about

philosophy

At Loom, we are deeply committed to supporting individuals to live a rich, connected, and meaningful life. With an emphasis on seeking optimal wellbeing, our intention is to provide a holistic, grounded, evidence-based and authentic approach to therapy.

mary brennan

she | her

Clinical Psychologist

Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) | Master of Psychology (Clinical)

I see each person as the expert in their own story, and therapy as a genuinely collaborative process. My approach is relational at its core —weaving between your experience and an invitation to explore new perspectives, with the aim of co-creating understanding, change, and growth.

While I am trained in established modalities such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Psychodynamic, Schema, Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing (EMDR), mindfulness and attachment-informed approaches, I am also committed to growth-oriented psychological practice and treatment. As such, I have undertaken further training in Internal Family Systems (IFS), Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR), and Moral Injury, all of which are more recent evolutions in the trauma treatment space, with preliminary or emerging evidence bases. 

I draw on experience working in mental health contexts across hospital, community, and private practice settings, in addition to supporting clients of all ages and backgrounds, including veterans and first responders. My primary focus lies with presentations including developmental and attachment trauma, self-esteem concerns, anxiety, depression, interpersonal challenges, PTSD, and complex trauma. I believe the therapeutic relationship can act as a powerful space from which to build regulation, insight, and the ability to anchor in one’s sense of Self.

…

therapeutic modalities

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a practical and compassionate approach that helps you handle life’s challenges by focusing on what truly matters to you. ACT can help you make room for difficult thoughts and emotions while still taking meaningful steps toward the life you want. Through mindfulness techniques and value-based actions, ACT empowers you to break free from unhelpful patterns, so you can live more fully in the present and move forward with purpose.

  • CBT is based on the premise that our thoughts (cognitions) influence our feelings and behaviours, and that subsequent behaviours and emotions can influence our cognitions. In CBT, we work together to identify and challenge automatic, unhelpful and inaccurate thought patterns, and create opportunities for you to practice more adaptive responses.

  • Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing is an integrative psychotherapy approach to assist with overcoming symptoms associated with PTSD. It uses bilateral stimulation (right/left eye movement, tactile or audio stimulation) while the client recalls a specific traumatic event. The Adaptive Information Processing model underpinning EMDR is thought to support the processing of difficult memories and reduction of associated distress.

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an experiential therapy with a growing research base, particularly in the treatment of trauma. IFS supports building connection and easing conflict — both within the different ‘parts’ of ourselves and in the way we relate to others.

  • Mindfulness-based practices involve training the brain to pay attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally. It’s the opposite of being on “automatic pilot” — helping you to anchor in the present and step out of automatic, unhelpful patterns of thinking and acting. Over time, these practices can assist us in creating enough of a pause to choose our response in any given moment, rather than rushing into an instinctive reaction.

  • Schema-focused therapy emphasises identifying and changing maladaptive beliefs about ourselves, others, and the world. Schemas develop during childhood and are elaborated throughout our lifetime. Given the compromised contexts within which they often evolved, schemas can underlie patterns that repeat across our lives — patterns that may feel difficult or impossible to change on our own.

submit an enquiry