Our team.
Dr Maala Lal (PhD) - Clinical Psychologist & Founder
Dr. Maala Lal (MAPS, Ph.D., M.Psych.Clin, PGD.Sports.Psych, BA.Psych) is a clinical psychologist with over 15 years’ experience. She has a special interest in eating disorders, having attained a Doctor of Philosophy from The University of Sydney. She also likes to work with expectant or new mothers, who may be finding the adjustment to motherhood difficult, including depression and anxiety in the perinatal period.
She has consulted at a private psychiatric hospital in the north shore for almost 6 years amongst reputable, world-known, pioneers in the treatment and research of eating disorders as the senior clinical psychologist in an inpatient unit. She has completed her PhD in eating disorders, in particular working to create links between Australia and India. She worked with hospitals and schools in India undertaking original research to complete her thesis titled ‘Cultural and developmental factors relating to eating disorder pathology in Indian and Australian females’.
She brings with her a variety of experience from different levels of psychology. She has worked with the Department of Juvenile Justice in counselling young female offenders, crisis intervention, liaison with external agencies, to improve the mental health of this often misunderstood population, to cease patterns of offending. Similarly she has worked with the Salvation Army, where she was involved with case managing, advocating and counselling of 12-18 year old adolescents at risk of alcohol/drug abuse and homelessness, as the coordinator of the program called Helping Young People Achieve. She coordinated small to very large group programs and activities for clients, offered immediate crisis intervention, liaised with many external community agencies and conducted budgeting for program needs and expenses.
She has worked closely with the managing director of Napoleon Perdis in an organisational consulting role to review recruitment and selection strategies, provide new employment policy and procedures, recommend suitable psychometric/behavioural instruments, and conduct exit interview and competency testing. She has also been positioned as a learning and development consultant with McKesson Asia-Pacific, where she trained other professionals to conduct in-depth assessment and formulate management plans for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, psychosis, sexual assault and drug and alcohol abuse.
She has a strong commitment to volunteer and give back to charities. She has been involved with the Australian Psychological Society as a committee member for the Sydney Branch, the ‘Big Sister Little Sister’ program, as a member of the executive advisory board, Lifeline and supports organisations, such as, the Cancer Council.
Sienna Hinton - Psychologist
Sienna is a Registered Psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia and is an associate member of the Australian Psychological Society. She completed her Bachelor of Psychological science (Honours) at The University of Queensland and her Master of Clinical Psychology at Queensland University of Technology. Sienna has experience in providing evidence-based psychological interventions to children, adolescents, and adults, working from a person-centred approach. Sienna uses both a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy framework, influenced by both attachment and psychodynamic theory. Sienna has worked with a range of presentations including but not limited to anxiety, depression, ADHD, difficulties with self-worth, bipolar disorder, challenging behaviours, grief and loss, attachment and parenting challenges.
Michelle Tabrett - Dietitian
Michelle Tabrett is a highly experienced Accredited Practising Dietitian with over 15 years’ of industry experience, specialising in the support and treatment of adolescents and adults with eating disorders.
Since 2008, Michelle has worked as the Senior Dietitian on the inpatient Eating Disorders Ward at Northside Clinic, one of Sydney’s leading private mental health care hospitals and has also spent the last 11 years’ operating her own private outpatient dietitian consultancy.
Michelle holds industry accreditation in both Australia and USA, and brings well rounded experience across a variety of settings. She began working as a woman and children’s community health dietitian in the USA, as well as working across several public hospital settings, providing assessment and counselling across many aspects of nutritional health, including:
- Eating Disorders
- Weight management
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure and cholesterol
- Woman’s health and pregnancy nutrition
- Children’s nutrition
During her work in public health, Michelle observed a growing need for dietitians to provide support for individuals struggling with eating and body image concerns in order to create a healthy relationship with food. She is passionate about the role that dietitians play in an interdisciplinary treatment team, and seeks to work collaboratively with all of her clients, to set and achieve goals that set them on the road to recovery.