3/552 Waterdale Road,
Heidelberg Heights, VIC 3081
I came to psychology because I wanted to do work that genuinely matters. What continues to drive me is seeing the moment a person's relationship with themselves genuinely shifts — and watching that change ripple outward into their work, their relationships, and their life.
My approach is grounded in experiential and dynamic therapies (EDT), with a particular focus on Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) and Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Therapy (AEDP) — approaches that work at depth rather than at the surface, helping you access and process emotions more effectively and leading to lasting improvements in resilience, self-esteem and relationships.
I place a strong emphasis on the quality and effectiveness of my work. I engage in regular supervision with senior colleagues, reviewing recorded sessions to examine moment-to-moment processes in therapy — a level of precision and accountability that goes well beyond standard case discussion, and one I believe leads to meaningfully better outcomes
Dr Jamie Barnier is a Clinical Psychologist with over 15 years of experience across public, private and not-for-profit settings. He has held senior clinical positions in psychiatric inpatient units, early psychosis, child and youth mental health, medical wards and palliative care.
Jamie has been certified as a supervisor with the Psychology Board of Australia since 2014, supervising psychologists, psychiatric registrars, social workers, occupational therapists and mental health nurses. He has a particular interest in supervising clinicians drawn to experiential dynamic therapies and those looking to deepen their clinical effectiveness and find greater fulfilment in their work.
His private practice in Melbourne focuses on adults experiencing complex trauma, attachment difficulties, interpersonal problems and perinatal mental health — with a particular interest in supporting fathers. Jamie is a faculty board member of the Dynamic Emotion Focused Therapy (DEFT) Institute.
These treatment approaches (ISTDP, AEDP, IFS), share a strong focus on emotional experience in the present moment and follow the process of memory reconsolidation — the brain's innate ability to update and rewrite outdated emotional learnings from the past. This allows for deep, lasting change rather than temporary relief. Grounded in attachment, systems, and psychodynamic theory, and supported by decades of research, they are effective across a wide range of psychological difficulties.
A central part of this work is understanding how internal patterns — both conscious and unconscious — can interfere with our relationships, self-worth, personal growth and overall satisfaction in life. These patterns, known as defences, are emotional, psychological, and behavioural mechanisms that once helped us cope with painful or overwhelming experiences. Although triggered by present-day challenges, they were originally formed earlier in life, when we were more vulnerable and had fewer resources to manage distress.
However, these same patterns often keep us stuck. If I believe I am unlovable, I might avoid intimacy or sabotage relationships. While this feels familiar, it reinforces the belief that I am inherently flawed or unworthy of love — contributing over time to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, or struggles with alcohol and drug use.
EDT and IFS work across emotional, bodily, cognitive and relational experience. Much of the process involves helping you notice and process feelings in the body — something often unfamiliar, but a powerful pathway to lasting change. As you access these emotions, the defences that once blocked them naturally arise, giving us an opportunity to understand and transform them. By working through these barriers, a healthier resolution becomes possible.
