Meet Fiona O'Connell

Fiona is a Registered Psychologist at Evolving Minds Counselling and Psychology, providing psychological therapy for adolescents and adults in Menai and across the Sutherland Shire, as well as via telehealth.

​

Fiona provides therapy for adolescents experiencing a range of emotional and developmental presentations, including anxiety disorders, depression and low mood, trauma, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), school avoidance, academic stress, emotional regulation difficulties, and confidence and self-esteem challenges. With a background in education, Fiona brings a strong understanding of school environments and learning demands, and how these can interact with mental health, neurodevelopmental differences, and stress responses during adolescence.

 

Fiona takes a calm, collaborative, and trauma-informed approach to therapy, prioritising safety, predictability, and choice. Her work is neuro-affirming and recognises that young people with ADHD and ASD may experience and express distress, regulation, and engagement in different ways. Fiona works alongside adolescents to build insight, emotional awareness, and practical coping strategies that can be applied both at school and at home, while respecting each person’s strengths and needs.

 

Fiona also provides psychological therapy for adults experiencing anxiety disorders, depression, mood disorders, adjustment disorder, trauma, ADHD, ASD, stress, and workplace-related stress. She works with adults affected by workplace bullying, work-related injury, and role transitions, including first responders. Her work with adults is informed by a trauma-aware and neuro-affirming framework that acknowledges the impact of lived experience, nervous system responses, and neurodiversity on mental health and daily functioning.

 

Fiona’s therapeutic approach is client-centred and evidence based, drawing on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing, and mindfulness-based approaches. Therapy is tailored to each person’s goals, stage of life, and individual needs, with a paced and collaborative focus on emotional regulation, self-understanding, and sustainable change.

 

Further information about our therapy services in Menai and across the Sutherland Shire is available on the Our Services and Conditions We Work With pages.

To book an appointment with a psychologist in Menai, please call 02 8519 4197 or use our secure online booking booking form.