Carla Anderson

Carla Anderson is a Clinical Psychologist based on the Sunshine Coast, Australia and the Director of the Perinatal Child & Family Hub, working in private practice with a focus on the perinatal period and children/youth since 2005.

Carla is a member of the Centre for Perinatal Psychology and is on the board of advisors for the Perinatal Training Centre. Carla is a member of the Australian and New Zealand Infertility Counsellors Association (ANZICA), provider of Medicare’s non-directive pregnancy counselling, and is an AHPRA Board Approved Supervisor.

Outside of her clinical work, Carla is passionate about training and supervision, with extensive experience in perinatal mental health training, conference presentations, podcasts and media interviews for a range of topics related to the perinatal period:

• Co-developer of the Perinatal Training Centre’s Grief, Trauma and Attachment: An Integrated Approach to Perinatal Loss training,
• Published research in the Australian Psychologist on Pregnancy-related anxiety; Re-examining its distinctiveness.
• Training for Midwives and Child Health nurses in Perinatal Support Skills,
• Co-facilitator of Bronwyn Leigh’s PIMH Masterclasses,
• Co-facilitator of Elly Taylor’s Becoming Us Perinatal Relationships, Wellbeing & Mental Health training,
• Training for The Pink Elephants Support Network workforce support program.
• Carla was also amongst the first group of psychologists for Gidget’s Start Talking Program and trainer to their clinicians.
• Earlier in her career, Carla was a national trainer for Bonnie Babes’, training professionals in supporting families experiencing perinatal loss, co-ordinated the Gladstone Communities for Children Initiative establishing peer led perinatal mental health support groups, and was involved in the Lighthouse Project: Seen but not heard, supporting children in domestic violence.

As a supervisor and trainer, Carla enjoys supporting supervisees through the development of their skills and confidence with working in the perinatal period, holding in mind attachment, developmental and relational frames, with a focus on reflective practice. 

Carla also recently completed her Certificate III in Floristry gaining her qualification as a florist and was introduced to therapeutic horticulture and the benefits of using flowers and psychology together. Carla has been utilising these skills through groups and training for professionals.

Carla offers video conferencing (Zoom) appointments.

Areas of Special Interest

• Supporting clinicians to work from attachment, developmental and relational frames, with a focus on reflective practice.
• Perinatal loss (fertility, early miscarriage, terminations, stillbirth, neonatal death, SIDS/SUDS, and pregnancy after loss)
• Pregnancy specific concerns and anxiety
• Fertility and Assisted Reproductive Technology (IVF)
• Birth trauma
• Parent-infant relationships and supporting dyadic interaction
• Couple relationship
• Intimacy difficulties particularly in the perinatal period and vaginismus.
• Supporting teen/young mums
• Perfectionism
• Private practice support

Professional Memberships

• Member ANZICA
• Member Australian Psychological Society (MAPS)
• Member APS College of Clinical Psychologists (CCLP)
• Member APS Perinatal and Infant Psychology Interest Group (PIPIG)
• Member Australasian Marcé Society
• Member Australian Association for Infant Mental Health (AAIMH)
• Member Australian and New Zealand Infertility Counsellors Association (ANZICA)
• Member Therapeutic Horticulture Association (THA)