Dr Laura Clentsmith | Clinical Psychologist
BPsych(Hons), MPsych (Clin.), PhD (Clin.Psy). MAPS
Not currently accepting new clients
Laura is a registered Clinical Psychologist. She holds undergraduate qualifications in psychology and has a postgraduate Masters and PhD in Clinical Psychology. Laura has experience working with clients of all ages and has worked in a variety of roles within private practice, education, and clinical research settings.
Laura’s therapy is predominantly informed by attachment theory, psychodynamic therapy, schema therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy. She believes that non-judgemental self-awareness is ultimately how clients can become the agents of their own change and psychological growth. Subsequently, Laura enjoys empowering her clients to develop a psycho-informed and self-compassionate understanding of themselves – exploring how the factors that contribute to their struggles exist in the context of their unique lived experience.
Areas of Specialisation
Laura specialises in the treatment of anxiety, mood disorders, sleep and body image, including
- General anxiety
- Social anxiety
- Specific phobias
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Depression
- Sleep disorders (incl. parent led sleep interventions for children with sleep problems)
- Negative body image (incl. body or weight dissatisfaction, body anxiety or body image distress)
- Problematic eating and exercise behaviour (Incl. as binge eating, yo-yo dieting, purging and compulsive exercise behaviour)
- Stress and burn-out
- Interpersonal/relationship difficulties
- Neurodiveristy (incl. ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Laura also conducts screening and diagnostic assessments for each of the above mentioned areas, as well as intelligence (IQ) testing, academic performance testing, and tests of executive functioning.
Therapeutic Approaches
Laura believes that non-judgemental self-awareness is ultimately how clients can become the agents of their own change and psychological growth. Subsequently, Laura enjoys empowering her clients to develop a psycho-informed and self-compassionate understanding of themselves – exploring how the factors that contribute to their struggles exist in the context of their unique lived experience. Laura's practice is predominantly informed by the following psychotherapeutic approaches:
- Attachment theory
- Psychodynamic therapy
- Schema therapy
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Background
Laura was awarded a PhD in Clinical Psychology in 2019 from Griffith University on the Gold Coast. She has since worked as a Clinical Psychologist in private practice, while completing a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at Griffith University. Laura's PhD research examined Western ideals of female body image and developed a new measure of “Fit Ideal Internalisation” for women. Laura (who publishes under her maiden name Uhlmann) has published over 10 peer reviewed research papers in the areas of body image, digital mental health, paediatric behavioural sleep problems, and psychological assessment. She has published in esteemed scientific journals, including: Psychological Assessment, Body Image and Child Psychiatry and Human Development. Laura has also written a book chapter for the “Handbook of Body Image-Related Measures” on the scale she developed as part of her PhD research. Most recently, Laura was part of the multi-institutional research team responsible for the development and delivery of the digital mental health platform “Momentum” which provides young people afflicted with anxiety, depression, sleep problems and associated disorders, with free mental health assessment, feedback, and digital programs tailored to their diagnostic profile. She is also currently supervising several PhD and Honours students in their research at Griffith University on the Gold Coast.
In her free time, Laura enjoys being a mum to her young daughter. Consequently, she is constantly active and outdoors. She prefers to spend time in nature, especially with her family, as this is where she feels truly content. Laura gets joy from the finer things in life: coffee, chocolate, red wine, Asian fusion food, and music by Taylor Swift. She loves reading fantasy fiction books and earnestly complimenting people.
"Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty" - David Hume