Meet ishma alvi (she/her).
“People don’t exist under a cloche; shaped solely by their individuality. People are shaped by systems they exist within, their relationships, and the interaction between mind and body. Consideration of these intersections informs the psychological work we will do together.”
- Ishma Alvi
Ishma is a registered psychologist (AHPRA), Board Approved Supervisor (AHPRA) and a Clinical Psychosexual Therapist. She is also on the Victorian Inclusive Practitioners and the Asian Australian Mental Health Practitioner lists.
Ishma has worked in the field of psychology and mental health in a range of spaces and contexts for over 20 years, gaining in that time the skills and values that guide her practice, as well as empathy with the human experience.
She draws on her personal values to strengthen her practice; informed by principles of equity. As a psychologist, Ishma is particularly interested in helping people from diverse communities’ access therapy.
Her practice is grounded in the principles of inclusion, actively serving BIPOC, CALD and LGBTQIA++ communities. She is mindful of systemic variables that contribute to their concerns, utilising an Anti-Oppression framework and a trauma-informed lens. Her work is helped by the fact that she is fluent in Urdu and Hindi, as well as English.
With a deep understanding of the importance of building rapport and human connections, she brings not only her experience and training, but also a sense of humour into each session.
She ensures that the work done in sessions allows clients ownership of the therapeutic process. The psychological interventions she employs include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Schema Therapy, and Gottman's Couples Therapy.
In her free time, Ishma enjoys painting, drawing, and writing. And lifting heavy things.
Just because.