Dr Carolyn Youren is a caring, approachable and non-judgemental psychologist based in the inner eastern Melbourne suburb of Balwyn. Carolyn works with clients across all walks of life and varying age groups and, as such, takes a flexible approach with her treatment, tailoring her therapy to each individual.

Carolyn draws on over a decade of clinical experience when delivering her treatment as well as empirically supported psychological interventions including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Positive Psychology and Mindfulness.

During her treatment, Carolyn places considerable emphasis on offering clients the opportunity to practice techniques and expand their exposure to a variety of experiences. Through the effective combination of theory and practice, Carolyn aims to maximise the rate of her clients’ progression and attainment of their emotional and psychological goals.

Training and Credentials

Education

• Doctor of Education (Counselling Psychology), Boston University, 2000-2004.
• Master of Applied Science (Sport Psychology), Victoria University of Technology 1995-1997.
• Graduate Diploma (Exercise and Sport Science), Victoria University of Technology, 1993.
• Bachelor of Applied Science (Physical Education), Phillip Institute of Technology, 1983-1986.

Professional Licenses

• Registered Psychologist with Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) since 2009.
• Listed with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) since 2009
• Associate Member of The Australian Psychological Society (APS) since 2007.
• Member of the American Psychological Association (APA) since 2001.
• Certified Mental Performance Consultant with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) since 2008.

Types of Clients

With clients ranging in age from 15 to over 80, Carolyn works with males and females from many different backgrounds facing a broad spectrum of emotional challenges.

After training as a secondary school teacher, Dr Carolyn Youren taught physical education, maths and science at Camberwell Girls Grammar School and Korowa Anglican Girls School from 1987-2000.

Towards the end of 2000, Carolyn entered her first year of doctoral studies at Boston University (BU). Her first two years at BU were spent immersed in coursework, working as a teaching fellow and completing counselling practicums (approximately 1,500 hours of counselling).

Carolyn applied for and secured a pre-doctoral internship at Northeastern University in Boston at the college’s counselling centre for her third year of study. This comprised 2,000 hours of supervised clinical practice working with individual students struggling with depression, anxiety, relationship issues, alcohol and drug abuse, homesickness and performance issues as well as groups of students dealing with specific issues such as family relationships.

To finish her doctorate, Carolyn completed a thesis exploring stress experiences of actors on Broadway in New York. She was awarded her doctorate in May 2004 which included a major in Sport Psychology. In addition to her coursework, Carolyn worked with student scholarship athletes and part of her post-doctoral studies also included working in an exercise environment. As a result, she was certified as a sport psychologist with AASP (Association for Applied Sport Psychology) in 2008.

During her post-doctoral studies, Carolyn then completed a 2-year post-doctorate at Boston Medical Centre, working on an NIH grant for women being treated for breast cancer. She also provided psychological testing and group information sessions for bariatric surgery (gastric bypass) patients. Following a further 2,000 hours of post-doctoral practice and completion of the National Psychology Exam, Carolyn was licensed as a psychologist in the states of New Hampshire and New York in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

From the Boston Medical Centre, Carolyn then moved to the Centre for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CARD) in Boston and worked there as a Visiting Scholar for 3 years. Her role involved psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a variety of anxiety disorders and various types of depression.

Returning to Australia in 2009, Carolyn began working in private practice at Life Resolutions and PS Counselling as a consulting psychologist. In private practice, Carolyn provided treatment for clients struggling with a range of issues including anxiety disorders, depression, grief, work stress, eating disorders, school stress, relationship difficulties, performance anxiety and conflict resolution. She also provided peer training for mental health practitioners on CBT and ACT strategies.