Louise's Qualifications & Experience

 

Registered Nurse with 7 years' experience working at the Royal Children's Hospital in acute care settings with families.

Registered Midwife with 17 years' experience working in Melbourne and Ballarat in acute care settings with women, infants and their families in the perinatal period.

Registered Maternal & Child Health Nurse with 15 years' experience working with infants, children and families in the community, including 3 years with teenage parent in-home services.

Post Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Sciences:  Infant & Parent Mental Health at Melbourne University, 2011.

Masters in Mental Health Sciences:  Infant & Parent Mental Health modules at University of Melbourne, 2013

Bachelor of Health Science: Naturopathy at Southern School of Natural Therapies, Fitzroy (4th Year Student)

Louise is registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), as well as being a member of the following professional bodies:

  • Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation

  • Maternal & Child Health Nurses Victoria

  • Australian Association for Infant Mental Health

  • World Association for Infant Mental Health

  • Australasian Marce Society Chapter

Latest Blog Posts
The Impact of Mental Health Disorders During Pregnancy and In the Year Following
The Impact of Mental Health Disorders During Pregnancy and In the Year Following

Mental health disorders can make it extremely difficult for new and expectant mothers to get through the day, let alone manage during pregnancy, respond to the needs of their infant or attend to other children. 

Research outcomes from Beyondblue have revealed that many depressed mothers describe feeling no joy. Instead, they feel like they are down a black hole, numb, detached, alone and/or unable to cope or interact with their baby or their life. The sense of hopelessness can often feel overwhelming.

"All I wanted to do was to just crawl into bed and stay there, on my own, and everyone to go away - including my baby and my mum."

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When Life Throws You Lemons, Add Gin & Tonic…
When Life Throws You Lemons, Add Gin & Tonic…

Sometimes bad things happen to good people. Relationships break, careers fold, accidents happen, our hard work ends in bankruptcy or redundancy, our great kids make bad decisions - and sometimes this has nothing at all to do with us. 

It's always important to look at what we can learn, and how we can grow through the mess, but it doesn't mean we caused it or deserved it, or that we could have done anything to avoid it. What's needed is a gentle surrender - not in the way of giving up, we always have to fight for us - but in the way of surrendering the need to rewind or understand or hang on to what should have been. 

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Relax they say… but how do I relax when I am so busy?
Relax they say… but how do I relax when I am so busy?

Some people report that they cannot relax, that relaxation is not working for them, or that they cannot bring themselves to practice relaxation.  Since all human beings share a similar biological make-up, there is usually no physical reason why relaxation should work for some people and not others.  

The reason that relaxation may not work for some people is usually some psychological factor or lack of practice. If you have difficulty relaxing it may be beneficial to explore the reasons for this difficulty.

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