About

Alana Kirkham

Psychologist & EMDR Accredited Practitioner

When working with clients my main aim is to provide an authentic sense of safety and connection that will enable us to explore experiences that might be painful, confusing or difficult to make sense of. I strongly believe that every person has the innate ability to heal, to overcome the past, and to move towards a more meaningful and fulfilling future.

I have worked in various roles in mental health and related fields for over 16 years across public hospital and community settings. My approach is holistic and collaborative, integrating a range of trauma-focused modalities tailored to each client’s individual goals.

I have a particular interest in the treatment of trauma-related presentations, including PTSD/Complex PTSD, Dissociative Disorders and Anxiety Disorders. More broadly, I am passionate about helping people understand and heal from experiences of developmental trauma including attachment wounds and abuse, often attending to that which is somatically held (in the body) and may feel stuck. This includes helping people repair the effects of very early trauma and neglect including the unremembered (implicit) story of the earliest years.

Together, we will explore what’s coming up for you, and begin the healing journey towards achieving profound shifts in the way you think and feel about yourself and the world around you, that are lasting and grounded in both mind and body.

In my spare time…

Having just recently moved to this beautiful coastal town, Port Macquarie, I love finding myself on a beach, on a yoga mat or exploring new places. These days this is mostly experienced with two tiny humans climbing on or around me - they keep me both grounded and on my toes!

Therapeutic approaches

Alana approaches therapy through the lens of attachment and neurodevelopment, affective neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology (how early life experiences influence our brain development, nervous system responses and functioning in the world).

Incorporating various trauma-focused interventions tailored to each client’s individual presenting issues and treatment goals, she integrates EMDR (Eye-Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) with a range of other treatment modalities such as somatic psychological interventions, ego state therapy, mindfulness, motivation interviewing and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Areas of practice

  • Trauma-related mental health presentations

    Acute stress disorder and recent critical incidents

    Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 

    Complex trauma 

    Dissociative experiences, including DID, parts and dissociative voices.

    Developmental or Interpersonal trauma (abuse, neglect, attachment wounding, relational)

    Somatic symptom and related disorders

    Emotion regulation challenges (i.e. anger, anxiety, numbed mood) 

    Chronic pain

  • Anxiety-related difficulties

    Social anxiety

    Generalised anxiety

    Panic attacks

    Phobias

  • Other areas

    Depression

    Adjustment disorder

Qualifications/Memberships

Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology:
Macquarie University (2011)

Bachelor of Arts (Psychology):
Monash University (2008)

Member of Australia Association of Psychologists inc (MAAPi)

Member of the EMDR Association of Australia

EMDRAA Accredited EMDR Practitioner

Advanced training

Structural Dissociation, Ego State therapy (parts work), Attachment Informed EMDR, Somatic Integration and Processing (SIP), as well as somatic psychological interventions and early trauma protocols focused on complex and developmental trauma. 

Alana is currently working towards EMDRAA Consultation accreditation, and looks forward to being able to offer EMDR Consultation to other EMDR therapists in the near future.