Dr Michelle Noonan – Clinical Psychologist
BBSc, PgDip Psych, DPsych (Clinical)
Credentialed Eating Disorder Therapist | EMDR Therapist | Board Approved Supervisor | Postgraduate Psychology Educator
MEET MICHELLE
Welcome. I’m Dr Michelle Noonan – a Clinical Psychologist with a particular focus on working with adults experiencing eating disorders, body image concerns, trauma, and difficulties with anxiety and self-worth. I work with adults in private practice, both in person and online.
Many people come to therapy feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure where to begin. Some are seeking support for the first time, while others may have tried therapy before and still find themselves caught in familiar patterns. In eating disorder treatment especially, it is common to feel both a wish for things to be different and uncertainty about what change might mean. You may know that something is not working, while also feeling unsure about recovery, or whether you are ready for it.
My approach is integrative and trauma-informed, drawing from evidence-informed therapies including CBT-E, DBT, ACT, Schema Therapy, EMDR and body-based work. I tailor therapy to your needs, with an emphasis on collaboration, compassion and steady, meaningful progress.
Alongside my clinical work, I also supervise and teach in postgraduate psychology education, where I value supporting health professionals to become curious, reflective, and confident in their clinical work. I enjoy helping clinicians build confidence in working with eating disorders, trauma, and presentations that require thoughtful, flexible and compassionate care.
My hope is to offer a space where you can feel safe enough to explore what is happening, better understand yourself, and begin moving toward change at a pace that feels manageable.
I believe lasting change often involves more than insight alone. It can also mean developing a different relationship with your body, your emotions and yourself – one that feels more connected, respectful and sustainable.
Treatment Approaches.
My approach to therapy is integrative, which means I draw from a range of evidence-informed therapies and tailor the work to your needs, goals and circumstances.
Rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all model, we work together to understand what may be contributing to your difficulties and what kind of support is likely to be most helpful, meaningful and sustainable for you.
-
CBT explores the relationship between your thoughts, emotions, behaviours and physical sensations. It can help you notice unhelpful patterns, develop new ways of responding, and build practical strategies for managing difficulties such as anxiety, low mood and body image concerns.
-
CBT-E is a leading evidence-based treatment for eating disorders in adults. It focuses on understanding and shifting the patterns that maintain eating difficulties, including restriction, binge eating, purging, rigid food rules, and the over-evaluation of weight or shape. It can also support more regular eating, reduced compensatory behaviours, and a gentler, more flexible relationship with food and body.
-
DBT can be especially helpful when eating difficulties are closely connected to intense emotions, urges, self-criticism or relationship challenges. It supports the development of skills in emotional regulation, distress tolerance and self-awareness, helping you respond to difficult moments with greater steadiness and care.
-
ACT helps you relate differently to difficult thoughts and emotions, rather than becoming caught up in them or needing them to disappear before life can move forward. It supports psychological flexibility and encourages meaningful action guided by what matters most to you.
-
Schema Therapy explores long-standing emotional and relational patterns that often develop through earlier life experiences. It can help you understand why certain patterns keep repeating, respond to yourself with greater compassion, and begin to develop healthier ways of meeting your emotional needs.
-
EMDR is a trauma-focused therapy that helps the brain process distressing memories and experiences that may still feel emotionally “stuck.” It aims to reduce the intensity of these memories and support a greater sense of safety, grounding and connection in the present.
Alongside my psychological training, I have a strong interest in yoga as an adjunctive support for mental health and recovery.
I have completed 200-hour trauma-informed yoga teacher training, as well as training in yin yoga and iRest Yoga Nidra. I have also developed a six-week Embodied Yoga Program for Mental Health, reflecting my broader interest in supporting people to reconnect with their bodies in ways that feel safe, respectful and restorative.
While yoga is not a replacement for therapy, these trainings continue to inform how I think about nervous system regulation, embodiment, and the relationship between mind and body in healing.
“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change”
– Carl Rogers
Professional Information.
I hold full registration with the Psychology Board of Australia (PSY0001129021) and have an area of practice endorsement (AoPE) in Clinical Psychology.
I am a Board-Approved Supervisor. I am a member of the Australian and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders and the Australian Psychological Society (APS).
Qualifications.
Doctor of Psychology (Clinical), 2013
Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology (PgDip Psych), 2006
Bachelor of Behavioural Science (BBSc), 2005
Eating Disorder Credentialed Clinician
Board Approved Supervisor
Mission Statement.
My mission is to provide compassionate, collaborative and evidence-informed therapy that supports recovery, self-understanding and lasting change. I aim to help people feel more empowered, more connected to their values and bodies, and more hopeful about what is possible.
my values.
-
Compassion sits at the heart of my work. Many people come to therapy carrying shame, self-criticism or a sense that they should be coping better than they are. I aim to offer a space where your experiences can be met with warmth, curiosity and respect, rather than judgement.
-
I see therapy as a collaborative process. You bring your lived experience, and I bring psychological knowledge and clinical experience. Together, we work to understand what is happening, what may be keeping you stuck, and what kind of support is likely to be most helpful for you.
-
My work is grounded in evidence-informed practice. I draw from therapies that are supported by research, while also tailoring treatment to your needs, goals and circumstances. Evidence-based care, for me, means combining clinical knowledge with thoughtful, individualised support.
-
Body respect is not about having to love your body all the time. For many people, especially those who have experienced eating disorders, body image distress, trauma, weight stigma or years of self-criticism, body love can feel unrealistic or out of reach.
Body respect offers a gentler and more compassionate starting point. It involves learning to care for your body, listen to its needs, and relate to it with less criticism, shame and punishment.
Empowerment
I believe therapy should support you to feel more connected to your own voice, values and capacity for change. Rather than telling you who to be or what your recovery should look like, I aim to help you build understanding, confidence and choice in a way that feels meaningful and sustainable.
-
Holding hope for recovery, healing and meaningful change, while respecting that change can be complex and non-linear.