Our principal Psychologist, Merril Winney is a registered Clinical Psychologist who has worked in private practice for the last 16 years. She has historically operated in four locations in the eastern suburbs of Richmond, Mitcham, St Kilda and South Yarra.

Prior to moving into private practice, Merril worked for a Corporate focused psychology company providing counselling and critical incident debriefing as part of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for organisations that varied from large multinationals to SME sized businesses. Merril also worked as an in-house psychologist for a large pharmaceutical organisation, where her role was supporting staff and management with counselling for personal and workplace issues.

Since 2018, Merril has worked in conjunction with Emerge Psychology to assist clients in rural and remote areas of Australia to provide psychological therapy.

Since 2009 Merril has worked with many doctors requiring assistance with preparation for their written and clinical examinations. Merril has experience assisting doctors to develop structure and organisational skills, enhance their presentation skills, and reduce the stress and anxiety associated with the examination to improve their confidence.

Merril enjoys working with individual clients and assisting Doctors to enhance the well being and general functioning of their patients.

Merril has experience providing psychological therapy for clients experiencing adjustment disorder, depression, anxiety, chronic pain, relationship challenges, reduced self esteem and confidence and stressful workplace issues.

Merril is also an experienced and entertaining speaker who over the last ten years has presented stress management sessions, incorporated in a Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, for a large private hospital. These regular sessions present informative research material to assist the management of cardiovascular disease and encourage practical stress management strategies to assist the outpatient’s recovery. Merril has, during the same period assisted TheraFit and Good Health Solutions, (now SMG Health) in providing lunchtime presentations on stress management, sleep management, resilience, mindfulness and work/life balance presentations to Australian and multinational organisations in the following industries: accounting, airline, construction (building and road), printing, health, legal, government including: local, federal, and not for profit. Merril is a certified MBTI practitioner interested in individual MBTI consultations and coaching for personal development as well as workplace seminars to enhance teamwork, manage stress, workplace change or develop effective communication and decision-making skills.

Merril graduated from Monash University with a Masters in Psychology, majoring in Counselling. Merril is a fully registered member of The Psychology Board of Australia, and a member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS). Merril was granted membership of the Clinical College of the APS (FCCLP) in 2009. Prior to studying psychology, Merril completed a BEd and BA and worked for nine years as a teacher, then spent 10 years at RMIT as a lecturer and tutor in the field of Organisational Behaviour within the Faculty of Business and in the Faculty of Engineering.

Merril enjoys working with a mix of private clients, as well as working with corporate entities. She is able to provide counselling, health-related presentations and preventative psychological strategies to assist individuals, organisations, employees and their families to promote positive functioning and healthy psychological well-being. Merril uses evidence-based counselling methods such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), in her solution focussed therapy and mindfulness sessions.