Many years ago on New Years Day I gave my partner Andy an envelope containing a small gift- a resignation letter. We had recently made the
lifestyle choice to move to the beautiful Mornington Peninsula and Andy was still commuting to Melbourne - taking away precious time
together. Andy was not feeling fulfilled in his role and we had often talked about combining our skill sets and doing something together.
The gift was warmly received and we spent the first few days of the new year on our deck, brainstorming on the back of Christmas wrapping
paper.
We let go of all pre-conceived ideas of what this time in our lives should look like and we talked about what was important to us, our
values, what we wanted from life and over the next week or so we continued the conversation. We wanted to create something meaningful
and so the idea of Stirling was born - it started with an online psychology practice (pre-covid) and has evolved over time. Our
goal was to combine Andy's digital background with my psychology skills, to be able to improve access to evidence-based
information - so everyone can make meaningful changes in their lives.
Later that year we headed to Seattle to attend the Art and Science of Love with Drs John and Julie Gottman.
It was at this point that I decided to work exclusively with couples. Once you immerse yourself in relationships, it's natural to become
passionate about sharing this information and knowledge with others. Relationships are fundamental to our happiness, and when you
understand the common traps we all fall into and the solutions available - you want every couple to be able to access this information so
they can live happy, fulfilling relationships. Why not? If you had information that could improve others lives wouldn't you want to share
it?
THINK
FEEL
DO
Our products are designed to bring couples the knowledge to shift the way they think, the resources to change the way they feel
and the skills and strategies to take action to create the relationships they desire.
Relationships are my passion, I love working with couples, especially in retreat format -nothing beats that feeling you get watching a couple transform in front of you in such a short time. On that last day hearing their experience - feeling truly heard for the first time or connecting in ways they never have before- it's a privilege to share that space and moment in time with them. In developing our online courses and range of relationship products, front of mind has been the many couples I have worked with and their varying needs, so I hope you find something here that works for your relationship.
I am so excited to see how couples take these resources and begin making meaningful changes in their relationship, as I have seen how
rewarding this is in my own relationship, and in working with hundreds of couples. So congratulations on making the choice to invest
in the most important thing in your life- your relationship!
BBus (Man) GradDipPsychSt BSc(Hons) DPsych(Clin) MAPS MACPA
Katie is a registered clinical psychologist, board-approved supervisor and Certified Gottman Couples Therapist. Katie’s approach to treatment is collaborative, and tailored to each couple’s needs. Her open, compassionate, and caring approach allows her clients to feel relaxed and comfortable within the therapeutic environment. Katie is committed to her ongoing professional development and staying up to date with the latest research and treatment approaches. She draws on a variety of evidence-based methods in tailoring treatment to each individual couple. Katie has completed training in a range of modalities including: CBT, ACT, Schema Therapy for Couples, Circle of Security, Attachment, and Emotion Focussed Therapy for Couples.
Prior to launching her boutique psychology practice on the Mornington Peninsula, Katie spent most of her career in the not-for profit sector developing, implementing and managing community wellbeing programs and family services. Katie believes that relationships are an integral part of an individual's happiness and overall well-being. She is passionate about helping couples to build the relationship they want.
Katie currently works exclusively with couples in retreat format. She is committed to a preventative approach and has recently created
an online relationship course for couples looking to improve communication and enhance connection in their relationship.