Psychologists 

Dr Traci Coventry

Clinical Psychologist/Director 

DPsych (Clinical, Child and Family), BBSc. (Hons), Grad. Dip. Psych,
BA (Hons).
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Child and Family Specialisation), Honours Degree in Behavioural Science, Graduate Diploma in Psychology, Honours Degree in Arts.

Australian Psychological Society Member. AHPRA registered Psychologist.
Member APS College of Clinical Psychology.
Equine Psychotherapist (Equine Psychotherapy Institute of Australia).
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and learning.

I am the principal of our practise and have spent the past twenty years working as a doctor of clinical psychology specialising in child and family psychology in hospitals and private practice.

My equine work has allowed me to speak as an expert on equine assisted psychological therapy on Contact Talk Radio, and in magazine interviews for Women’s Health and Hoofbeats. I am also a writer, and my articles on psychology have been published in Dolly, Madison, Huffington Post, The Sydney Morning Herald Australian Women’s Health magazines. I consider myself incredibly fortunate that working at Epona Brae in the company of my animal family has allowed me to combine my passionate love of animals and nature with my professional career, and to make a positive differences in the lives of both the animals and humans who work with me.

Murray Coventry

Registered Psychologist

MProfPsych, BPsychSci (Hons), GDipPsych, MBA.
Master of Professional Psychology, Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours),
Graduate Diploma in Psychology, Master of Business Administration.

AHPRA Registered.

My special interest is in helping people manage the challenges that come with changes in life circumstances, to improve their skills for coping with difficulties and developing resilience, self-compassion, and to be empowered to achieve their goals. I have worked in healthcare for over 40 years in nursing, the pharmaceutical industry, and now as a psychologist.

My approach to therapy encompasses the belief that each person has unique inner strengths that can help overcome challenges, and a desire to live a life with purpose and meaning. Each person has a distinct experience and story to tell.

I seek to collaborate with clients in an environment that is supportive, respectful and non-judgemental. In therapy this may involve developing helpful strategies, increasing self-awareness and insight, or improving the experience and connection we have with those around us to enable living a full and rewarding life.

My therapy specialities include treatment for adults and young people with anxiety, panic, depression, stress, low self-esteem, relationship issues, difficulties with life transitions, grief and loss, work-related concerns and trauma.

Elle Morrison

Registered Psychologist

MPsych (Professional), GradDipPsych, BA.
Master of Psychology (Professional), Graduate Diploma in Psychology, Bachelor of Arts.

AHPRA Registered.

I have a passion for supporting individuals with their mental health and well-being and drawing on the therapeutic value of working with animals within this context. Creating a safe and collaborative space is crucial to how I work with clients and is integral to learning about where the client is coming from and their individual experiences, as well as addressing their needs and working toward their goals.

For the past 9 years I have worked in both hospital settings and community mental health with individuals experiencing complex mental health issues and diagnoses including depression, anxiety, PTSD, schizophrenia, psychosis and personality disorders. I work within a holistic, trauma-informed framework, utilising therapies including ACT, CBT and DBT whilst also integrating somatic and mindfulness-based approaches within this. The addition of animal-assisted therapy is invaluable in this space. Working with clients alongside a therapy animal, such as Opal, one of the therapy horses here at Coventry, or Gemma, the beautiful Maremma, can enable clients to feel more at ease in the therapeutic space, facilitating feelings of comfort and non-judgement. This also helps to strengthen the therapeutic process and outcomes being worked on together and is often a highlight for clients when reflecting on our work together.

Mikayla Disanayake

Provisional Psychologist

MProfPsych, BBS (Psychology), GDipPsych (AdvDip).
Master of Professional Psychology, Bachelor of Behavioural Studies in Psychology,
Graduate Advanced Diploma in Psychology.

AHPRA Registered.

I have a passion for animal-assisted therapy.

My past experience in the health and community sector, over the past 7 years, has been quite varied and I’ve been involved in supporting both individuals and groups, conducting research, and working to improve overall client engagement.

Animals have always held a special place in my heart, and I have several cats and dogs at home, along with a soft spot for horses. This love for animals led me to explore the fascinating world of human-animal interactions, and I recently published a paper on the effects of second/successor dog syndrome in both assistance and pet dog owners.

My approach to client work is to work creatively in a client-centred manner, recognising each person’s uniqueness and the importance of their individual journey. With the assistance of our animal therapists, I am excited about assisting individuals to improve their health outcomes and overall well-being.

Samantha Ryan

Provisional Psychologist

BSHP, BAppSc (Psych).

Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Psychology), Bachelor of Applied Science (Psychology).

Currently undertaking Master of Professional Psychology (MProfPsych).

AHPRA Registered.

I am particularly interested in working with children: our next generation. As this time is our biggest stage of development, it is imperative to develop strong coping mechanisms to flow into the later stages of our life.

I began working with children back in 2019, and have since worked as a support worker, allied health assistant, and therapy assistant, alongside OT’s, Speech Therapists, and Psychologists. Working within such a multidisciplinary team has enhanced my confidence and understanding of children, especially neurodivergent children – with whom I have mostly assisted.

As talking about ones feelings is not always easy, I am particularly interested in involving various approaches into therapy. These include play-based activities, animal therapy, art therapy, or simply walking and talking. Coventry provides a wonderfully open environment that compliments these therapeutic methods, and makes me love this career and workspace all the more.