Vlatka is a Clinical Psychologist with more than 25 years of experience helping people achieve positive change in their quality of life.
She is based in Paddington, Brisbane.
An experienced clinician, academic and clinical supervisor, Vlatka works with adult individuals and couples. She has a special interest in helping people with the psychological impact of cancer or illness; relationship issues; and, trauma.
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Vlatka is a Certified Schema Therapist, Psychology Board AHPRA approved supervisor and an experienced individual and couple therapist.
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Picture your brain forming new connections as you meet the challenge and learn. Keep going.
Carol Dweck.
About
My approach
Clinical Background
Vlatka worked in the Australian public health and academic research settings for many years before travelling with her family to live a decade in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Originally from Croatia, she has lived in 7 countries. A few years ago, her global nomad family chose Brisbane as home.
Vlatka's practice respects the ethos of a life of journeys lived with meaning, values and connection. She respects the complexities of your individual experience and lifestyle.
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Vlatka's practice is transculturally sensitive. She is an LGBTQIA+ ally.
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Vlatka works short and long term using empirically validated and individually tailored methods from an integrative and systemic perspective with a focus on therapeutic alliance and positive outcomes.
She has advanced training in specialist modalities such as Gottman Couple Therapy and Schema Therapy which has been found to work with the here and now as well as the bigger picture, a picture which respects the challenges you have faced and the ways that you have found to get through it all. These ways may have helped you moment to moment but might no longer be working when more adaptive, new pathways are required.
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Vlatka helps you with problems which might manifest themselves day to day in emotional reactivity or low mood, disconnection, lack of meaning and purpose, relationship issues and so on but these day to day problems have deeper roots. Specifically, Vlatka works with you when some major event like a medical diagnosis such as cancer triggers old patterns which no longer help you. Sometimes that can be a past which involves trauma or unmet needs.
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A Clinical Observership in Psycho-oncology at The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York is a career highlight for Vlatka.
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Vlatka worked in public health settings, such as the Gynaecological Cancer Centre at the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney, for many years prior to working as a psychologist in Norway and Oman where she provided a culturally sensitive service to expatriate and local populations. She has firsthand experience what it means to be a global nomad, its impact on family systems and raising 'third culture kids'. While in Norway, Vlatka was the founder and innovator of popular seminars on culture shock assisting families in global transition to adjust, develop coping strategies and adapt. Also in Norway, Vlatka developed a continuing interest in working with currently serving or military veterans, and therefore trauma.
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Qualifications
Vlatka originally trained at the University of Queensland and has been registered as a Psychologist since 1998. She completed a Masters in Clinical Psychology (2000) and a PhD in Psychological Medicine (2004) both from University of Sydney. She is registered as a Psychologist and endorsed as a Clinical Psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
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Vlatka is a Certified Individual Schema Therapist.
Vlatka is approved as a Supervisor and Principal Supervisor for Clinical Psychology Registrars by Board of Psychology Australia.
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Vlatka is a member of:
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Australian Psychological Society (APS)
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Clinical College of APS
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International Society of Schema Therapy (ISST)
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Psycho-oncology Co-operative Research Group (PoCoG) University of Sydney
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Academic work
Currently at the University of Southern Queensland, and previously at the University of Sydney and Queensland University of Technology, Vlatka uses her many years as an academic and researcher to inform her clinical practice and vice versa.
She was awarded a prestigious PhD scholarship from the National Health and Medical research Council (NHMRC) of Australia. Her publications include a first author publication in Lancet Oncology.
She has been a member of scientific bodies and an investigator on competitively funded research grants while she was a researcher at the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre and a Lecturer at the University of Sydney. She has given presentations at major international scientific meetings such as the World Congress of the International Psycho-oncology Society, International Society for Quality-of-Life Research, and the American Society of Clinical Oncologists.
These days, Vlatka is more a contributor such as with the Working Brain team who are investigating the impact of the built environment on neurodiversity and mental health. https://theworkingbrain.net/
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Clinical Supervision
Vlatka is Board approved as a Principal Supervisor for Clinical Psychology Registrars. She is a very experienced clinical supervisor to psychologists, allied health, nursing and medical professionals and as a sessional academic helping train future Psychologists.
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Clinical supervision and training remain one of Vlatka’s key focus areas and she is passionate about supporting fellow mental health professionals and helping early career psychologists find their way.
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Vlatka’s ethos is that we are always learning. She believes in the reciprocal exchange of journeys between valued colleagues regardless of training backgrounds or seniority. Some of her most memorable and fulfilling professional moments have been in the spirit of collegial exchange and support. She considers clinical supervision about giving back to her profession, growing herself and supporting other fellow health professionals.
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Please contact Vlatka if you would like to discuss supervision and expert training.