space can be developed from within.

I wholeheartedly believe that wellness and ease is our natural, unaltered state of being. Our work together will assist you in identifying and removing the obstacles that have gathered throughout your life, so you may access and experience these natural states of peace and well-being. In the sanctuary of our counselling relationship, I will support you to dive deeper into your understanding of Self and shine a light into areas previously hidden, suppressed or undiscovered, in an atmosphere full of empowerment, choice and at a pace that feels right for you.

My therapeutic model draws from a variety of evidence-based, effective therapeutic approaches to personalise therapy to what is meaningful and useful for you, including Attachment Theory, Neurobiology, Mindfulness-Based Therapies, Person Centred Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Somatic Work, Positive Psychology and Trauma-Sensitive Yoga.

I work with adults across a range of concerns. My areas of interest include:

  • Childhood sexual abuse and sexual trauma

  • Attachment trauma

  • Complex and intergenerational trauma

  • Anxiety

  • Emotional regulation

  • Social skills

  • Self-esteem and self-worth

  • Dissociation

  • Transitions and cycles of womanhood

  • Existential and life crises

  • Parenting

  • Relationship dynamics and difficulties

Our body is the container for all of our emotions and experiences, and it also holds memories of our past, our injuries, and our traumas. Feeling safe and connected to our body and being able to self-regulate when we are triggered or distressed is vital to our well-being. Alongside talk therapy, our therapy work will incorporate the wisdom of your body into our sessions, to help you to live a more grounded and stable life within your body and yourself.

If you would like to connect with me, I look forward to supporting you to live a more embodied and integrated life - grounded safely in the present, to experience more joy, personal power, positive self-connection and well-being.