Meet our psychology team

Allison Haynes (She/Her)

Owner
Director

Allison is an Autistic/ADHD Psychologist and a psychology board approved supervisor, and is registered as an endorsed Educational and Developmental Psychologist. She owns Left of Centre Therapies, a Neurodiverse Affirmative therapy service. Her passion lies with education and support using this paradigm. Her belief is that Neurodivergence is not a disorder, rather a natural variation of the human species, and as such, do not expect or hope for her clients and the clients of Left of Centre to become neurotypical.

Allison’s dream of owning a centre such as LOC was born from her frustration around looking for services for her son when he was diagnosed Autistic when as a child. While services are improving, Allison believes there is a long way to go to help ND people feel seen, accepted and accommodated in our society.

With the opening of Left of Centre, Allison’s dream grew from not only supporting ND individuals, but by creating a workplace that is actively working on becoming ND affirmative, welcoming and supportive as well. A large majority of LOC’s staff identify as ND, and Allison and her management team pride themselves on providing a workplace that celebrates this, by providing a flexible, supportive work environment.

While Allison does not see clients herself anymore, she supervises the staff at LOC, as well as providing education to group practices, medical and education settings, and the general public.

Haylea (She/Her)

General Manager
Psychologist
Board Approved Supervisor

Haylea is a generally registered psychologist who thoroughly enjoys assessments. She has a real passion for helping people discover more about themselves and their brains!

Although Haylea is now rarely seeing clients herself due to management duties, she loves being a part of the client journey while supervising the provisional psychologists, and you may get to see her as part of observation or feedback sessions from time to time.

Amy (She/Her)

Psychologist

Amy is a Psychologist at Left of Centre Therapies.

Amy is a Board-approved Supervisor.

Amy enjoys supporting clients presenting with Autism, ADHD, anxiety, depression, PDA, and trauma. She is passionate about helping to empower female clients, assisting them to understand and accept their authentic selves, and work through past traumas. She is motivated to work with and advocate for young people and support their families. In her spare time she enjoys walking and training her puppies, being out in nature, doing yoga and meditation, and reading.

Amy is now operating solely through Telehealth appointments.

Sonja (She/Her)

Psychologist

Sonja is a Psychologist. Sonja grew up in Germany however is originally from Polish background. Sonja can provide therapy in German if preferred. Prior to being a Psychologist, Sonja worked across multiple countries with children as a Nanny/ Governess, Teacher Aide, Outside School Hours Care Educator and an Out of Home Residential Youth Care worker. Sonja also worked as a Disability Support Worker with adults.

Sonja is currently only available on Wednesday .

Belinda (She/Her)

Psychologist

Belinda is a Psychologist at Left of Centre Therapies with a particular interest in working with young children and their families, as well as adults seeking neurodiversity affirming support. She prioritises a client centred and strength based perspective in recognising, supporting, and understanding individual differences.

She has an early childhood education background and uses play therapeutically in her clinical practice with children. Belinda is a passionate advocate for play in early childhood settings contributing to research in this field. She has developed her own virtual therapy room, designed to engage, and support her young clients when working with them remotely.

Belinda has experience in the assessment and diagnostic process for specific learning disabilities (SLD), neuro developmental conditions (autism and ADHD), developmental trauma, depression, and anxiety. She is available for Mini ND assessments via Telehealth.

Belinda is available Tuesdays and Thursdays, operating solely through Telehealth appointments.

Caity (She/Her)

Provisional Psychologist

Caity is a provisionally registered psychologist at Left of Centre. She has recently graduated from the University of the Sunshine Coast with a Bachelor in Psychology (Honours), with her research focusing on mind-body connection and health behaviours in young adults. She has prior experience working as a Residential Youth Worker, Mental Health Support Worker and NDIS Support Coordinator.

Caity is now completing her internship at LOC. She enjoys working with people across the lifespan and has a particular interest in supporting adolescents and young adults, particularly with anxiety, eating disorders, identity exploration and life transitions. Caity uses an eclectic approach, where the clients’ goals and voice are central to the therapy process.

Caity is available Monday/Tuesday via telehealth only, and Wednesday/Thursday in clinic or via telehealth.

Dustin (He/Him)

Provisional Psychologist

Dustin is a provisionally-registered psychologist currently completing his internship at Left of
Centre.

Dustin originally started his degree in psychology in the US in 1999, but due to “life happens”, wound up in Australia working in both the hydraulic and automotive industries, and obtaining degrees in Ancient History. Dustin’s main interest in neurodivergence and its adaptations and presentations however found him coming back to psychology, and obtaining his Bachelor of Psychological Science and Honours in Psychology. His thesis was on humour, memes, and coping with COVID-19, and had an article related to his research published in the Work-Life Balance Bulletin of the Brittish Psychological Society in 2020.

Dustin works from a client-centric approach, believing that the client is the expert on their difficulties. He works across the lifespan, but has particular interest in adolescents and young adults (apprx 12-25yo). Dustin has a particular interest in ASD, anxiety issues, and PTSD. He draws from across different modes of practice (I.e. schema, CBT, ACT, play therapy, etc) to assist a client with their desired needs in working towards their goal from therapy.

Dustin’s favorite modality is Geek Therapy, which uses the psychology of geek culture (I.e. video games, comic books, movies, tv, Dungeons & Dragons, etc.) to help understand a situation or issue more easily. He also will be running therapeutic D&D games focusing on improving social skills and working on anxieties in the future.

He is a big fan of classic cars, Marvel comics, D&D and both board and video games. He spends his free time working on cars, watching things with his wife, or playing games.

Dustin is available Monday/Friday at our Caboolture office, Tuesday/Wednesday at Albany Creek, or any of these days via Zoom appointments.

Lulu (She/Her)

Provisional Psychologist

Lulu has her provisional registration and is studying a Masters in Clinical Psychology at UQ. She has completed a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) with honours at UQ. Her research focused on mental health and disordered eating in adolescents.

Lulu has extensive experience with neurodiverse children and adults after working as a support worker for a number of years. She is passionate about diversity and inclusivity, and particularly suits supporting individuals that identify as part of the ND, LGBTQIA+, polyamorous/ENM and kink/BDSM communities who are seeking a supportive, knowledgeable and non-judgemental therapist.

In her spare time, Lulu enjoys playing with her border collie Rosa (soon to be a therapy dog!), painting and photography.

Lulu currently has availability on Fridays.

Kirsty (She/Her)

Provisional Psychologist

Kirsty is a Provisional Psychologist who has an area of interest in working with children and adolescents with complex needs. Kirsty’s passion for the development, education, and welfare of children stems from personal experiences and almost two decades of tertiary study, research, and training as well as previous roles as a support worker and teacher. During this time Kirsty has focused on the development and education of children in the early years, particularly of children with learning and developmental disorders. Kirsty continues to expand her knowledge in this field by undertaking further tertiary studies and research in the fields of both Psychology and Education with a particular focus on Autism, Complex Behaviours, and Social Media.

Ruben

Provisional Psychologist

Ruben is a provisionally registered psychologist currently completing their internship at Left of Centre. They completed their Masters of Professional Psychology at the University of the Sunshine Coast in 2021. During their honours year their research focused on body image within the transgender community and they are passionate about working with and exploring matters of gender and sexual diversity. Ruben's approach to therapy is client-centred and uses a humanistic framework.

In their spare time, Ruben enjoys reading and puzzle games.

Ruben has availability on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Shannon (She/Her)

Provisional Psychologist

Shannon is a provisionally registered psychologist who works with a range of mental health concerns. She enjoys supporting clients to overcome challenges, improve relationships, and live a life of meaning and purpose. She is a warm and compassionate practitioner, with a focus on the client-therapist relationship as the basis for all therapeutic work.

Shannon enjoys working with adolescents and young adults as they navigate the significant life changes that occur during this period of development. She is particularly interested in working with LGBTQIA+ individuals and recognises the unique challenges faced by members of this community.

Shannon practices from a client-centred framework and utilises techniques and strategies from a variety of therapeutic modalities including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, and Play Therapy.

Shannon also enjoys the nerdier things in life and spends her free time playing video games, watching anime, and table top roleplaying. She is dedicated to personalising client’s therapy experience by incorporating their passions into therapeutic work.

Qualifications/Industry Associations:
Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) – USC 2019
Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology)(Honours) – USC 2020
Associate Member of Australian Psychological Society (APS)

Tarryn (She/Her)

Provisional Psychologist

Tarryn is a provisionally registered psychologist and is completing her internship. She recently completed a Bachelor of Psychological Science and Honours at the University of Queensland.

She is passionate in working with neurodivergent children, as she has experienced first-hand the positive difference therapies can have on an individual.

She hopes to make the same positive impact to children and their families at Left of Centre.