I’m Tara, a clinical psychologist and founder of Sanctuary Psychology. I’m grateful to live in Kingscliff in the beautiful Northern Rivers region of NSW.

My journey into this work has been a long and evolving one, beginning in the late 1990s and shaped not only by formal training, but by lived experience, personal challenges, and many years of reflection. Along the way, I’ve worked in a range of settings including prisons, child protection, family services, and private practice — each offering a deeper understanding of the complexity of what it is to be human, and how humans heal.

Early in my career, I began to recognise the profound and often unseen ways that our life experiences shape how we think, feel, and relate to ourselves and the world. It became clear that insight and purely cognitive approaches were not always enough to support meaningful, lasting change. This realisation led me to explore ways of working that engage more deeply with the nervous system, the body, and the emotional layers of experience.

My approach is now grounded in trauma- and attachment-informed practice, integrating modalities such as EMDR, Resource Therapy, ACT, and CBT in a way that is thoughtful, flexible, and responsive to each individual. My work is shaped by advances in psychology and neuroscience, alongside broader perspectives on healing, human development, and the cultivation of wisdom. Therapy techniques are not applied for their own sake, but are drawn upon to cultivate the specific conditions in which meaningful and lasting change can unfold.

In 2025, I relocated my practice from regional Victoria to Kingscliff in Northern New South Wales—a decision that reflected my growing appreciation of the profound influence that relationships, environment and the nervous system have on our wellbeing.

Just as I encourage my clients to thoughtfully cultivate the conditions that support healing, I believe it's important that I do the same. Who I am and how I work are deeply intertwined, and I remain committed to continuing to learn, evolve and deepen both.