Cara Crothers — Clinical Psychologist

I take a collaborative approach to sessions, honouring the therapist-client relationship.

My training, clinical skills and experience are valuable, but so too is your story and your experiences.

After all, no two individuals, diagnoses or struggles are the same, so neither should the support be.

A Therapeutic Space

My Support

The support I provide draws upon a range of frameworks, including Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Schema Therapy, Compassion Focussed Therapy and Polyvagal Theory. This toolkit allows me to tailor our work to prioritise your unique needs and experiences, thereby creating a neurodiversity-affirming therapeutic space just for you — currently a virtual one, as I exclusively offer telehealth-based support.

While I have worked with clients of all ages — from young children through to older adults — I now focus on supporting adolescents, young adults, and adults. Given my areas of interest, my clients are often also women and girls. Although I no longer support young children, having worked with them for many years has shaped both my knowledge and my approach when working with clients of all ages. Appreciating that every person’s childhood impacts their adult life in some way, as well as having worked with children, and having my own, allows me multiple perspectives when working with clients, especially when they are parents.

My areas of interest

  • Anxiety and depression

  • Autism (especially autistic women*)

  • Adult ADHD (especially ADHD women*)

  • Life transitions

  • Perinatal mental health (including adjusting to motherhood)

  • Parenting

  • Work/life balance

    *NB. Assigned female at birth, but may not be the gender identified with.

My niches

Neurodivergent women*

As I spent more time working with individuals in the neurodivergent community, I found myself being increasingly drawn to working not only with individuals who identified (or wondered if they did) as autistic, ADHD, or AuADHD but also working with women who belonged to this group.

Being neurodivergent in a world that is very much built for neurotypical people can be hard. Being a neurodivergent woman can be, in many ways, even harder. Neurodivergent women have largely been under-diagnosed (and misdiagnosed), under-supported and misunderstood. They deserve better.

Helping these women to explore, understand and make room for the nuances, challenges and strengths they possess is an absolute privilege and something I am so passionate about.

Transitions, work/life balance, anxiety & depression

The demands of everyday life seem to be ever-increasing. I have worked with so many individuals who are navigating life whilst carrying the extra burden of anxiety, depression, burnout, or strain during times of transition (e.g., beginning adulthood, entering the workforce or higher education, starting/ending a job or relationship, navigating parenthood).

Having the space to work through these challenges, to feel supported and heard, and to develop (or perhaps learn a few extra) coping resources is at the core of reducing that struggle.

Trying to meet the needs or expectations of others (or ourselves!) can be a big ask — and one that often significantly impacts our well-being. I greatly value helping clients navigate struggles with anxiety and depression, manage times of transition, and nurture their general mental health.

Motherhood and perinatal mental health

My most recent ‘niche’ is that of the journey of motherhood and perinatal mental health.

Like many therapists in this field, my own entry into motherhood sparked an interest in this field, and it has become one I am truly passionate about. It is also an area that many don’t realise is actually rather specialised.

This challenging, life-changing and identity-altering time is one that is increasingly experienced alongside anxiety, depression, a loss of identity, and isolation. To support mothers through such a period is truly a humbling, and incredibly valuable opportunity.

My Journey

I believe that when looking for a psychologist, it is helpful and reassuring to know what that person is like, how they work, and who they like to work with. So, I’m hopeful that the below information will give you an even greater feel for who I am and what I am like.

What I’ve done, and where I am now

I had spent my entire career thus far working in private practice, which was a perfect environment for creating real therapeutic relationships with my clients built on connection, warmth, and consistency. After the birth of my daughter, I shifted to running my own practice via telehealth in the pursuit of flexibility and as a way to meet the needs of my family, clients, and myself. As it turns out, I love what it provides, and am thrilled that it has allowed me to create my own ‘virtual practice’.

The cornerstone of my work

In my early career, I worked with clients struggling with a range of challenges, including but not limited to anxiety and depression. I also began to work with autistic individuals, which ended up being such a happy accident, given I hadn’t intentionally set out on this path. As it turns out, working with the neurodivergent community has become an absolute cornerstone of my journey as a therapist and is work that I thoroughly love.

Qualifications and memberships

• Master of Clinical Psychology, University of South Australia (UniSA)

• Bachelor of Psychology (Honours), UniSA

• Bachelor of Arts (International Studies), UniSA

• Clinical Psychologist, Psychology Board of Australia

• Registered provider with Medicare