About Straight Up Psychological Services

Straight Up Psychological Services is a psychology practice based in Griffith, NSW. 

A lot of people arrive at therapy already doing a lot of work.

They’ve read the books. They’ve tried the strategies. They’ve pushed themselves to cope, to fit, to keep things together. Often they’re described as “high functioning” or “doing well”. Even while feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or permanently on edge underneath.

I work with people who are tired of adjusting themselves just to be taken seriously. 

My work is shaped by long-term, close exposure to neurodivergent ways of thinking and being, through both professional and personal experience. That means I’m often paying attention to the effort someone is carrying, including the pressure they put on themselves, before assuming they just need to do more. 

I’m interested in why something is hard, not just how to make it stop.

 In sessions, I tend to notice things like:

• how much effort is going into day-to-day functioning 
• habits that helped someone fit in, but have taken a toll over time 
• ways people have learned to ignore their own needs 
• the gap between how things look and how they feel 

These are often the parts that get missed when support is rushed or overly rigid. 

I work in a way that is structured, collaborative, and direct, without assuming that distress needs to be simplified or explained away.

Therapy is not about fixing you or teaching you how to tolerate an unreasonable load. 

Assessment is not about reducing a life to a checklist.

Both are ways of understanding what has been happening and deciding together what to change and what to leave alone. 

 People often describe sessions as thoughtful, clear, and practical without feeling rigid. 

 You don’t need to arrive with a neat explanation or a clear goal, and it’s okay if things come out slowly or sideways. 

Outside of work, I’m someone who values curiosity, persistence, and having interests that are absorbing and grounding. I live with several dogs who are a constant reminder of routine, connection, and the importance of meeting needs as they are — not as we think they “should” be.