Early Career and Provisional Psychologists Retreat

- Saturday 24th May & Sunday 25th May 2025 -

Tickets are now on sale for our first Professional Development Retreat in 2025. Designed specifically for early career and provisional psychologists, this two-day retreat offers a unique opportunity to enhance your skills, gain new insights, and connect with peers in a supportive and inspiring environment.

What to Expect:
    • Workshops on key psychological practices and areas relevant to those starting out in their professional journey. Workshops will run all day Saturday, and a half day on Sunday.
    • Interactive sessions focused on professional growth and self-care.
    • Networking opportunities with like-minded professionals.
    • Morning Tea and lunch provided on both days, and afternoon tea on the Saturday.
    • Self-care supports built in, including the opportunity to participate in yoga and somatic work, and 10 minute massages.
    • The opportunity to ask all those burning questions and face any anxiety you may hold about processes, stages of therapy, or the profession in general.

Presenters

William Wainwright: William is a Forensic Psychologist and registered supervisor with 20 years experience working across many government and non-government organisations. William has worked in-depth in the forensic field including sexual and violent offending by adults, juveniles, and people with intellectual disability. He has run a successful private practice and has acted as an expert in court and consulted and trained a variety of audiences including federal and state police, judges, lawyers, prison officers and workers in DHHS, child protection, and corrections. William’s specialist areas include behaviour support, working effectively with intellectual disablity around the management of sexualised and aggressive behaviours, staff self-care and management of vicarious trauma, and risk assessments.

Caspar Wenn: Caspar is a Registered Psychologist based in Melbourne, where he directs the OCD focussed private practice “The OCS Clinic”. Caspar enjoys working from various psychotherapy frameworks, including Metacognitive Therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), & Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy. Caspar strongly believes in the importance of ongoing, lifelong learning as a Psychologist, and continues to engage in extensive professional development and supervision to improve his approach, and values supporting other professionals to do the same. 

Adanna Jean: Adanna has over 10 years experience within the mental health and community welfare settings. She has worked in Australia, London, and Dublin and with populations including those with areas of need around homelessness, complex mental health presentations, disability, impacts of domestic or sexual violence, and forensic interactions across the lifespan. Adanna has a special interest in supporting members of the LGBTQIA+ community, those with dissociation or who hear voices, and neurodivergent folk (autistic and ADHD neurotypes). Adanna’s practice is trauma-informed and draws on a relational, person-focused approach and incorporates evidence-based interventions from Trauma-informed Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Committment Therapy (ACT), emotions focused therapies, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) into her work. Adanna is also a provider of Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), has undertaken training in Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), and is a registered supervisor.  

What’s included:
In addition to what is listed above, tickets also include the cost of accommodation and meals as described below:

  • Morning Tea and lunch will be provided on both days. Saturday includes afternoon tea.
  • A catered dinner and chance to network with everyone on the retreat further.
  • One night’s private King accommodation at the Mercure Hotel Ballarat including breakfast on Sunday, with the option of booking the Friday night prior including breakfast on Saturday morning.
  • Mercure Ballarat is set amongst three hectares of beautifully manicured gardens, complete with its own ornamental lake. Conveniently located just over an hours drive from the Melbourne CBD, and situated opposite the multi-award winning Sovereign Hill, with close proximity to the historic centre of Ballarat. Parking is available free on site.

Workshop Topics:

  • Managing Resistance
  • Focus on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
  • Private Practice Basics
  • Revisiting Ethics,
  • Client-Safe Practices (Trauma informed, LGBTQIA+, and Neuroaffirming)
  • Focus on Courts: Expert Witness.
  • FAQ Panel where you can ask all your burning questions

Dates:  24-25 May 2025 (optional Friday night add on for 23 May)

Location: Mercure Hotel, Ballarat
Address:  613 Main Road, Golden Point
Cost:  

Full Retreat (all inclusive): all training, meals, self-care opportunities, Saturday night networking dinner, and accommodation Saturday night with Sunday breakfast

    • Early Bird: $1400 (excl. GST)
    • Standard: $1600 (excl. GST)
    • OPTIONAL: Add on Friday night accommodation with breakfast Saturday for $160 (excl. GST)

Attendee Only (no accommodation): all inclusive without accommodation

  • Early Bird: $1200 (excl. GST)
  • Standard: $1400 (excl. GST)

Spaces are limited.

Professional Development

Meliora Psychology offers a range of training and professional development opportunities ranging from specific training for supporters of an NDIS participant, to large scale organisational training. 

Meliora Psychology will soon be offering paid access to a range of online training content.

Meliora Psychology also offers professional development retreats. Any upcoming retreats will be listed above. Alternately, you can contact us to arrange specific professional development, corporate leadership, team building, or specific training skill development retreats to suit your organisation’s needs.