Chris Barnes is a Clinical Psychologist and Board Approved Supervisor with over 30 years of professional insight and expertise. Her approach is process driven, mindful and compassion-based, with a particular interest in attachment, grief and loss, perinatal mental health aligning with psychodynamic, trauma-informed and feminist frameworks.
Chris has always had an affinity for the well-being of mothers and babies. Her career began with a focus on families, adoption, foster care and women’s health. She naturally moved into the perinatal space, running year-long psychotherapy groups with Norma Tracey and completing an Infant & Newborn Observation Study with the Sydney Institute of Psychiatry.
In 2014, Chris joined the team at Gidget Foundation Australia (GFA) as one of their first perinatal therapists. She supported 150 clinicians over her 10-year tenure at GFA. Leading the Clinical Team, she created supervision and professional development programs and oversaw clinical content, recruitment and training, education and Australia-wide advocacy and media.
Creating a safe, accepting, reflective and collaborative environment is her happy place. Chris loves to see ‘lightbulb moments’, with supervisees enjoying the perinatal space and relishing the therapist-learning journey. She believes working with families is an essential, unique, rewarding and special area of psychology – one that is so important to focus on as we raise the next generation of humans. Parenthood can be one of the hardest times in a person’s life and Chris believes compassionate support can be life changing.
Chris is offering online and in-person Supervision for students, psychology registrars and experienced perinatal clinicians, organisations and groups.
Areas of special interest:
Chris is also an APS Early Career Mentor for Psychologists, Fellow of the APS Clinical College, member of AAIMH and MARCE and is currently the Manager of Clinical Content & Relationship Building for the Australasian Birth Trauma Association (ABTA) on a part time basis. She calls Sydney home and shares it with her partner and two cheeky and loving Burmese cats!
Contact Chris BarnesSubscribe to our Newsletter to stay connected and keep up with all our activities.
