Lifting Minds was created to provide accessible mental health care and supervision for all people, with a focus on those from cultural and/0r gender diverse backgrounds.
Our mission is to empower those who have been historically silenced through a decolonised lens of health. The purpose of therapy should not be to pathologise your struggles, which can lead to isolation and can often put the onus on the individual to ‘get better’ (individualistic care). Rather, at Lifting Minds, you can expect to work collaboratively to recognise the different areas of your life that may need tending to, in the context of childhood experiences, cultural background, social standing, life experiences and society.
About Edwina (எட்வினா) (she/they)
Edwina Vejayaratnam started her psychology journey in 2011, where it was quickly evident that psychology had been (and still is) created by and for the western population. As a result, Edwina places a strong importance on a decolonised perspective (unfortunately, still within a capitalist framework) to make sure the people she works with have a holistic understanding of their current situation and experiences.
Edwina is, firstly, a proud queer Tamil (தமிழ்) person, and, second, a clinical psychologist and board approved supervisor with AHPRA. In addition, she is currently completing a PhD in Clinical Psychology, exploring the history of psychological wellbeing within the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora and how it is understood and impacted by post-migration and the Sri Lankan civil war. Edwina speaks Tamil (somewhat fluently).
Edwina is trained in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) and schema therapy. Edwina uses eye movement desensitisation reprocessing (EMDR) as a primary form of trauma informed care. Presentation and interests include anxiety, depression, grief, workplace stress, family conflict, gender affirmation and racial and sexual trauma. Edwina has extensive experience working with survivors of child sexual abuse and religious abuse, and as those who identify as lesbian, gay, bi-Sexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals.
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