Lauren henderson (she/her)

Role

Provisional Psychologist

Qualifications

Bachelor of Behavioural Science with Honours in Psychology

Master of Professional Psychology (current)

Summary

Lauren is a warm and approachable clinician at Ability who uses a broad range of clinical skills and a collaborative, client-focused approach to her therapeutic work.  Lauren uses a variety of therapeutic frameworks to offer flexible and supportive care that is adaptive to the client’s unique needs and preferences.  She recognizes the importance of being person-centered in establishing rapport and developing a strong therapeutic alliance with her clients.  Lauren is passionate about collaborating with her clients to improve their wellbeing and quality of life, and offers a non-judgmental approach that is person-centered, and strengths focused.  

Prior to working at Ability, Lauren has extensive experience in multiple industries, including mining, truck driving, Job Services and administrative/call center roles.  This experience has enabled Lauren to build upon her communication and interpersonal skills in a range of work environments.  Her work experience has enriched her empathy and patience, as well as highlighting that everyone has their own strengths and special qualities.  

Lauren is a provisional psychologist who completed her Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology) (Honours) with the University of Sunshine Coast in 2024.  She graduated with First Class Honours.  Lauren is due to complete her Masters of Professional Psychology this year (2025) and is undertaking supervised practice.  Lauren is supervised by our internal Board-Approved Clinical Supervisors, Dr Rachel Callaghan (Clinical Governance and Quality Assurance Manager) and Jessie Baker (Managing Director). 

 Lauren works with clients across the lifespan, including children through to adults.  She adopts a neurodiverse affirming lens in her practice, and welcomes referrals to support both individual and/or family-systems (e.g. parents and their dependent child), as well as third party stakeholders (e.g., Support Coordinators, schools, EAP providers, employment services, etc).  Outside of work, Lauren enjoys spending time with her family and loves getting outdoors.

Areas of Support

Broadly speaking, psychologists are trained to work with a variety of psychological conditions and the factors that inform this. When working with a client, a part of the psychologist's role is evaluating their suitability for a client's identified support need/s. Where another clinician may be better suited to support the client, a psychologist will discuss any recommendations for on-referral with the client.

 
Lauren  works with clients who are experiencing a range of clinical concerns and /or support needs. Examples of this include, but are not limited to:

• Mood (e.g., adjustment, depressive, bipolar and schizoaffective disorders)
• Anxiety (e.g., generalised anxiety, separation anxiety, phobias)
• Neurodevelopmental Matters (e.g., Autism, ADHD)
• Cognition & Learning (e.g., intellectual and/or developmental concerns, learning difficulties)
• Grief, Loss & Bereavement
• Stress-Related Concerns (e.g., burnout, relationship breakdown, employment-related and/or job loss, communication skills, navigating interpersonal challenges, conflict resolution)
• Posttraumatic Stress (e.g., PTSD, acute stress)
• Personality Disorders (e.g., BPD)
• Psychotic Disorders (e.g., schizophrenia and related concerns)
• Chronic Pain & Health-Related Matters (e.g., managing wellbeing concurrent with physical conditions, pain management, sleep hygiene)
• Substance-Use & Related Concerns

Therapeutic Models & Intervention Frameworks

• CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)
• DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy)
• ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)
• IPT (Interpersonal Therapy)
• PMT (Parent-Management Training)
• SFT (Solution-Focused Therapy) & Motivational Interview
• Mindfulness & Positive Psychology
• Creative & Expressive Therapies/Approaches

Assessment Services

Psychologists are trained to assess for clinical concerns, some of which can pertain to diagnostic conditions as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition, text revision (DSM-V-TR, 2022). However some assessment queries require additional training and resources (i.e., psychometric measures) to evaluate and assess. At Ability, we have a broad range of diagnostic testing tools and measures available to evaluate many, common assessment queries. In addition to standard psychological assessment competency, Lauren is able to provide: 

• Assessment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (All Ages. Administration of Relevant Measures e.g., Conners Scales, DIVA-5)
• Assessment of Intellectual Ability, Cognition, Executive Function and Learning (All Ages. Administration of Relevant Measures e.g.,  Wechsler Intelligence Scales, Tests of Nonverbal Intelligence, ToPF, MoCA, BRIEF-2, achievement-testing)
• Assessment of Adaptive Behaviour and Functional Capacity (All Ages. Administration of Relevant Measures e.g.,  ABAS-3, Vinelands, WHODAS 2.0)
• Assessment of Memory (All ages. WMS-IV)
• Other diagnostic evaluation of psychological concerns and/or disorders (DSM-V-TR)