Viv has experience in working with problems relating to family violence, trauma, anxiety, depression, loss and grief, relationship breakdown, family separation, life transition issues, adjustment disorders and other significant emerging mental health issues.

 

Viv has worked in adult and adolescent public mental health settings as a social worker, and team leader and trained as a family therapist at the Bouverie Centre with training in multiple family therapy theoretical frameworks.

 

Viv has also worked in community non government organisations as Team leader, family therapist and mediator. For a number of years she was employed in the Prime Minister’s Youth Reconnect/Mediation Program focusing on Youth homelessness and Youth at risk of homelessness.

 

Other significant roles have included Team Leader with a young parents support group in the Western region, family therapist with a youth mediation and family therapy program in the Inner East region.

Viv was also the Team leader in setting up the Integrated Family Services (IFS) program within the youth services program (Anglicare) alongside other community family services programs in the Inner Eastern suburbs of Melbourne and contributed towards developing the partnership between Inner East IFS and Child Protection (DHS).

 

Viv has run a private practice for over 10 years, available to individuals, couples and families, with a specialty in working with youth and their families.

 

Couple work has become another of Viv's specialties following her Masters in Couple and Family Therapy at the Bouverie Centre. The masters included subjects on clinical supervision, couple work, trauma and sexual abuse areas as well as recent developments in family therapy.

 

For the last 6 years, Viv has worked in youth mental health as a Clinical Coordinator (Headspace, National Youth Mental Health Foundation), supervising a number of youth mental health clinicians. During this time she undertook study in Cognitive Analytic Therapy enhancing her skills in interpersonal and relational work.    

Viv is passionate about her work and continues to be inspired by new research in the mental health field and in the area of trauma. She has developed a specialty in working with youth at risk of a deteriorating mental health, due to complex social and family circumstances and values the collaboration and engagement in working alongside families/carers and other professionals.

 

Viv has provided supervision to other practitioners (psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, counsellors) in mental health and community welfare organizations, including being employed solely as a supervisor to counsellors at Doncare Community Care for many years.

 

Viv also recognises the importance of offering counselling and support to “carers” and is registered with Carers Victoria as a counsellor.​