Elizabeth "Lizzie" Elleson , PACFA

Elizabeth "Lizzie" Elleson is a clinical psychotherapist with 10 years of experience across public, NGO and private sectors. She brings a warm, creative and relational approach to therapy, blending trauma-informed care with client-centred practice and a gentle emphasis on somatic mindfulness. She holds PACFA membership - the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia - which reflects her engagement with professional standards in the field.

Early in her career she worked as a drug and alcohol clinician in the public sector, an experience that revealed the strong links between addiction and unresolved early-childhood trauma. That insight led her to pursue further training in trauma-informed methods, including mindfulness-integrated approaches, Internal Family Systems ideas and polyvagal concepts, and to specialist work with people living with complex trauma and disability.

She has supported people from highly marginalised communities and those who identify as neurodivergent, developing particular experience with complex trauma, recovery from abuse, and the intersection of trauma with addiction and chronic illness. Today she practices in private settings in Melbourne and Sydney and offers coaching for people managing PMDD.

Her practice is tailored to each person she works with, with a focus on helping clients find greater self-acceptance, increased capacity to face life’s challenges, and more harmonious relationships with themselves and others. She views therapeutic work as a collaborative journey and takes satisfaction in supporting inner transformation.

Therapeutic approaches and online support

Elizabeth "Lizzie" Elleson draws on attachment-based therapy to explore how early relationships shape patterns of connection and emotion - this approach helps people address abandonment, attachment issues and relationship difficulties by working to build more secure ways of relating. She also uses client-centred therapy, which emphasises empathy, unconditional positive regard and the client's own expertise in finding solutions - this approach can be especially useful for improving self-esteem, coping with life changes and strengthening personal agency. In addition, mindfulness therapy is incorporated to help clients develop present-moment awareness of body and mind, supporting regulation of anxiety, trauma-related symptoms and chronic stress.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and she works collaboratively with each person to identify which methods fit their needs, goals and preferences. The therapist and client explore options together and adjust the plan as progress unfolds.

Online formats - including video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging - make it easier to access consistent care from home or elsewhere, offering flexibility around work, family and health commitments. These options support continuity of therapeutic work and allow therapists and clients to maintain momentum even when in-person sessions are not possible.