Cova Psychology is home to a team of psychologists, clinical psychologists, and accredited mental health social workers in Melbourne. We offer therapy in person at our Melbourne clinic and via telehealth, and we take care to match each client with the clinician who best fits what they are looking for.
Our team works with a range of concerns, including anxiety, trauma, ADHD, depression, relationship difficulties, and emotional overwhelm. Clinicians draw on approaches such as CBT, Schema Therapy, EMDR, Internal Family Systems, and ACT.
Led by Sarah Valentine and Chris Coleiro, Cova Psychology is grounded in thoughtful, trauma informed, evidence based care. Each clinician brings their own style, while sharing a commitment to steady, compassionate, and effective support.
If you would like help finding the right clinician, our team is here to help. Contact us to enquire about availability and next steps.
Dr. Sarah Valentine (she/her)
Principal Psychologist
"I take a client-centred, trauma-informed approach. I deliver therapy with warmth and validation whilst also encouraging change and growth in an empathic way."
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Dr. Chris Coleiro (he/him)
Principal Psychologist
“I provide a safe, non-judgemental, and compassionate space which encourages my clients to tune into and understand the processes of their own mind and internal world. I'm passionate about providing therapy which allows people to grow, heal, and empower themselves.”
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Suchi Arandara (she/her)
Clinical Psychologist
"I believe that building a therapeutic relationship grounded in trust, understanding, and respect is key to doing meaningful psychological work together. I create a safe, curious, and compassionate space where my clients can express their internal experiences and explore how they engage with the external world."
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Rachel Ballinger
Psychologist
"I believe therapy is a collaborative process—working together in a safe, supportive, and non-judgmental space to explore challenges, build on strengths, and create meaningful change. My approach is warm, compassionate, and client-centered, ensuring you feel heard, understood, and empowered."
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Dr. Tomas Cartmill
Clinical Psychologist
"I am deeply interested in you, and how you see, feel and act in the world. If you're looking to make change, or to better understand yourself, and your relationships, then let's take action together. Before, and after-hours appointments are also available. Approach is bespoke to you, and informed by CBT, ACT, Schema, DBT and EMDR."
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Meg Bennett (she/her)
Psychologist
"I am passionate about creating a warm, non-judgemental therapeutic space built on trust, curiosity, collaboration and genuine, authentic connection. My approach focuses on ensuring you feel truly heard, understood, empowered and comfortable working through past and present experiences. While I draw on evidence-based approaches, we will work together to thoughtfully tailor therapy to your individual goals, values, needs and strengths."
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Catherine Gabelish (she/her)
Psychologist
"I aim to offer a steady and respectful space where you don’t need to have everything worked out. Therapy is something we approach together, taking time to understand what’s been weighing on you and moving at a pace that feels manageable. My role is to listen carefully, make sense of things alongside you, and adjust the work as we learn what supports you best."
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Ron Gamez (he/him)
Mental Health Social Worker
“My aim is to be present and deeply listen to what has brought you to therapy, while developing trust and rapport as a foundation for our work. With empathy and curiosity, I can also support you to make connections between your past and present and explore how this insight might improve experiences or relationships in your life, including the relationship you have with yourself. Our work can go as in-depth as you feel ready and comfortable for, at a pace that feels right for you.”
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Kelly Garfield (she/her)
Senior Counselling Psychologist
"I am passionate about providing a safe, warm and non-judgemental space to allow you to move through distressing experiences to live the life you want."
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Denis Hamilton (he/him)
Clinical Psychologist
“I believe that you are the expert in your own life. As a clinical psychologist, my role is to listen with curiosity and compassion, and attune to both your internal and external experiences. Together, we can work to make sense of your challenges, understand patterns that may be keeping you stuck, clarify your goals, develop helpful skills, and reconnect with the strengths and resources you already possess.”
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Tamara Hamilton (she/her)
Mental Health Social Worker
“I am here to provide a space where you feel safe, supported and empowered to create meaningful change in your life. I take a trauma informed, client-centred approach to therapy ensuring I offer warmth and compassion whilst also supporting you to challenging harmful patterns and behaviours to support your growth and healing.”
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Dr. Kyli Hedrick (she/her)
Psychologist
"I am invested in creating an accepting and supportive space for clients to explore any issues they may be experiencing. I treat my clients with warmth, dignity and kindness, and take a client-centred, strengths-based approach to counselling. I believe that establishing a safe and trusting relationship, and working alongside clients in a collaborative way, are both central to the therapeutic process. I also believe that integrating difficult experiences, as challenging as this may be, can bring about meaningful changes in self-awareness, identity, and purpose in a person’s life."
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Phoebe Hynes (she/her)
Psychologist
"I approach therapy with compassion, empathy, and an open mind, creating a space where you can explore your emotions freely and without judgment. My goal is to help you navigate the challenges of the human experience, offering support as you make sense of life’s difficulties. Working from a trauma-informed, holistic, and person-centred perspective, I honour the uniqueness of each individual and tailor our work to meet your specific needs."
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Alison Jermey (she/her)
Clinical Psychologist
"I take a thoughtful, down-to-earth approach to therapy, creating a space where you can slow things down, reflect, and talk things through without judgement. Using evidence-based frameworks, I support people to better understand themselves, develop effective coping strategies, and move toward changes that feel meaningful and sustainable."
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Kate McGovern (she/her)
Psychologist
"I believe authenticity, collaboration, and genuine connection are central to effective therapy. I aim to create a warm, non-judgemental space where clients feel safe to explore their experiences, relationships, and patterns at a pace that feels collaborative and sustainable for them. While my work is grounded in evidence-based approaches, I tailor therapy to each person’s unique goals, values, and life experiences, balancing compassion with gentle challenge where helpful."
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Bree McLelland(she/her)
Psychologist
"I believe there are two main foundations needed for our therapy sessions: a safe, non-judgemental space where you feel heard and understood; and the formation of a strong therapeutic relationship, where we feel connected and aligned. With these, we will work towards your individual goals by collaboratively identifying your behavioural, cognitive and emotional patterns, as well as your unique strengths."
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Tori Pearce (she/her)
Mental Health Social Worker
"I am here to provide a space where you feel safe, supported and empowered to create meaningful change in your life. Grounded in kindness and compassion, I invite you to be yourself and show up exactly as you are. "
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Stephanie Pemberton(she/her)
Psychologist
"I care about creating a space where you feel heard, understood, and not alone in what you’re going through. From there, we make sense of your experience and explore practical, meaningful ways forward. I thoughtfully tailor clinical knowledge to your specific needs, and work collaboratively with you toward your goals. "
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Ravina Perera (she/her)
Psychologist
"I believe that improving one’s wellbeing begins first and foremost with self-reflection and understanding, and I endeavour to provide the safe, supportive, and non-judgmental space in which to do this. I am passionate about creating an environment that is comfortable and relaxed, where individuals feel at ease and not intimidated. I aim to provide this through my therapy style which focuses on direct, gentle, and compassionate guidance, while including a touch of humour and openness."
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Dr. Leah Zelencich (she/her)
Clinical Psychologist
"I offer a caring therapeutic relationship, ensuring that first and foremost you feel heard and accepted. Through collaborative exploration I seek to gain a holistic understanding of your concerns, which then guides our choice of evidence-based therapies and how they are applied. I believe therapy should be empowering, reconnecting you with your strengths and supporting meaningful change."
Learn MoreOur clinical team includes psychologists, clinical psychologists, and accredited mental health social workers with a range of therapeutic styles and areas of interest.
Our administration team helps match clients with the clinician who best fits what they are looking for. If you already have someone in mind, let us know and we will do our best to accommodate your preference. We are also happy to help with questions about appointments, fees, and Medicare rebates.
Contact us to enquire about clinician availability and getting started.
Chris and Sarah first began working together in 2007 in a private outpatient team in Melbourne. Early on, they were struck by the stigma that still surrounded presentations such as Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD). That shared experience shaped their commitment to offering care that was both evidence based and deeply compassionate.
From the beginning, their work focused not only on symptoms, but also on the therapeutic relationship and the effects of trauma on how people feel, cope, and connect. That trauma informed foundation continues to shape the work of Cova Psychology today.
Over the years, Chris and Sarah have worked across both public and private mental health services in Melbourne. Their experience has included developing outpatient programs focused on PTSD, complex trauma, and the unique challenges faced by emergency services workers. They have also developed a strong interest in clinical supervision and in supporting other psychologists, which remains an important part of their work.
In 2018, they founded Cova Psychology in Melbourne CBD with the aim of creating a clinic grounded in thoughtful, collaborative, evidence based care.
Cova Psychology has grown into a clinic with a team of experienced clinicians who share that same vision. Each person brings their own therapeutic style, while working from a foundation of trauma informed, evidence based care and genuine human connection.
Many members of the team are trained in EMDR, while others draw on approaches such as Schema Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Across the practice, therapy is shaped by what each client is dealing with, what matters to them, and the kind of support that is likely to be most helpful.