About Us
We deliver trauma-informed psychological counselling services and sexual health coaching to individuals experiencing a range of mental health concerns and life challenges.
Louise Jones
(She/Her/Hers)
Principal Psychologist
B.SocSci (Psychology/Philosophy); B. (Hons) Psych; M. Psych (Counselling)
Professional Memberships: Registered Psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA); Member of the EMDR Association of Australia (EMDRAA).
Books currently closed
Louise has worked in a variety of settings including community mental health, disability employment services, youth & family services, and for the past 10 years, private practice. She is committed to ongoing professional development that expands and challenges her knowledge base, particularly in the areas of complex trauma, affective neurobiology, and attachment theory.
Louise founded SPP with the intention of providing an accessible and trauma-informed psychological counselling service. She has a strong interest in the mind-body connection and developing her practice within an integrative model of mental health care that addresses the whole person and their subjective life experience.
Known for her good humoured, relatable style, Louise is a naturally curious and empathic person. She believes that therapy can be a dynamic process and a deeply transformative experience, while also offering people practical life skills, or just a safe space to slow down, take stock, and self-reflect.
While Louise has a special interest in working with PTSD and C-PTSD, she is experienced in working with a range of issues and feels privileged to be able assist her clients in meeting their therapeutic goals. Louise enjoys working with people from diverse backgrounds. She is also a LGBTQIA-friendly practitioner.
Louise offers telehealth (Monday only) and in-person appointments (Wednesdays, alternate Thursdays, Fridays, alternate Saturdays) in Malvern, VIC.
Margarita Fierro
(She/Her/Hers)
Psychologist
B. Psych (Hons)., PD. Dip.Clin.Psych., M.App.Psych (Community)
Professional Memberships: Registered Psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA); Registered Psychologist with the Colombian College of Psychologists.
Currently on maternity leave
Margarita has worked in a variety of settings including community mental health, disability, schools, not-for-profit organizations, and youth and family services. For many years, Margarita has worked in private practice.
Margarita provides a safe, confidential, non-judgmental psychological service. She adopts a tailored therapeutic approach focused on understanding each client’s unique treatment needs and goals.
Margarita assists people to explore and overcome difficulties, while empowering them to develop deeper insights to make life-transforming changes. She believes in creating an inclusive space where people feel heard, supported, and empowered.
Margarita has experience in treating a range of issues and psychological difficulties, such as: depression, anxiety, stress, relationship difficulties, life transitions, emotional dysregulation, and PTSD.
She is highly experienced in working with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities, individuals from diverse ethnicities, immigration histories, sexual orientations, gender identities, and socio-economic backgrounds. Margarita is passionate about equity and diversity.
Margarita is able to conduct sessions in both Spanish and English. She is available for telehealth (Thursdays and Fridays) and in-person appointments (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) in Newcastle, NSW.
Athalie Paynting
(She/Her/Hers)
Sexologist
B. Arts and Science (Hons)., M.Ed. (Human Sexuality)
Accepting new clients (telehealth and in-person).
Athalie has worked in a variety of settings as a sexologist, including private consultancy, not-for-profit, higher education, and media. She has spent the last eight years assisting people as they explore diverse aspects of gender, sexual expression, communication and relationships.
During her time at the National Coalition of Sexual Freedom in the U.S, she worked with social workers, public health professionals and human service providers teaching critical differences between BDSM and abuse. Athalie has been a featured guest lecturer and public speaker sharing insights on sociosexual and gender politics, sex workers rights, BDSM and intimate partner violence.
Athalie believes in a co-collaborative approach where clients can authentically and frankly discuss deeply personal experiences in a supportive environment. She offers a warm and non-pathologizing space for all genders, orientations and identities covering a vast array of topics.
Athalie is committed to an intersectional approach which considers how overlapping identities shape the lived experience of her clients.
While trauma informed, Athalie is not a trauma specialist. She can work in tandem with other members of your care team to address the impact of sexual trauma in an integrated, comprehensive and sensitive manner. Athalie does not currently provide services to people with a forensic sexual history. She is available for telehealth and in-person appointments in Malvern, VIC.