Francisca Montedonico Godoy

Experience and approach

I am a Clinical Psychologist with 25 years of experience practicing with children (0 to 12 years old) and their families. I work from a relational psychodynamic approach drawing also from systemic and attachment theory. I have experience working in the private and public mental health service, with a wide range of presentations.

Families usually consult with concerns about their children’s behaviour or other emotional difficulties. They may also seek help when facing significant life challenges (e.g. pregnancy, divorce, grief). I use a collaborative approach working in individual and dyadic psychotherapy with children, involving also their parents in the treatment as the first and most important agents for change.

I use a range of individual, dyadic and family modalities: psychotherapy, sandtray therapy, Mentalization Based Treatments (MBT) and Theraplay among others. My aim is to promote children’s emotional wellbeing facilitating secure attachments with their significant people. I also work with women through the process of becoming a mother (pregnancy to postnatal stage) where issues around relationships, identity, early attachment issues and postnatal depression may arise.

Services:

• Individual psychotherapy and play therapy.
• Parent Infant psychotherapy
• Theraplay
• Mentalization Based Therapy for children (MBT-C)
• Parent consultation and psychoeducation

I also provide clinical supervision to psychologists and psychotherapists.