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Gavin Riley  (he/him)

"We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong, the amount of work is the same" - Carlos Castaneda.

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Gavin Riley is a provisional psychologist in his final stages toward registration. Gavin’s experience and primary focus is in helping children, adolescents and adults identify and respond to emotions, connect with their values, utilise mindfulness, develop healthy relationships, and realise their potential and get more of what they want in their life.​ Gavin utilises a range of modalities including CBT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and is Level 2 trained in Radically Open Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (RODBT).

When life feels unbalanced, or we endure difficult times, uncertainty, trauma, or severe life stressors, we can become involved in intense conflict with big emotions like fear, sadness, anger, and guilt, and begin to experience mental-health problems that impact our wellbeing in various ways.

 

My genuine passion is supporting people who encounter this. I help my clients, who include both children and adults, to develop the flexible strength required to manage big emotions and connect with their values, find healthy perceptions of themselves, strengthen their relationships, and utilise mindfulness to get more of what they want in life.

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We know that no single approach is effective for every individual, so I adopt a therapeutic stance that incorporates a developmental model of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) & Positive Psychology called DNA-V, along with Compassion Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and Radically Open Dialectical Behaviour Therapy in order to deliver the best possible results for each person. 

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My educational background includes a Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) degree from ACU. I have also completed RODBT and EMDR training which provide an important therapeutic platform for relationship and trauma informed work respectively. Before joining Treat Yourself Well, I worked on Project Hope with ACU's Institute for Positive Psychology and Education. Project Hope was a Randomised Control Trial of an education re-engagement program for at-risk youth at both the primary and high school levels across NSW.

 

My honours research focused on the mechanisms of change within mindfulness and their impact on physical health outcomes for populations with chronic disease. Thesis: Does self-care mediate the self-compassion and wellbeing link for people with diabetes?


Prior to all this, I spent 13 years in the media as a Marketing, Promotions, and Advertising Sales Manager. And before that, I was actually in the Navy!

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Areas of Interest

  • Self-Compassion

  • Flexible Strength (Psychological flexibility)

  • Wellbeing

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

  • Addiction 

  • Eating Disorders

  • Trauma

  • Relationships

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Psychological Science - ACU

  • Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) - ACU

  • ACU Dean’s Award 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

  • Provisional Psychologist

Treatment Approaches

  • DNA-v (ACT)

  • Positive Psychology

  • Compassion Focused Therapy

  • RO-DBT Individual and Skills Classes

  • Mindfulness

Favourite Far Side Cartoon

© The Far Side

Professional Memberships

  • Provisional Psychologist

  • Australian Psychological Society

  • Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)

<< Meet Our Team

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