An Insight into Psychology at Beam Health in Toowong

My name is Sally and I’m a Registered Psychologist at the beautiful Toowong clinic in Brisbane QLD. I wanted to share with you my story of becoming a Registered Psychologist and give you an insight into my journey at Beam Health supporting children, youth and families.

Where it all began

I started at Beam in 2017 as a provisional psychologist having already completed almost a year of my internship pathway. At that time Beam Health was just a little team of 4 psychologists and two admin staff working out of a house turned therapy clinic in Cardiff, Newcastle NSW.

I still remember on my first day being given a stack of books to read that would help me familiarise myself with the kinds of clients and presentations that I might work with at Beam – at the top of that stack was ‘the boy who was raised as a dog by Dr Bruce Perry’ and there began my passion and interest in working with childhood trauma. Since this time, I have had the opportunity to work with a variety of clients, of different ages and presentations, deliver parent workshops, run group therapies, develop and deliver trainings, support care teams and learn SO MUCH along the way!

Psychology Pathway at Beam

Psychologists have such diverse roles and each day can look quite different from the last, at Beam we offer a range of services and supports including assessment, therapeutic intervention, behaviour support plans, consultation and guidance for children, youth and family groups. We can provide these supports at the clinic, home, school or anywhere really thanks to telehealth.

The pathway to becoming a registered psychologist is varied and at times complicated. For me, I completed the 4+2 internship pathway which has since been retired. This pathway required a minimum of 4 years study and 2 years of supervised practice, during which provisional psychologists are supported and supervised by senior (board approved) psychologists and complete a series of assessment tasks. I was so lucky to have the opportunity to complete my internship with Beam as it allowed me to gain experience working with the NDIS, Out of Home Care Agencies, and other privately funded clients, while being closely supported by the team here.

Our growth

Beam outgrew that little house in Cardiff NSW, and we upgraded to an amazing purpose-built space in Warners Bay NSW (spoiler alert, we outgrew that too!), Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Behaviour Support Practitioners and more Admin staff joined the team!

In October 2019 I became a Registered Psychologist! Meaning I could start seeing Medicare clients and stop writing logbooks and having late nights studying!

In December 2020 we moved into a bigger space in Warners Bay allowing for our ever-growing team. In early 2020, COVD-19 started to send us all home, into lockdowns and therapy looked very different. We went from face-to-face therapy using toys and other fun resources to online appointments, masks and sanitiser. Adapting to telehealth was overwhelming for therapists and clients alike, a significant adjustment to keep everyone safe, but soon enough telehealth became the new normal!

For me (and many others) the lockdowns meant not being able to see my family (who live in QLD) which I found quite challenging, and after much deliberation I made the very difficult decision to leave the beautiful beaches of Newcastle to be closer to home. Luckily for me my journey with Beam was not over!

Hello Toowong Brisbane Clinic!

In April 2022 I moved to Brisbane where Beam Health opened its first ever QLD clinic in Toowong, Brisbane! Well… not opened but got the keys! In the months to come we would have lots of work to do designing the perfect space that would suit the children, youth and families that we support and finding the right people to join our Brisbane Beam team!

It’s now December 2022 and I am proud to report that the Beam Health Toowong has the same colourful and fun space as our other clinics with a team of psychologists and OT’s, a lovely admin superstar and a Speech Pathologist starting in the new year!

It has been such a privilege to meet all the amazing children, young people and families that I have along the way. I am forever grateful for all my client’s and their bravery, allowing me to hear their stories and be open to receiving support.

I am so looking forward to watching the Toowong clinic grow and support children youth and families here in Brisbane!

Psychology services at Beam

Raising a child or teenager can be challenging at the best of times, but when your child is struggling or needs some extra support, it can be difficult to know where to turn. To give you and your family the best support we get to know you and understand your story. Our experienced and highly skilled Psychologists in Brisbane and Newcastle listen, build relationships and use tried and tested strategies and interventions to help children and families live a brighter life.

Our Psychologists can assist in the following areas:

If your child could benefit from the support of a Psychologist at one of our Newcastle Clinics or Brisbane clinic, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us for a chat about your child’s situation and how we may be able to help by clicking the ‘Get in Touch’ button below.