Meg Bennett

Meg Bennett, Psychologist
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Meg Bennett

(she/her)
“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.”

AREAS OF EXPERIENCE

I work with adolescents and adults (14+ years) experiencing a wide range of mental health concerns. I commonly support people with:

  • Anxiety: Worry, fears, racing thoughts, panic, physical tension, avoidance, or feeling overwhelmed in daily life.
  • Mood concerns, including depression and bipolar disorder: Low mood, reduced motivation, emotional highs and lows, or feeling flat, withdrawn, or numb.
  • Neurodivergence, including ADHD, autism, and AuDHD: Neuro-affirming support with attention, executive functioning, sensory needs, masking, burnout, self-understanding, and developing strategies that work with your brain.
  • Low self-esteem and internal criticism: Self-doubt, low confidence, perfectionism, harsh self-judgement, difficulty recognising strengths, or feeling like you are never good enough.
  • Trauma: Navigating the impacts of adverse childhood experiences, domestic abuse, or traumatic events on identity, emotional regulation, relationships, and feelings of safety.
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Managing intrusive thoughts, compulsive behaviours, and the distress associated with these experiences.
  • Stress and burnout: Feeling overwhelmed by pressure and life demands, emotionally or physically exhausted, depleted by work, study, or other responsibilities, and having difficulty switching off.
  • Insomnia and sleep difficulties: Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, waking too early, or experiencing poor-quality sleep related to stress, anxiety, or racing thoughts.
  • Chronic or terminal illness: Navigating the emotional impacts of ongoing or terminal health conditions, including coping with grief, persistent pain, uncertainty, treatment demands, energy levels, and impacts on identity, relationships, and quality of life.
  • Adjusting to grief, life changes, or medical diagnoses: Working through periods of change and uncertainty, such as grief and loss or changes in health, work, study, family, or relationships.
  • Identity and values difficulties: Exploring questions about who you are, what matters most to you, and how to make choices that feel authentic, meaningful, and aligned with your values.
  • Relationship and interpersonal challenges: Managing difficulties in romantic, family, friendship, or workplace relationships, including communication, conflict, boundary setting, connection, and understanding relationship patterns.
  • Parenting difficulties: Navigating parenting challenges, including managing stress, strengthening parent-child relationships, building parenting confidence, and balancing your own wellbeing alongside caring for children.
  • Sexuality and gender diversity: A safe, inclusive, and affirming space to explore questions and challenges related to sexuality, gender identity, relationships, and belonging.

ABOUT MEG

I became a psychologist as I consider it a privilege to walk alongside people during the most difficult times in their lives and support them towards personally meaningful understanding and change. I strive to help my clients explore their values, strengths, relationships, sexuality, neurodiversity and other parts of their identity, and believe a safe therapeutic relationship is integral to this exploration. I have worked across public mental health and private practice settings, supporting individuals as they navigate a range of emotions and life challenges.

I deeply value warmth, authenticity, kindness and the uniqueness of each individual person. I believe in the immense power of cultivating self-understanding and self-compassion to help people reconnect with themselves and discover strategies that feel right for them. I take a holistic approach and recognise that mental health is affected by many interconnected factors including life experiences, relationships, work, physical wellbeing and the world around us.

I enjoy collaborating with my clients to explore the complex and changing relationships between their mental, physical and social wellbeing. This includes understanding the barriers and patterns contributing to them feeling stuck, overwhelmed or disconnected from the lives they want to lead. Together, we can make sense of how your experiences have shaped your beliefs and coping strategies and gently shift any patterns that are no longer working for you.

Outside of work, I enjoy all things calm and comforting including rich foods, movies, cosy jigsaw puzzles, nostalgic music and nights in with friends.

THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES

My therapeutic style is strengths-based, trauma-informed and neurodiversity- and LGBTQIA+ affirming. Sessions may include understanding difficulties and patterns, goal setting, exploring values and identity, learning practical strategies, and practising new skills together. I draw on a range of evidence-based approaches tailored to your unique needs, values, goals, preferences and pace. Approaches I commonly use include:

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Supporting clients to relate differently to their thoughts and feelings, clarify what matters most to them, and take meaningful steps towards the life they want to live.
  • Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT): Helping clients understand the links between their thoughts, feelings and behaviour, and gently change patterns that may be contributing to distress.
  • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT): Building practical skills to manage intense emotions, cope with distress, strengthen relationships and respond more effectively to life’s challenges.
  • Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP): Supporting clients to manage anxiety and OCD by taking small, manageable steps towards facing feared situations.
  • CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I): Understanding and addressing the factors contributing to insomnia and sleep difficulties and helping clients develop healthier sleep habits.
  • Motivational Interviewing (MI): Helping clients explore mixed feelings about change, strengthen motivation and build confidence to move towards their goals.
  • Mindfulness and relaxation techniques: Learning strategies to manage stress, reduce tension, increase present-moment awareness and support grounding, emotion regulation and self-compassion.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology PhD), Monash University – ongoing
  • Bachelor of Psychology (Honours)

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP AND REGISTRATION

  • Registered Psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

  1. Bennett, M. L., Wu, L., Seguin, J. P., Olivier, P., Reupert, A., Jorm, A. F., … & Yap, M. B. H. (2026). Using co-design to adapt a digital parenting program for parents seeking mental health support. Children, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/children13010129
  2. Bennett, M., McClure, A., Khalesi, H., Vu, M. T. N., Feng, J., Reupert, A., & Yap, M. B. H. (2025). Differences in parental factors between parents with and without depression or anxiety issues: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.120085
  3. Kirk, H. E., Richmond, S., Gaunson, T., Bennett, M., Herschtal, A., Bellgrove, M., & Cornish, K. (2024). A 5-week digital intervention to reduce attention problems in children with ADHD: A double-blind randomized controlled trial. Journal of Attention Disorders, 28(11), 1454-1466. https://doi.org/10.1177/108705472412562