Shiva Motlagh-Elbakri (she/her)

Role

Provisional Psychologist

Qualifications

Master of Clinical Psychology (currently completing)

Master of Professional Psychology

Bachelor of Psychological Science (First Class Honours)

Master of Mind and Brain (Cognitive Neuroscience)

Master of Theoretical and Descriptive Linguistics

Bachelor of Arts (French, Linguistics)

NAATI Certified Translator (German, French and Portuguese to English)

Summary

Shiva is a warm and approachable clinician who uses a collaborative, client-centred approach in her therapeutic work. She draws on evidence-based psychological frameworks to provide flexible and supportive care that is responsive to each client’s needs and goals. Shiva places strong importance on building a safe therapeutic relationship and working alongside clients to support their wellbeing and quality of life.

Prior to joining Ability, Shiva worked as a psychology assistant within a neurodivergent-affirming practice, supporting psychological assessment processes, documentation, and client advocacy. She has also worked in inpatient public mental health services supporting individuals with complex mental health presentations, and has collaborated with allied health clinicians in the quality assurance of clinical documentation and reporting within the NDIS space. Shiva adopts a neurodivergent-affirming lens in her work and has a particular interest in supporting neurodivergent individuals.

Before training in psychology, Shiva completed postgraduate studies and research in neuroscience and linguistics in Europe. She speaks German, French, Portuguese, Arabic, and Farsi, and has worked extensively with refugee and asylum-seeker communities in both Europe and Australia. These experiences inform her strong interest in culturally responsive and inclusive psychological practice. Shiva completed her Master of Professional Psychology in 2025 and is currently undertaking a Master of Clinical Psychology while practicing under the supervision of Dr Rachel Callaghan. She works with clients across the lifespan, including children, families, and adults. Outside of work, Shiva enjoys time with family.

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. 

Shiva regularly 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

Shiva enjoys involvement in preventative initiatives (e.g., fostering resilience and self-esteem) and draws from principles of positive psychology, resilience and mindfulness to develop the skills of the clients she works with.

Therapeutic Models & Intervention Frameworks

• CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)
• DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy)
• ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)
• IPT (Interpersonal Therapy)
• SFT (Solution-Focused Therapy) & Motivational Interview
• Narrative Therapy
• Mindfulness & Positive Psychology
• Play-Based Therapy
• 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, Shiva is able to provide: 

• Assessment of Level (relative to existing ASD diagnosis)
• 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)