Dr Kate Lemerle

Senior Psychologist

BSc(Psyc),BEd,GradDipHlthProm,GradDipSocEcol,MAppSc,PhD

Dr Kate set up Chrysalis Wellness Services 18 years ago to provide an alternative approach to the “medical model” for people with mental health challenges.

The “medical model” focuses on reducing symptoms, and once these symptoms are gone, therapy stops. Dr Kate realised that building people’s life skills for coping with stressful experiences gives them the tools to manage whatever life throws their way. This means they are armed and ready to get through life’s downs, whilst using the up times to further build their skills for a flourishing life. The old proverb of Confucius sums up her approach:

“Give a man a fish, and you’ll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you’ve fed him for a lifetime.”

Dr Kate brings over four decades of experience working with people from all walks of life who share one thing in common – things aren’t going as well for them as they want, and they’re ready to change.

She has completed extensive training in Positive Psychology as well as Cognitive Therapy, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Strengths Counselling, Schema Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Emotion-Focused Therapy, along with Relationship & Family Therapy. In recent years, she has undertaken specialized training in areas like Neuropsychotherapy and Trauma-Focused Therapies.

Dr Kate now uses many different techniques adapted to the needs of individual clients, all designed to empower her clients to grow well beyond just being symptom-free. Her aim is to help everyone learn the skills to manage their minds in the best possible way.

You can find out more about Dr Kate’s extensive experience here.

Apart from her clinical practice, Dr Kate also gained international recognition for her research into resilience in children from multicultural backgrounds and her postdoctoral research on Health Promoting Schools, and she has taught psychology and health promotion courses in universities in both NSW and QLD as well as supervised provisional psychologists for a decade. She now offers  supervision and training intensives for health professionals through the Institute for Applied Positive Psychology which she launched in 2014. These programs are available online as well as 5-day and 10-day packages  at Norfolk Island.

In 2016, Dr Kate moved to Norfolk Island and now lives and works from her new home where she enjoys the simple pace of life whilst also contributing actively to the local community.

Kate is registered with AHPRA and is a member of the following organisations:

• Member, International Association of Clinical Neuropsychotherapists (MIACN)
• Charter Member, International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA)
• Member, Institute of Coaching Professional Association (ICPA)
• Member, International Society for Coaching Psychology (ISCP)