Dr Gemma Gladstone
Clinical Psychologist
BA (Hons)
GradDip (Psychotherapy); Cert (Clin Hypnosis)
Ph.D.
Member: Australian Psychological Society (APS)
Member: APS Clinical College
Member: International Society of Schema Therapy
Advanced Certified Schema Therapist, Trainer and Supervisor (ISST)
I have been working in the mental health sphere for over 22 years. I commenced my own private practice in 2001 and later in 2008, due to shared values, I joined with Justine Corry to set up The Good Mood Clinic with a joint mission to build a practice which focused on understanding and changing psychological vulnerabilities and not just providing symptom relief.
Earlier on I worked in clinical research and formerly held the position of Senior Research Fellow at the Black Dog Institute. The Black Dog Institute developed out of what was previously known as the Mood Disorders Unit (a tertiary referral unit connected with POWH & UNSW) and I worked within that organisation as it changed shape for a total period of 11 years. During that time I was involved in several large scale research projects examining the nature of depressive disorders including their causes, risk factors, characteristics and outcomes.
I completed my PhD within the School of Psychiatry, faculty of medicine at UNSW during that time. During my time in that organisation I conducted over 500 clinical research interviews with people referred for recurrent or chronic mood disorders.
Collectively, those experiences gave me a rich and fairly unique insight into the nature of depression as a psychological disorder and an invaluable understanding of the role of psychological vulnerabilities. In addition to that experience, my time in private practice over the last 16 years has meant that I have worked with hundreds of other clients in the community seeking help for all manner of psychological and relationship issues and I have had the great fortune to learn from them and gain a deep appreciation for why and how people become depressed and for what works and what doesn’t work!
My specialty areas include:
- depression (including so called “treatment-resistant” depression)
- borderline & other personality issues
- complicated grief
- adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse
- relationship issues & couples therapy,
- adult survivors of narcissistic parenting; and
- parenting for the prevention of mental health issues.
My experience has highlighted for me why it is so important to be an informed integrative therapist and I therefore draw from a variety of useful methods in my clinical work including: experiential methods (eg, imagery with rescripting; chair work); cognitive behavioural tools, mindfulness training and compassion-focused therapy. After using experiential methods effectively in the treatment of complex trauma and inhibited grief, I decided to complete my advanced certification in Schema Therapy, due to my passion for this therapy and my belief in its ability to understand complex issues, resolve long-term patterns and tackle persistent emotional disorders like chronic depression.
I take a non-judgemental and respectful stance in my clinical practice and treat each person I work with as a unique individual with an important life story.
I have also worked in several clinical roles outside of private practice including facilitating Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) groups and hospital work and have consulted in business as a coaching psychologist assisting Managers better understand their own personality styles and how they affect the people around them.
I am also an experienced trainer & educator and have conducted numerous workshops for psychologists and therapists (sexual abuse; schema therapy; personality disorders) since 2005 and have worked in adult education.
Lastly, I have a strong professional and personal interest in Buddhist psychotherapy, mindfulness and self-compassion practices and I incorporate these where possible, encouraging my clients to practice meditation and develop self-compassion in daily life.
