About Dr Leisa Aitken, Clinical Psychologist

For over 25 years, I’ve been delivering counselling, supervision, talks and workshops in corporate workplaces, schools, hospitals, churches, group practices and in my private practice on Sydney's Northern Beaches. My PhD on the ‘psychology of hope’ explored how historical and recent reflections on hope can be practically applied to enhance the lives of my patients and communities. This research on hope, as well as my broader training and practice, is driven by and designed for real-world applications, making psychological strategies for wellbeing accessible to everyone.

We all have access to so much information about how to live well, but the quality of that advice can be really varied. In our time-poor world, I am offering to help curate this. My niche is that I read a breadth of academic research and reflection and know how to recognise evidence-based science that integrates with ancient wisdom. I package it in a way that is accessible and you can act on — especially when life feels challenging.

My purpose is that this all contributes to a realistic sense of how best to find wise theory and translate it into clear practice.

My approach draws from:

  • current academic research in psychology and neuroscience,

  • reading widely in medical research, philosophy, history and theology,

  • my own observations from more than 25 years of counselling,

  • more than 20 years of organisational workshops and teaching,

  • more than 30 years of lived experience in my marriage and raising our family.

When I began speaking and counselling many years ago, people wanted information about practices for psychological wellbeing and how to overcome mental health struggles. Today, we all have free access to an overwhelming amount of research and advice about what we should do to live well. Now, an equally important question is, “what gets in the way?” of putting these into practice, and exploring research-based psychological approaches to overcoming these barriers. I believe this is something that is crucial to address.

Qualifications and frameworks

My qualifications include a PhD on the Psychology of Hope from the University of Sydney, a Masters in Psychology (Clinical) and Bachelor of Science (Psychology) from the University of NSW. I am a Member of the Clinical College of the Australian Psychological Society (MAPS).

Further post-graduate training includes:

  • This enables a clearer perspective on stuck relationship patterns, difficult parent-child interactions and the unique role of stress in a family or workplace ‘emotional system’. My certification is from the Family Systems Institute.

  • This is a very practical type of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy which helps us to connect with our values, assess the role of unhelpful self-talk, and learn to cope with difficult, negative emotions.

  • This year long international course explored addiction generally, as well as sugar and ultra-processed food addiction. Diet is an often ignored, but potentially powerful aspect of therapy for many psychiatric diagnoses. There increasing evidence for its role in improving anxiety and depression as well as many other mental health issues.

Why the Eagle?

  • This soaring bird is a powerful symbol of the hopeful practise of having a bird’s eye view of life, including the capacity to have a vision of where we want to get to and working backwards from there to plan our path.

  • It reminds me of the uplifting spiritual aspects of hope; “those that hope in God will renew their strength, they will soar on wings as eagles” and of being “carried as on eagle’s wings”.

  • The design was the symbol of my father’s business, Eagle surgical; he made surgical instruments and disability appliances and was known for his generosity to those in difficult circumstances.