BPsych (Hons) PhD Clin Psych
Clinical Psychologist
Kaya completed her initial training in psychology between 2003 and 2011, obtaining a Bachelor of Psychology with First Class Honours in 2006 and her PhD in Clinical Psychology in 2011. In 2013 she completed further training to attain endorsement as a Clinical Psychologist and in 2016 became a board accredited psychology supervisor. Since this time, she has continued to engage in professional development and has completed training in a wide variety of psychological intervention approaches including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Trauma Focused CBT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectic Behaviour Therapy and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy.
Kaya’s research and her early clinical work in private practice focused on health psychology, including understanding unique challenges for young adults with cystic fibrosis, supporting children and young people diagnosed with chronic conditions such as diabetes, and helping parents adjust to the challenges of supporting children with additional medical needs. Kaya has also worked extensively in assessment and intervention for children with developmental delays and neurodiverse profiles including Autism and ADHD. Kaya also worked at a not-for-profit organisation for 7.5 years where she specialized in supporting children and families impacted by trauma, abuse and neglect.
Kaya’s practice framework is to work not only directly with an individual who is experiencing distress, but identify environmental factors which may be impacting them and give recommendations for support in these domains. For children this may mean supporting the child directly, giving parents strategies to support their child and making recommendations for support in the school setting. With this framework, Kaya sees that her role with clients is to ‘make her role redundant’.
