meet jemma

Social worker (MSW), EMDR Therapist, Child and Family Play Therapist (MCPT)

I am trained as a social worker, EMDR therapist and play therapist. I love the work I do and I wholeheartedly believe that healing comes from relationships.

I am particularly passionate about working with children and families who have experienced violence and abuse, including war and conflict and family violence and sexual assault. I have spent over 10 years as an international social worker, supporting refugee and displaced communities in countries including Turkey, Greece and Myanmar. It has been a privilege doing this work and I have a particular passion for supporting children and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

I hold a strong belief and commitment to love, care and connection as guiding values in my work. I truly believe that we cannot heal without being connected, seen and heard. This includes connecting to our own bodies, ourselves, our loved ones and our communities.

I am a social worker at my heart. I am an activist and advocate and see my clients in context of their environment. I strongly believe we have to work to change the systems that hoard power and cause harm.

I integrate EMDR, Flash technique, child and family play therapy and person-centered therapy in my work. I am guided by my clients, hoping to meet them where they are and working with approaches that speak to their heart and their true selves.

My experience includes:

  • refugee and migrant children and families

  • children and youth, including those in out-of-home-care

  • individual and group parent support services including Circle of Security

  • survivors of sexual and gender-based violence including human trafficking

  • young people living with disabilities

I practice within the Australian Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics and the EMDR International Association’s Professional Code of Conduct. I maintain regular supervision to support my practice. Feedback, concerns or complaints are welcome at any time.

my therapeutic approach

“Safety is not the absence of threat, it is the presence of connection”

-Gabor Maté

​

My therapeutic approach is grounded in attachment theory and neurobiology of trauma. I work from a person-centered and trauma-informed approach to practice.  This is done through supporting and (re)building safety within the body, self and community. It ensures clients are active participants in the therapeutic process where they have choices and where power is shared. Trust is also fundamental in trauma-informed practice, building trust in the therapeutic relationship to hold the client as they reestablish trust within themselves and with other people. It is essential that clients experience a sense of empowerment in the sessions that can then be transferred into their lives outside of therapy. 

​

I aim to meet clients in therapy wherever they are, to support them to have their needs met in a way that allows them to feel empowered and fully themselves.

You are welcome to be as you are.