Location: East Melbourne

Ana Ristov 
Perinatal Psychologist & Fertility Counsellor
BPsychSC, GradDipPsychAdv, MProfPsych

Ana is a Registered Psychologist and certified Perinatal & Infant Mental Health Clinician who has worked with individuals and families across both private practice and fertility settings for over five years. Ana brings a warm, grounded, and nurturing presence to her work and is deeply committed to creating a safe, trusting therapeutic relationship where clients feel supported as they navigate their concerns.

Ana uses a relational and compassionate approach to meet the diverse emotional needs that arise throughout the fertility, pregnancy, birth, and parenting journey. In addition to her private practice work, Ana has extensive experience as a fertility counsellor at an IVF clinic, providing specialised counselling for individuals and couples undergoing fertility treatment, donor conception, and surrogacy. This background allows her to hold space for the unique complexities, decisions, and emotions that can accompany assisted reproductive pathways.

Ana supports clients with a wide range of perinatal experiences, including adjustment to parenthood, perinatal anxiety and depression, birth trauma, pregnancy loss, and the resurfacing of earlier life or family-of-origin dynamics that often emerge during significant transitions. She is particularly passionate about helping clients who find themselves in the “in-between” phase of matrescence – that tender, sometimes disorienting shift in identity and self-understanding that can accompany the transition into parenthood. She believes that this period of change often invites deep reflection, growth, and the opportunity to reconnect with one’s inner strengths.

Ana works collaboratively with each client to understand their personal story and the challenges they are facing. Therapy is tailored to individual needs and may incorporate a blend of evidence-based modalities, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Schema-informed approaches, and mindfulness-based strategies. She also values working in partnership with a client’s broader care team to ensure holistic support.

Parents are welcome to bring their babies in session.

** Please note, currently all sessions are offered online via a secure and confidential telehealth platform. Telehealth sessions are available to Australians nation-wide.

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