Ivy Psychology

Get to know Ivy Psychology

From Ivy Psychology's website.

• Our approach

  Therapy at Ivy Psychology is evidence-based and tailored to each person rather than following a single approach. Clinicians draw on multiple modalities including CBT, ACT, schema therapy, DBT, EMDR, and psychodynamic approaches, matching the method to the individual's needs. In your first session, the clinician will focus mostly on listening and understanding what brought you in, what you've tried, and what you're hoping for—there won't be much in the way of techniques or homework initially. Early sessions build a shared understanding of what's going on and what success would look like, while ongoing therapy typically happens in 50-minute sessions weekly or fortnightly. Therapy rooms are light-filled and private, more like a living room than a clinical office, and sessions can take place in-person at the Randwick clinic, online, or in-home for NDIS participants.

• Working with families

  The practice works alongside parents and carers, recognising that for children especially, change often happens through the people around them rather than the child alone. Therapy with children often involves parents and sometimes schools. The team communicates with families and other clinicians involved in the child's care, and for NDIS participants, behaviour support practitioners work largely with the system around the person—including family, support workers, and school staff—to implement behaviour support plans. You can refer your child directly without needing a doctor's referral, and the team will respond within one business day.

• Meet the team

  The team is led by clinical psychologists including Joel Moffat (Founder & Co-Director) and others such as Alex Katerdjian and Moni Nazari. Clinical, registered, and provisionally registered psychologists deliver therapy under clinical supervision. The practice also includes registered psychologists like Bozena Zawisz and Kerolos Saad who conduct assessments and therapy, along with behaviour support practitioners trained in person-centred and trauma-informed approaches. Administration support is provided by remote and clinic-based staff. Clinicians come from diverse cultures, languages, and lived experiences, including LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent identities.

• Your first visit

  Your first session is mostly listening on the clinician's part as they seek to understand what has brought you in, what you've already tried, what you're hoping for, and some of your life history. There won't be much in the way of techniques or homework at this stage. By the end of the first session, you and your clinician will have a sense of whether this feels like the right fit and what working together would look like. The session lasts 50 minutes and sets the foundation for the work ahead. If it doesn't feel right, you can discuss a different clinician.