Meet Our Psychologists
The Lightner Centre is a Clinical Psychology practice providing evidence-based, individualised psychological assessment and treatment for children, adolescents and adults. Our team includes Clinical Psychologists, General Psychologists and Clinical Psychology Registrars with experience across a broad range of psychological, emotional and behavioural concerns. We are committed to providing high-quality, compassionate care grounded in contemporary psychological science and tailored to each client’s individual needs, circumstances, and treatment goals. Our psychologists bring diverse areas of clinical experience and expertise, allowing clients to be matched with a practitioner whose skills and therapeutic approach are best suited to their presenting concerns.
Our Specialisations
Our psychologists are highly trained and experienced professionals committed to providing evidence-based, individualised psychological treatment and high-quality clinical care. Across our team, our psychologists bring expertise in a range of therapeutic approaches, selected and tailored according to each client’s presentation, treatment needs, and goals.
Treatment approaches available across the Lightner Centre include:
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
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Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
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Cognitive Behaviour Therapy – Enhanced (CBT-E)
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Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT)
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Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
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Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
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Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy
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Gottman Method Couples Therapy
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Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy
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Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP)
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Metacognitive Therapy (MCT)
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Mindfulness-Based Approaches
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Motivational Interviewing (MI)
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Prolonged Exposure (PE)
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Schema Therapy
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Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
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Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (TF-CBT)
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Trauma-Informed Stabilisation Treatment (TIST)
The specific therapeutic approach used will depend on the individual client, their presenting concerns and treatment goals, with psychologists integrating approaches where clinically appropriate.
Lightner Centre
Lightner Centre is a psychology practice providing evidence-based, individually tailored psychological assessment and treatment through an extensive team of Clinical Psychologists, General Psychologists, and Clinical Psychology Registrars. With our Brisbane clinics and national telehealth service, we provide psychological care to clients across Australia.
Our name derives from Lightner Witmer, who coined the term Clinical Psychology and established the first psychological clinic in 1896. Witmer’s approach emphasised the importance of understanding the factors underlying an individual’s difficulties, developing targeted interventions, and evaluating outcomes to determine treatment effectiveness. These principles continue to underpin our approach today.
At Lightner Centre, we recognise that effective psychological treatment is not one-size-fits-all. Our clinicians draw upon contemporary psychological research, comprehensive assessment, and careful case formulation to understand each person’s presentation and identify the treatment approach most appropriate to their individual needs.
Our diverse team brings experience across a broad range of psychological presentations and areas of practice, allowing clients to be matched with a psychologist whose experience and therapeutic approach are suited to their needs. We provide support across the lifespan, from childhood and adolescence through to adulthood, and work with presentations ranging from common mental health concerns through to more complex and longstanding psychological difficulties.
Through our national telehealth service, clients can also access Lightner Centre psychologists from anywhere in Australia, providing greater choice of clinician and continuity of psychological care regardless of location.
Lightner Centre is committed to providing high-quality, effective, and individualised psychological care, with treatment focused not only on symptom reduction, but on understanding and addressing the factors that contribute to psychological difficulties and supporting meaningful, lasting improvement.
"Recovery is a transformative journey of
self-discovery and change that fosters the development of intrapersonal mastery, empowerment, and hope.”
- Dr Sharelle Smith