Sophie O’Dwyer, Gold Coast based Health Psychologist

I’m Sophie, a Health Psychologist who supports people navigating chronic pain, chronic illness, women’s health concerns, trauma, neurodivergence, anxiety and mood disorders, relationship challenges, parenting, grief and life transitions. I have experience supporting clients of a range of ages, backgrounds and presenting concerns. My approach is evidence-based, person centred and collaborative. In our first few sessions, my main focus is on building our working relationship and to give you the space to feel heard, validated and understood. I deeply value cultivating an environment in our sessions that feels inclusive, accessible, non-judgemental, safe and collaborative. From there, I aim to help you to make sense of what you are experiencing and feel clearer about the steps we can take to move forwards.

I am particularly passionate about helping people to access high-quality, validating care for chronic pain conditions. In this space, I offer 1:1 support, group programs, professional supervision and education. I am committed to taking a multidisciplinary approach for best outcomes, and will seek to collaborate with other health professionals regularly.

My treatment plans are informed by a biopsychosocial, whole person understanding of what you are experiencing. I take the time to closely examine how biological, medical, developmental, environmental, cultural, societal, behavioural, personal, genetic and social factors can interplay and contribute to the development of symptoms. Chronic pain and pain science can be complex, so my aim is to synthesise this information in a way that makes sense and feels relatable, accessible and actionable. I draw upon a range of evidence-based approaches like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Schema Therapy, Mindfulness and somatic approaches to develop individualised treatment plans to reduce pain and distress, increase coping and improve quality of life. I seek to measure progress regularly and provide feedback around positive change so that we know when you are progressing, or if we need to change course. If you feel like working together would be a good fit, I’d love to hear from you.