Our Child and Adolescent Psychology Team
Kirsten Grass
Psychologist
Kirsten is a compassionate and experienced Clinical Psychologist with over 18 years of practice. She is passionate about supporting individuals as they navigate life’s challenges, offering evidence-based strategies and personalised tools to help clients build resilience, improve self-awareness, and make meaningful changes in their lives.
Her primary goal in therapy is to empower clients with skills that they can confidently apply beyond the clinic setting. She finds deep satisfaction in witnessing people grow, adapt, and use these strategies to foster lasting positive change.
Therapeutic Style
Kirsten takes a collaborative, client-centred, and empathic approach to therapy. She tailors treatment to each individual’s needs, drawing on a range of therapeutic frameworks including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Schema Therapy, Exposure Therapy, and Mindfulness-based approaches. She works with clients across the lifespan, addressing a variety of concerns such as,
depression and mood-related difficulties, anxiety and stress, OCD, grief and loss, as well as life transitions and adjustment challenges.
Yoga and Mindfulness
Alongside working as a Clinical Psychologist, Kirsten is also a qualified adult and child yoga teacher. As such, Kirsten brings a unique and holistic perspective to her work with clients. Her understanding of the mind-body connection allows her to integrate psychological principles with mindfulness, breathwork, and gentle movement when appropriate. This combination can support emotional regulation, stress management, and overall wellbeing—offering clients a more grounded and embodied approach to healing and personal growth.
Cultural sensitivity
Kirsten has practiced in diverse settings across Australia, including both government and private sectors. Her experience also extends internationally, where she has volunteered in rural schools in Colombia and at a centre for street children in China—experiences that continue to enrich her practice today. Kirsten is committed to working in a culturally sensitive and respectful manner. She values the richness of diverse backgrounds and enjoys supporting individuals from a wide range of cultures. Her approach is inclusive, curious, and guided by a deep respect for each person’s unique experiences, beliefs, and values.
Education and Credentials
Bachelor of Science and Arts (Honours in Psychology)
University of Queensland
Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology
University of Queensland
Hannibal Thai
Psychologist
Hannibal is a registered General Psychologist who works with adults and adolescents. He offers a warm, thoughtful, and collaborative space for people experiencing anxiety, trauma, relationship difficulties, work-related stress, and life transitions. Hannibal is particularly mindful of the social, cultural, and relational contexts that shape a person’s wellbeing, and works with sensitivity to each individual’s background, values, and lived experience.
Therapeutic Approach
Hannibal’s therapeutic approach is evidence-based, flexible, and client-centred. He draws primarily on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)–informed interventions, and trauma-focused frameworks. Therapy is tailored to each client’s needs and paced collaboratively, with an emphasis on building insight, emotional regulation, and practical skills that support meaningful change.
Hannibal also considers the broader systems impacting a person’s mental health, including relationships, work environments, cultural expectations, and past experiences. His style is calm, respectful, and strengths-focused, helping clients develop resilience, self-understanding, and a greater sense of agency in their lives.
Working with Adolescents
Hannibal is mindful that therapy can feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable for young people. He focuses on meeting adolescents where they are, creating a safe and supportive space where they feel heard, respected, and able to engage at their own pace. Sessions are collaborative and developmentally informed, helping young people better understand their emotions, relationships, and challenges.
Support for the Asian and Vietnamese community
With lived cultural awareness and familiarity with Asian and Vietnamese family values, cultural expectations, and intergenerational dynamics, Hannibal offers culturally informed care for clients from these communities. He understands the challenges often faced by migrants, refugees, and first- or second-generation Australians, including identity conflict, family pressure, and adjustment stress.
Education and Credentials
Hannibal’s clinical work is informed by strong academic training in human behaviour, personality, and social influences. He has authored multiple scientific publications and has experience in teaching, research, and applied psychology.
Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours)
University of Queensland
Doctor of Philosophy
University of Queensland
Phillippa Sison
Psychologist
Phillippa is a dedicated psychologist and clinical psychology registrar passionate about empowering individuals across the lifespan to achieve holistic well-being. She holds first-class honours, a graduate diploma, and master's degrees in psychology. Her diverse professional repertoire includes parenting practices, neurodivergence, mindfulness therapies, and mind-body approaches.
Holistic Well-being and Positive Parenting Program
Phillippa is a dedicated Psychologist and Clinical Psychology Registrar, driven by her passion for empowering individuals across the lifespan to achieve holistic well-being.
Phillippa's professional repertoire and interests are diverse. As a mother of two young children, she has experienced and studied parenting practices cross-culturally. She is an accredited facilitator of the Circle of Security attachment-based parenting program and a Level 4 Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) provider.
Other areas of keen clinical interest include neurodivergence, mindfulness-based therapies, psychological treatments for chronic pain, and innovative mind-body approaches such as walk & talk therapy.
All Stages of Life
In her clinical practice, Phillippa warmly welcomes diverse clients across all stages of life—children, adolescents, and adults—addressing a spectrum of issues including anxiety, depression, PTSD, complex trauma, grief, work stress, perinatal mental health, and interpersonal challenges. She is experienced in conducting cognitive and functional assessments for ADHD, ASD, and specific learning disorders.
Therapeutic Style
Phillippa's therapeutic style is characterized by its client-centred, collaborative, and empathic nature. Drawing from a rich tapestry of life experiences, including many years spent immersed in diverse cultures abroad, training in traditional meditative practices, Phillippa endeavours to provide an environment of compassion, trust, openness, authenticity, and understanding.
Her interventions are informed by evidence-based techniques including EMDR, CBT, ACT, DBT, Schema therapy and mindfulness-based approaches, ensuring that each client receives targeted, effective care. Her approach values wisdom, practicality, and a genuine belief in the transformative potential of the therapeutic alliance.
Phillippa’s goal is to help clients discover new pathways to growth, empowerment, and a life enriched with insight and purpose.
Education and Credentials
Phillippa is a dedicated Psychologist and Clinical Psychology Registrar, driven by her passion for empowering individuals across the lifespan to achieve holistic well-being. Phillippa holds a first-class honours degree in psychology from the University of Queensland, where she was recognised as the highest-achieving student in her cohort and was awarded the APS Prize.
Bachelor of Psychology (First Class Honours)
University of Queensland
Graduate Diploma in Psychology
Monash University
Masters Degree in Professional and Clinical Psychology
University of Southern Queensland
Dylan To
Psychologist
Dylan is a dedicated and compassionate Psychologist who works with adolescents (from age 12) and adults. Known for his calm and collaborative style, he supports clients experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, and significant life stressors through evidence-based and person-centred care.
With a professional background spanning Queensland Health, Queensland Corrective Services, and private practice, Dylan brings a wealth of experience in acute crisis management and brief therapy from emergency departments, statewide 24/7 MH CALL service, and outpatient settings. His extensive public health experience has shaped his ability to provide practical, grounded support for individuals navigating complex emotional challenges.
Away from psychology, Dylan enjoys spending time at the gym, watching sport, out in the outdoors, and with family including their cavoodle Oakley.
Therapeutic Approach
Dylan’s approach is guided by a warm, respectful, and compassionate lens to help clients overcome diversity and find their authentic selves. He believes that every interaction, whether a single assessment or a longer-term therapeutic relationship, should leave clients feeling heard, validated, and empowered.
Drawing on his diverse clinical experience, Dylan integrates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and Solution-Focused Therapy. His interventions are practical, adaptable, and collaborative, to ensure therapy is always tailored to the client’s goals and circumstances. Dylan also works extensively with clients from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, often alongside interpreters.
Education and Credentials
Dylan is a registered Psychologist with several years of frontline experience in acute crisis and trauma care across Queensland Health institutions and with the Queensland Corrective Services. This has shaped his ability to provide support for clients facing intense emotional distress, trauma, and suicidal crisis. Dylan is also highly trained in ACT, CBT, DBT, and Solution-Focused Therapy.
Bachelor of Psychological Science
The University of Adelaide
Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours)
Bond University
Master of Clinical Psychology - Advanced Entry
University of Southern Queensland
Loe Stanford
Psychologist
Loe is an experienced psychologist at Unburden Psychology in Brisbane, offering personalised care for adults and adolescents (12+). She uses a client-centred, evidence-based approach to help clients achieve self-awareness and meaningful change. Loe provides a supportive, collaborative space for personal growth or overcoming challenges. She enjoys art, music, culture, yoga, meditation, and travel outside of work.
Working with Adolescents
Loe has extensive experience supporting teenagers and pre-teens in various settings, making her highly skilled in addressing the unique mental health needs of young people.
Previously, she worked as a School Psychologist, where she provided short-term counselling and mental health support to students. In this role, she developed and delivered individual therapy and group programs aimed at improving social-emotional functioning, including life skills, anger management, and conflict resolution.
Her experience also includes working at Headspace, where she provided mental health interventions and managed high-risk cases involving adolescents.
Drawing on this diverse experience, Loe supports teenagers with challenges such as anxiety, low self-esteem, peer pressure, and family issues. She works collaboratively with parents, schools, and other professionals to provide a well-rounded, supportive approach to each young person’s mental health and development.
Education and Credentials
Bachelor of Science (Psychology)
University of Southern Queensland
Bachelor of Science (Psychology) Honours
University of Southern Queensland
Certificate in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy
Mind Medicine Australia
Master of Learning & Development (Career Development & Lifelong Learning / Alcohol & Drug Studies)
University of Southern Queensland
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