Emilie Bull

What is your background?

I am a Clinical Psychologist with additional training and experience in perinatal mental health, grief and loss in the perinatal period, and attachment, developmental, and relational frameworks. I am a member of the Centre for Perinatal Psychology, have completed professional training in Perinatal and Infant Mental Health and Perinatal Loss and Grief through the Perinatal Training Centre, and am a certified Circle of Security Parenting facilitator. I am also trained and registered with Medicare to provide Non-directive Pregnancy Counselling. Additionally, I am an AHPRA Board-Approved Supervisor providing supervision to provisional and general psychologists and clinical registrars.

I have experience working across community, hospital, and private practice settings, with adults, adolescents, children and babies, parents, soon-to-be-parents, and groups. I have also previously co-facilitated an attachment-based mothers’ group. My experience ranges a variety of concerns including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, adjustment issues, trauma, relational concerns, parenting, fertility concerns, perinatal loss, child psychology, and support for Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

To tailor therapy to individual needs, I predominately draw from attachment, developmental, and relational frameworks and use a variety of therapeutic approaches including:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Schema Therapy (ST)
• Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
• Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
• Circle of Security Parenting (COSP)
• Non-directive pregnancy counselling

Why do you enjoy perinatal psychology?

I have a strong interest in perinatal and infant mental health. I love supporting individuals throughout the perinatal period, from pre-conception to early parenting, holding space for the many adjustments that come with transition to parenthood. I work with women, men, single parents, and same-sex families.

Adjustment to parenthood can often bring up difficult feelings related to the individual’s experiences in other relationships or their own experience being parented, which can sometimes intrude on a parents’ relationship with baby. I enjoy helping individuals in this journey of reflection, developing coping skills in parenthood, and working with parent-infant relationships to support secure attachment which is invaluable to the development and wellbeing of both parent and baby. As a certified Circle of Security Parenting facilitator, I will often draw upon this framework within my psychological treatments.

I enjoy walking alongside individuals throughout the developmental processes of becoming a parent and offer psychological treatment for the following areas of concern to mothers and fathers:

• Preconception, including fertility issues and family planning
• Pregnancy
• Perinatal loss & grief
• Premature birth
• Birth trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder
• Antenatal and postnatal anxiety and/or depression
• Antenatal and postnatal obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Adjustment issues
• Relationship concerns, including bonding with baby
• Parenting support (all ages)

Who do you supervise?

I am an AHPRA board-approved supervisor and provide primary and secondary supervision to the following supervisees:

• Provisional psychologists completing higher education pathways
• Clinical registrars seeking clinical endorsement
• General psychologists seeking supervision for the above areas of concern and/or treatment modalities

What are your strengths?

I bring a warm and compassionate approach to therapy and supervision with a natural love for learning and creativity. I place value on the professional relationship, fostering an environment that feels full of trust and understanding ready for exploration of experiences, needs, strengths, goals, and patterns of being.

What do you like to do in your free time?

In my spare time I usually am channelling my ‘inner grandma’ by baking, gardening, making art, or reading. I also enjoy spending quality time with my loved ones and exploring nature.

Please note: Emilie is currently only seeing clients who are age 16+