Meet Vanessa Allen

Vanessa Allen is the Founder and Director of Evolving Minds Counselling and Psychology and an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and Psychotherapist with over 18 years of experience providing therapy to children, adolescents and adults. She is known for her warm, calm approach and her ability to create a therapeutic space where people feel safe, understood, and respected.

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Vanessa works with individuals experiencing eating disorders, trauma, attachment and relationship difficulties, anxiety, and major life transitions. She has a particular interest in working with  neurodivergence, including people with ADHD and autism. She approaches this work from a neuro-affirming perspective that respects difference, helping people make sense of their experiences, feel less overwhelmed, and build confidence. She is committed to providing an inclusive and respectful therapeutic space for people of diverse identities and experiences.

 

With advanced training in eating disorders and credentialing with the Australia & New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders (ANZAED), Vanessa works with individuals and families impacted by restrictive eating, binge eating, body image distress, and complex relationships with food. Her work integrates evidence-based approaches including CBT-E, MANTRA, RO-DBT, FBT, and Temperament-Based Therapy with Support (TBTS), alongside trauma-informed care, to facilitate recovery, restore flexibility around eating, and rebuild connection with the body in a compassionate and sustainable way.

 

Vanessa integrates trauma-informed and attachment-focused frameworks into her work, supported by postgraduate qualifications in trauma and training in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR). She recognises how early experiences, relational patterns, and significant life events can shape emotional responses, self-perception, and relationships. Therapy may explore patterns that feel difficult to shift, strengthen emotional regulation, and cultivate a greater sense of safety within oneself and in relationships.

 

She also works with women and families during the perinatal period, including pregnancy, postnatal adjustment, identity changes in parenthood, and the emotional complexities that can arise during this time. Vanessa offers a compassionate space where experiences can be explored openly and without judgement.

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Areas of Interest

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• Eating disorders and body Image concerns

• Trauma and relational trauma

• Neurodivergent mental health (ADHD and Autism)

• Perinatal mental health and parenting

• Anxiety, depression and emotional regulation

• LGBTIQ+ affirming therapy

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Vanessa also draws on evidence-based approaches such as CBT, Schema Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), integrating attachment-informed and trauma-informed frameworks. Her work is collaborative and tailored to each person, recognising that meaningful change occurs when people feel understood, safe, and actively engaged in the therapeutic process.

 

Vanessa offers sessions for children, adolescents and adults.​​