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Dr Jo Pioro has been an evidenced based psychotherapist for many years, helping people navigate difficult life experiences, trauma and mental health. She enjoys her work and has a great sense of humour.
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I’m from the UK and landed in Melbourne eight years ago. I’ve worked in a range of diverse roles; psychotherapist, psychological therapist, behavioural therapist, clinical lead, clinical supervisor, EMDR consultant, management and leadership roles in both NHS and Australian inpatient and community health, in mental health and addiction/recovery. I’m clinically registered with the Psychotherapy & Counselling Federation Australia (PACFA) who are members of Allied Health Professionals Australia. I’m an accredited EMDR consultant and therapist with Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing Association Australia (EMDRAA).
I have long-term experience and training working with:
A range of evidence based mental health therapy models
PTSD, cPTSD, Dissociation
Early attachment and developmental
Child sexual abuse, adult sexual assault, and trauma from family violence.
Relational and interpersonal issues where we can make sense of things and look at what’s driving them.
Veterans and their families
Addiction, Harm Reduction and Recovery
I provide assessment, formulation and case conceptualisation so we can decide your best treatment pathway. I am open to answering your questions, this is your therapy and you can lead it, I will of course let you know my thoughts and provide you with research and evidence to guide your therapeutic decisions.
I have long-term experience and training working with:
A range of evidence based mental health therapy models
PTSD, cPTSD, Dissociation
Early attachment and developmental
Child sexual abuse, adult sexual assault, and trauma from family violence.
Relational and interpersonal issues where we can make sense of things and look at what’s driving them.
Veterans and their families
Addiction, Harm Reduction and Recovery
I provide assessment, formulation and case conceptualisation so we can decide your best treatment pathway. I am open to answering your questions, this is your therapy and you can lead it, I will of course let you know my thoughts and provide you with research and evidence to guide your therapeutic decisions.
Services at EMDR and Psychotherapies
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EMDR is Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing and is driven by the Adaptive Information Processing Model (AIP). It aims to help the brain become unstuck and reprocess the memory reducing the intensity of the trauma. It is an evidenced based psychotherapy model used to help people recover after experiencing distressing events. It can help to process the trauma(s) and deal with flashbacks, upsetting intrusive thoughts/images, poor sleep/nightmares, anxiety disorders and low mood. EMDR can also treat mental health symptoms, research and evidence is progressing fast in the area of EMDR for mental health treatment.
How does EMDR work?
When a person is involved in a traumatic event, they may feel overwhelmed, and their brain is unable to fully process information. The memory of the event seems to become “stuck” so that it remains very intense and vivid and feels like it’s still happening in the present. The person can re-experience what they felt, saw, heard, and smelt and the full force of the distress they experienced whenever the memories became intrusive.
It also helps the emotional impact of the memory and reduces intrusive experiencing and distressing emotions. EMDR enables adaptive resolution which means that the brain will naturally move to a more adaptive place helping you to get well.
This is done by asking the person to recall the traumatic event while they also move their eyes bilaterally from side-to-side, listen to a bi-lateral sound in each ear alternately, or hold bilateral hand buzzers. These side-to-side bilateral sensations seem to effectively stimulate the “stuck” processing system in the brain so that it can reprocess the information.
EMDR is a complex psychotherapeutic process that should always be delivered by a trained and qualified EMDR therapist. Here is the safest way to find an EMDR therapist in Australia https://emdraa.org/find-a-therapist/ and you will find me here as an Accredited Consultant as Jo Pioro.
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If you’re navigating the effects of complex trauma, struggling in your relationships, or feeling disconnected from parts of yourself, you’re not alone and you don’t have to figure it all out on your own.
My work focuses on helping people who are living with the long-term impacts of:
Complex mental health
Developmental and relational trauma
Attachment wounds from early caregiving experiences
Dissociation and parts work
Not everything that affects us is fully in our awareness. Sometimes we know exactly what’s wrong — and other times we only feel the aftermath: anxiety, numbness, pain in our bodies, difficulty trusting, or a deep sense of confusion or emptiness.
In our work together, we might explore:
The conscious parts of your experience — your thoughts, emotions, relationships, and patterns
And the unconscious layers — things like body memory, dissociated parts, or long-standing emotional defenses that were once protective.
If you’ve experienced trauma, especially over a long period of time, it’s essential that therapy feels safe, steady, and collaborative. That means:
We don’t rush
We build trust
We respect your boundaries
And we work together to make sure the process is manageable and grounded.
The therapeutic relationship itself is part of the healing. Many of us learned that connection isn't safe or that our needs are too much, or not enough. In therapy, there’s space to explore those patterns, and to slowly experience something different: a relationship grounded in self compassion, trust and growth.
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A Behavioural Specialist is a qualified professional who focuses on assessing, understanding, and formulating challenging behaviours through evidence-based interventions.
Behavioural therapy is a practical, approach that focuses on identifying and learning new ways to change behaviour that may be harmful or unhelpful. It’s based on the idea that all behaviour’s are learned and fulfil a function. These behaviours might have helped you cope at one time but you have decided to work on changing them.
This therapy is focused on the present, helping you build new ways of coping, helpful skills, and ways of responding to challenges.
It’s commonly used to work with:
Anxiety & depression
Panic attacks
Anger/rage issues
OCD
ADHD
Phobias
Substance use
Self-harming behaviour
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Are you in a place where you want to change your addictive behaviour? Maybe you’re not sure if it’s a problem and would like to talk this over. Addiction therapy is not just about becoming abstinent; you might want to learn how to manage your behaviour in a harm reduction model. If appropriate, I can advise and inform you about pharmacotherapy which can support you. Whatever you’re thinking, I can work with you to develop more healthier behavioural goals and plan to look at different ways of managing your life.
Often with addictions there are other emotional and mental health symptoms running under the surface. Trauma, anxiety, low mood, shame, guilt and self-critical thinking run hand in hand with addiction behaviours. Alcohol & other drugs can be used to numb and self-medicate trauma and emotions, this continued use links in to the cycle of the rewards system in the brain which keeps the addiction going.
I also work with families, friends or partners of loved ones with addictive behaviours. It can be helpful to find support for yourselves when the person you care about is in active addiction. I understand the stigma, isolation and chaos addiction brings into families and how difficult and distressing it is to manage this in addition to your other responsibilities.
I have learnt from my many years of working with addictions that it’s complex and multi-layered and can impact everyone involved. Talking about it and learning skills to manage it better can help you feel less isolated and more in control, which can be a relief.
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In 2013 I was working in the NHS as a High Intensity Psychological Therapist in the UK’s national Increasing Access to Psychological Therapy Services (IAPT). I was using CBT models for PTSD such as TF-CBT, Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing. I noticed there were therapists training in EMDR so I jumped on the EMDR training train. I was lucky to get an EMDR trainer who had trained with Dr Francine Shapiro, and he was highly knowledgeable with a lovely warm, personality so I learnt lots from him. I automatically loved EMDR and saw the effective progress that clients were making.
In 2015 in the UK I became an EMDR Accredited Practitioner which ensured I practiced the Standard Protocol from Dr Francine Shapiro’s evidenced based model of EMDR and learnt how to practice the Standard Protocol with fidelity to the model. I actually learned so much from watching myself on video as I tend to have dramatic facial expressions and wave my arms around.
In 2017 I moved to Melbourne and found another fabulous consultant to supervise me. I started working towards being an accredited consultant in 2019 and had to start thinking about the dreaded video’s again. Once again I was in an anxiety head spin experiencing fearful thoughts about what could go wrong, but little did I know it was going to get worse. Covid appeared with no thought for my video recordings, firstly the recorder would not pick up with my mask on and secondary because we had to physical distance we both couldn’t fit on the video screen. Praise be for Microsoft Teams!! I did a group consultancy and an individual consultancy on Teams. And as they say, the rest is history.
Most importantly when offering EMDR Consultancy and clinical supervision I work in a relaxed, curious and creative way. I believe our mistakes are a gift that teach us amazing things and increase our clinical practice skills. I continue to make mistakes and I hope I always will as it brings me high quality learning, it also makes me human.
Ive been a qualified clinical supervisor for 15 years, post graduate qualified in clinical supervision from the University of Derby, UK. I offer EMDR consultancy, mental health clinical supervision, addictive behaviours supervision and psychological therapy supervision. You may not want to go down the EMDR accreditation route but still want EMDR consultancy/supervision. Please get in touch to discuss your supervision/consultancy needs, I can facilitate our sessions via video or face to face. I look forward to seeing you.
Get In Contact
Rebates and More Information
I offer face to face sessions at a base on St Kilda Rd, not far from The Alfred Hospital. I offer video sessions. I offer instant messaging sessions where we talk in real time. These can be useful for clients who have disabilities and/or other reasons they can’t or don’t wish to talk verbally. Please let me know what feels most comfortable, I always consider your communication needs.
Medicare rebates are not provided for Psychotherapy and are not covered under the Medicare agreement. This does, however, allow more freedom about which evidenced based therapies we collaboratively choose to apply to your treatment plan and the length of your treatment episode without renewals from your GP.
I do offer other rebated pathways but please check with your private health insurance as they may require you to have extra mental health cover to access my services. Please contact them to discuss.
Currently my governing body PACFA has agreements with the following health funds:
Medibank, AHM, Bupa, HCF, ARHG
ARHG - Encompassed Funds:
St Luke's Health, Police Health, GMHBA, Emergency Services Health, Phoenix Health, See-u by HBF (previously CUA), AIA Health, Mildura Health, Teachers Union Health, Westfund, Teachers Health, Nurses & Midwives Health, Unihealth,Doctors Health Fund, HBF, Australian Defence Force
I also work with NDIS if your needs, for example behavioural specialist support is included in your NDIS plan, I work with Workcover, Victims of Crime: (FAS), Orange door and other family violence services.
Group Supervision and EMDR Consultancy group please contact for fees.
Assessing In vivo video’s for EMDR accreditation are charged at normal session rates.