About Monica
Hi! I'm Monica...a grounded and experienced Somatic Therapist specialising in exploring how the body stores and processes experiences from the past. I get to the root cause of your issues to create long-lasting healing and expansion in a shorter time frame than traditional cognitive approaches.
WHAT I FIND FASCINATING
Is that science and society have finally caught up with what is really going on behind our thoughts, emotions and behaviours. More of us are becoming aware that merely 'surface level' and 'passive' approaches such as medication and talk therapy, whilst useful, are not enough in getting us to a point where we can really THRIVE in life.
But this work isn't limited to mental health issues!
Because in meeting, acknowledging, and understanding the emotions/symptoms held in our unconscious body (not our conscious mind) and exploring the stored stories they are reacting to (on loop!), we can get to the 'nitty gritty' of why we respond, react, and behave the way we do.
In closing off the stories that run in our unconscious we are left with space. You will be able to physically feel it. A lightness of being. Like you can breathe again.
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Within this space we are given true choice.
Without the false narratives holding you back, you can ACTUALLY move forward.
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Choosing what we wish our lives to look like.
And this...well, it changes everything.
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"Between stimulus and response is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."
Viktor.E.Frankl
MY WHY
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Becoming a mother, is just that...a becoming.
It's not easy, with such conflicting advice out there on parenting we can get so disconnected from the one thing we can rely on - our intuition. What's for sure is my love for her.
I see the whole universe inside of her.
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She is my motivation for seeking the most effective approaches to healing so that the beliefs that have limited me are not passed down to her...and her childrens children...and that her light doesn't get diminished by my habitual and conditioned reactions.
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I have learned why despite my 'intention' to be a calm and playful parent that this is not always possible. Nor are we supposed to be calm all the time. I have learned that what she needs me to be is authentic and present. But our unconscious processes can hinder this.
Our stored issues cloud our ability to see our children for who they truly are, leading to their own stored issues further down the track.
Learning how to be truly present has been a gift, allowing me to enjoy my time with her before she grows up (far) too quickly before my eyes and the time is gone.
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It is a goal of mine to share what I have learnt with other parents, as I believe this work is so crucial to limiting the stark rise of mental health issues we see in our children today. Stay tuned to this space for what is currently bubbling away behind the scenes!
I am also...a mental health advocate, educator and supervisor
It was completely by chance that I found myself working for a mental health service at the age of 17. Following that was a 20-year stretch of working with the most vulnerable people in our communities. Over the years I have experienced a range of challenges, worked in diverse communities, with some great people, all of which have given me a unique perspective on what it takes to work in this space. Whilst I may not be actively working in a clinical space anymore I still have a deep respect and passion for the mental health nurse role.
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In my opinion, it is the most challenging, undervalued, yet fulfilling career in the world. There is none other like it, but I believe in it.
I believe in the healing potential between nurse and client/consumer/human.
In fact it is exactly what my logo represents.
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Find out more on how I can help you or your team regain meaning and confidence in your work in the mental health space here:
My core values
At the core of everything I do is to empower, advocate and educate so that you are left with not only a better understanding of who you truly are, but recognise your value, your importance, your crucial role to play in the world.
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I do this via my therapy work as well as via academic and education pathways, which is underpinned by a strong focus on Recovery-oriented, Trauma-informed, Culturally safe and Compassionate care.
Publications
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Guha, M. D., Cutler, N. A., Heffernan, T., & Davis, M. (2022). Developing a Trauma-Informed and Recovery-Oriented Alternative to “Aggression Management” Training for a Metropolitan and Rural Mental Health Service. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 1–7.
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Molloy, L., Guha, M.D., Scott, M.P., Beckett, P., Merrick, T.T., & Patton, D (2021) Mental health nursing practice and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: an integrative review. Contemporary Nurse
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Molloy, L., Beckett, P., Chidarikire, S., Scott, M. P., Guha, M. D., Merrick, T. T., & Patton, D. (2021). ‘First tonight, the contentious new code telling nurses to say, “sorry for being white”: Mental health nurses’ beliefs about their Code of Conduct and cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing.
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Molloy, L.., Beckett, P., Chidarikire, S., Merrick, T. T., Guha, M., & Patton, D. (2020). Culture, the stigma of mental illness, and young people. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 58(11), 15-18.
