Reintroducing myself…

Here’s where I’m reintroducing myself. I’m Nonie Carr, Psychologist and this is Bindi my Kelpie, hopefully we’ll soon be able to train as an Animal Assisted Therapy Team.

I’ve been a psychologist for over 15 years. I’ve worked in secondary school settings for 13 years. I was a teacher prior to completing my Masters of Psychology (Counselling). I have been working in private practice for over 10 years and in my own practice for over 5 years. I’ve been endorsed as  a Counselling Psychologist for 13 years. 

You’re right… that doesn’t add up…

Bindi has been with me for just over 3 months now. She’s a 12.5 month old pure black Kelpie. She loves people and children, is incredibly food motivated and loves to bark! She also struggles with separation anxiety; possibly due to being rehomed from a home with 9 other kelpies where she was never alone. 

My Journey in Psychology

I was a secondary teacher for 4 years. I started my Masters while still teaching. When I’d completed my Masters and gained registration as a psychologist I started working in a secondary school. I started working in private practice while I was still working as a school psychologist. Eventually, I got to the point where I felt I was going to be able to make more of a difference to people’s lives through private practice and launched my own solo practice, Enhance Life Psychology, where I still work.

In 2017 I opened Enhance Life Psychology  in Prahran, just off Chapel Street. And in 2020 I moved to Crawley House in Albert Park. Albert Park is a lovely little village with plenty of good cafes and restaurants as well as some good shopping… my weakness!!

 

Loving being a psychologist

I loved teaching. It was the ‘aha’ or lightbulb moment that I thrived on. When a student just understood something, something shifted from being clear as mud and became clear as water. But teaching wasn’t going to be my career; for me it was a step on the journey to becoming a psychologist. And after a short period I knew it was time to explore studying again.

When I left the classroom I didn’t stop teaching. I did some university tutoring while I was completing my masters… not an uncommon thing for post-grad students. And there’s actually a fair bit of teaching that goes on in my therapy room too!

As a Psychologist, I really enjoy working with people to find effective ways to manage anxiety, to work through trauma and to master performing in a variety of settings, especially sport and the arts, but also at work. And I love it when I see something similar happening for my clients. This ‘aha’ moment might be a deeper or clearer understanding of their experiences, a change in coping behaviour or a shift in how they relate to traumatic experiences; it could be a change in their ability to perform at their best at work, on stage or on the sporting field, or even a change in their relationships.

Bindi has been with me for almost 3 months and she is lots of fun… but being 12 months AND a kelpie she is high energy needing lots of exercise and mental stimulation. It’s so good that she knows how to switch off… she’s becoming quite used to sleeping while I’m working. I’m looking forward to her meeting requirements to be trained as a therapy dog and starting my journey towards becoming an Animal Assisted Therapist.

 

 

If you feel like you’d like to have a chat with me you’re welcome to make contact through my website, or you can make an appointment by clicking here.