Location: Berwick

Saba Elkman
Psychologist
Grad Dip Psych; Grad Dip in Psych (Advanced); Master of Educational Psychology

Saba is registered as a psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and has a particular interest in supporting caregivers in the perinatal period. He has completed perinatal training from the Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE) and short courses in family therapy.

Saba’s training and experience has given him an understanding of the important role of fathers and the extended family network in the perinatal period. He is passionate about supporting both mothers and fathers in this important period but has an appreciation of the unique challenges facing fathers. For example, fathers often come to therapy feeling forgotten or neglected after the birth of a child as the focus shifts to the baby. This can lead to feelings of disconnection from their partner and a loss of self-esteem and identity. The perinatal period thus presents fathers with the challenge of developing new ways of connecting with their partner and navigating a new identity. In this respect, it can be helpful for fathers to develop an understanding of the important role they can play in the emotional life of their family, identifying helpful ways of supporting their partner (such as skills of listening and providing emotional and practical support), and to have a safe space to reflect on the type of father they would like to be (including aspects of their relationship with their own parents that they either wish to avoid or repeat).

Fathers often feel overwhelmed by the challenge of balancing the demands of work with new demands and responsibilities of parenting, particularly in the context of reduced and disrupted sleep. Developing practical skills of mindfully noticing feelings of stress, frustration and anger, rather than immediately reacting to them, can help with these difficult feelings and experiences.

Saba seeks to create a safe and warm space in which clients feel heard and supported to navigate the challenges that arise at various life stages and points of transition, particularly the transition to motherhood and fatherhood. His work is informed by a broad range of evidence-based approaches and perspectives, including attachment theory, neurobiological perspectives and cognitive and behavioural approaches.

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Thanh Lee
Perinatal Psychologist
BSScPsych BAppScPsych (Hons) GradDipProfPsych MAPS

Thanh’s warm, genuine, and compassionate approach to therapy allows her clients to feel safe and comfortable in the therapeutic environment. Thanh is passionate about supporting individuals, couples and families during the perinatal period, which encompasses from pre-conception, pregnancy, and postpartum. It was through her role as a Home-Start Volunteer with Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia (PANDA) that Thanh developed a passion for prevention, early intervention and treatment approaches to perinatal mental health and supporting individuals and families with transitioning to parenthood.

Thanh has worked in community health, not-for-profit, educational settings and private practice. She has provided perinatal prevention, early intervention and treatment through individual therapy, group facilitation, parent sessions and couples counselling in supporting families with adjusting to parenthood. Through her work in community health, Thanh has also supported families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds during the perinatal period.

Thanh believes treatment should be collaborative, and tailored to each clients’ individual, couple, and family needs. Thanh believes in empowering individuals to reach their true potential by using a person-centred and strengths-based approach. She draws on a variety of evidence-based methods in tailoring treatment to your individual situation including: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Solution- Focussed Therapy. Thanh has a strong interest in using Mindfulness, Compassion-Focused Therapy techniques and draws on attachment theory and psychodynamic approaches to better understand individuals, couples and families.

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