Our Story

Principal psychologists and directors of Cova, Chris and Sarah, first began working together back in 2007 on a private Melbourne outpatient therapy team where they primarily assessed and treated Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD). They were drawn to working in this space after encountering stigmas associated with these areas, for example “BPD is untreatable, these clients are too difficult.”

In contrast, Chris and Sarah observed that growth and healing is absolutely possible, even for people experiencing complex and chronic mental health issues. They found that their clients were able to improve quality of life and wellbeing by engaging in evidenced-based therapies underpinned by a strong therapeutic relationship. These therapies tended to focus on managing current symptoms whilst also targeting painful past experiences, often referred to as “psychological trauma.” Therapy of this nature could be considered, “trauma-informed” or “trauma-sensitive,” and Chris and Sarah have continued to work in this way throughout their careers.

Over time, Chris and Sarah’s client work has broadened in scope as they moved into range of roles in both the public and private mental health sectors, as well into private practice. They launched a number of outpatient therapy programs for the treatment of psychological trauma and PTSD, including programs for PTSD, Complex Trauma, and PTSD in emergency services workers. Chris and Sarah are passionate about providing clinical supervision and training to other psychologists and continue to be inspired by the capacity for therapy to positively impact the lives of their clients.

In 2018, Chris and Sarah launched Cova Psychology in the Melbourne CBD. They set about creating a practice which reflects the quality and standard of care they’d prefer their own loved ones to receive in a mental health crisis. They also designed the practice as a space that they themselves would enjoy working in. Cova Psychology has grown over time and attracted like-minded Melbourne psychologists who all provide high quality and evidenced-based therapy to their clients. As a practice, we have a special interest in providing trauma-informed assessment and treatment and enjoy working with a wide range of mental health issues. All of our psychologists are trained in EMDR, though recognise the important of personalised care and as such bring together a comprehensive range of validated therapy treatments.