our psychologist

Smiling woman with red glasses and floral sweater in front of green foliage.

about Raissa

Raissa (she/her) is a fully registered psychologist and clinical psychology registrar with experience in treating a range of mental health concerns in the private and public mental health sectors. She moved from Brazil to Australia over 10 years ago to complete her studies and training in clinical psychology. She has been providing mental health services for the past 10 years, initially as a mental health practitioner and counsellor, and later as a psychologist.

Raissa is curious about getting to know the person beyond the symptoms and witness the personal growth that happens with effective therapy.

She offers sessions in Portuguese and English.

Raissa's qualifications

⛥ Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) - graduated with Distinction (Deakin University)

⛥ Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) (Honours) - graduated with First Class Honours (Deakin University)

⛥ Master of Clinical Psychology (La Trobe University)

> Master's Thesis: A Multiple Baseline Clinical Trial of the Effects of an ACT-based Intervention on Sleep Quality, Restfulness and Quality of Life

professional affiliations:

⛥ AHPRA registration

⛥ member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS)

⛥ Medicare provider

Raissa's approach

grounded in humanity

⛥ person-centred

Raissa does not assume to know you or your story based on a list of symptoms. Each person is unique and deserves therapy that is tailored for their specific experiences - no one-size fits all approaches here!

⛥ collaborative

Raissa trusts that you are the expert in your own life and she works alongside you to help you make sense of your experiences, process emotions and make changes to areas of life where change is needed

⛥ trauma-informed

she follows best-practice guidelines to avoid re-traumatisation

⛥ warm, caring & non-judgmental

all thoughts and emotions are welcome and you are valued just as you are

⛥ intersectional

Raissa considers how all the different parts of your identity (e.g., your gender, disability, cultural background and/or body size) influence how you feel and how you live your life

evidence-based

Raissa uses a range of evidence-based therapies, such as:

⛥ cognitive-behavioural therapies (CBT, CBT-I, CBT-E)

⛥ exposure and response prevention (ERP)

⛥ acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)

⛥ skills of dialectical-behavioural therapy (DBT)

⛥ internal family systems (IFS) informed practices

⛥ interpersonal psychotherapy

⛥ motivational interviewing

⛥ solution-focused therapy

what we value

Personal Growth Psychology Australia is committed to promoting an inclusive, welcoming and safe therapeutic space where people are treated with dignity and care.
Our practice recognises the mental health impacts from the systemic discrimination faced by certain communities, for example:

people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
people of colour
First Nations Australians
people with disability
neurodivergent people
LGBTQIA+ people
people living in bigger bodies
people living with chronic illness / chronic pain

We want to assure you that you will be welcomed, valued and respected at Personal Growth Psychology Australia.