Francesca Carpenter
Psychologist and Director of Excel Psychology
Francesca Carpenter graduated from the University of Washington (Seattle Washington, USA) with a 4-year Bachelor’s degree majoring in Psychology. She went on to study at the University of New England in Armidale, NSW and received a First Class Honours in Social Sciences.
Francesca is the Director of Excel Psychology. She is a registered Psychologist with about 13 years experience in providing psychological therapy in private practice. Before moving to Brisbane in 2013, she lived and worked in the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland for about 25 years. Francesca has experience working with people of all ages with a variety of issues. She has general registration with the Psychology Board of Australia, membership with Australian Association of Psychologists (AAPI.)
Often people feel an initial reluctance to consult a Psychologist. Francesca is committed to helping clients feel at ease so they can talk freely about the issues in their lives. Once the issues are discussed, it is much easier to begin to change how we see the problem or to develop new strategies for coping and change. Francesca approaches every situation with care and compassion. She listens with a view to understand the situation and offer strategies that are tailored to the individual and situation. Francesca is committed to providing effective therapy that supports clients to grow and improve their skills.
Francesca provides therapy to adolescents, adults and elderly people. She works with people across a variety of issues such as:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Stress
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
- Coping strategies
- Anger Management
- Assertiveness
- Insomnia/Difficulty with Sleep
- Relationship Issues
- Workplace bullying
- LGBTIQ Issues
- Domestic Violence
- Childhood abuse
- Sexual assault
- Self-esteem
- Grief and loss
- Coping with serious health issues
- Panic attacks
- Coping with infertility
Sailing Through the Storm: The Role of Integration Therapy in Healing from Psychedelic "Bad Trips"
The resurgence of interest in psychedelic substances for therapeutic purposes has brought to light not just their potential benefits but also the challenges they can present. One of the most distressing experiences associated with psychedelics is what is commonly known as a “bad trip.” These intense, often overwhelming experiences can leave individuals feeling confused, scared, and even traumatized. Integration therapy has emerged as a crucial process for helping individuals navigate and heal from these difficult encounters.
The Power of Listening
Listening is harder than you might think. If you’ve ever been in an argument and the other person says “you’re not listening to me” you know how confusing the idea of not listening might be, because here you are, hearing all the words they are saying and yet they think you’re not listening. That’s because listening to someone, especially someone you disagree with, is a difficult skill to master. Here, we break down the skill into smaller steps that make it easier to do.
It’s been a lot: let’s talk about COVID stress
A lot has been written about the impact of Covid-19 on our lives, with health mandates, changes to where and how we can get together and vaccines. Covid has also had an impact on our mental health. At this point, it’s hard to remember what life was like before covid, but we used to have a sense of wellbeing, that the world was a safe place in general. We knew we could make plans for the future with some certainty.