Donna-Marie (Dee) Thompson, Clinical Psychologist

Master of Clinical Psychology, University of Queensland

Dee is not accepting referrals for for psychotherapy at this time, however is available for clinical supervision.  For psychotherapy/counselling support, please contact Maclean Medical Centre on 02 6645 2355.

Dee is a Clinical Psychologist and  is the founder of the Luna Clinic ® located in the Clarence Valley, New South Wales.  She is committed to providing gold standard evidence-based clinical psychological assessment and treatment for specific moderate to severe clinical psychological conditions.  Additionally, Dee is a strong advocate for women's health in regional and remote areas, and has a particular interest in supporting  women experiencing hormonal fluctuations including peri-natal anxiety/depression, perimenopause and menopause, to gain information and access to best-practice evidence based treatment and support. As a health professional registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, Dee is a full member of the Australian Clinical Psychology Society and an associate member of the Australian Menopause Society.

As a younger human, she spent six years as an operational police officer, before her curiousity around human behaviour led her to commencing the long-road toward her love of Clinical Psychology. As a registered and endorsed Clinical Psychologist, she has worked in a variety of settings including within private practice, government,  community mental health, child protection, hospitals and universities. Dee has supported client's from diverse backgrounds with varied neurotypes, identities (cultural and gender), and people with mild to chronic mental health experiences.  She is the creator of A-Skills, a peer-mentored program for neurodivergent university students whilst working and studying at the University of Southern Queensland, a program that has continued to be further developed, researched and published in peer-reviewed journals by USQ. Dee has a passionate commitment to providing comprehensive evidence-based clinical assessment, psychological interventions and women's health advocacy to rural and regional communities.

Dee has a special interest, and offers services, in the following:

Clinical Psychological Intervention and Treatment

Age ranges: Adults only (Eating Disorder referrals ages 16+ accepted)

Presentations accepted:

• PTSD (specific incident only)
• OCD
• Specific Phobias
• Panic Disorder
• Social Anxiety
• Chronic Pain Management (psychological intervention)
• Eating Disorders (mild to moderate with a BMI 17+) including
  • Binge Eating Disorder
  • Bulimia Nervosa
  • Anorexia Nervosa
  • Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
  • Emerging and atypical eating disorder behaviours

Women's Wellness Clinic

Brief consultations to discuss the impact of hormonal fluctuations upon mental health and well-being.  Dee will assess your personal and family health history comprehensively, your 'symptoms'/experiences that are leading to distress, and collaborate with you in identifying a tailored treatment direction/plan. Where appropriate, Dee will provide you with greater understanding around the physiological and psychological impacts of hormonal fluctuations, and where appropriate will recommend psychological strategies to reduce the impact of physiological symptoms, e.g., anxiety, hot flushes etc.

This service is best-suited to girls/women/AFAB experiencing hormonal fluctuations due to suspected or diagnosed:

• menstrual changes including PMDD or due to the impacts of an eating disorder;
• peri-natal anxiety/depression;
• peri-menopause; 
• post-menopause; and
• those who are querying whether the experiences they are having are due to menopause or ADHD.

Generally, you can expect a treatment plan recommendation within two appointments, however if psychological treatment is being considered, further sessions are likely to be required and it may be recommended that you seek a Mental Health Treatment Plan (if eligible) from your treating GP in order to access the Medicare rebate.

Treatment Modalities:

• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy – Enhanced (CBT-E; transdiagnostic eating disorder      treatment)
• Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Prolonged Exposure Therapy (a cognitive-behavioural therapy for PTSD)
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
• Mindfulness-based therapies
• Psychoeducation and supportive counselling in relation to hormonal fluctuations

Cognitive, Neurodevelopmental & Psychological Assessment by a Clinical Psychologist

Age ranges: Children aged 6+, adolescents and adults

Assessments available:

• Cognitive assessment
• Academic achievement assessment;
• Neurodevelopmental diagnostic assessment;
• Diagnostic clarification of suspected mental health psychological or psychiatric conditions;
• Cognitive/Learning Support Plans (with a focus on cognitive remediation);
• Reports suitable for informing treatment and/or educational planning, or
• Reports for inclusion in NDIS eligibility funding applications (either as a single-clinician diagnosis or collaboratively as a member of a collaborative multi-disciplinary treating team).

Dee accepts referrals from GP's, Paediatricians, and Psychiatrists under a Mental Health Care Plan or under an Eating Disorder Treatment & Management Plan. Private or third-party referrals will be considered on a case-by-case basis.  She does not accept therapy referrals for Workcover and is not SIRA registered, however will consider specific referrals for emergency services or military personnel (currently serving, retired, or veterans).

IMPORTANT UPDATE: UNFORTUNATELY, ALL TREATMENT/ASSESSMENT FOR CLIENTS FUNDED BY THE NDIS HAS BEEN 'PAUSED' UNTIL CLARIFICATION REGARDING CURRENT NDIS CHANGES. UPDATES WILL BE PROVIDED HERE. 

Dee is also a board-approved supervisor and is available for clinical supervision with psychologists (including those seeking Clinical endorsement) or allied health professionals.  Please contact the Luna Clinic ®  to arrange a time to discuss your needs.

When not in the clinic, Dee can be found wandering amongst her much-loved sensory garden, attempting to learn to be a chicken wrangler (so much to learn...who knew?), walking her much loved dogs (are they better than people?), lost in research 'rabbit-holes' (again), experimenting with new hobbies (don't mention the electric drum kit), enjoying time with her family or having coffee with treasured friends.

**Please note: Dee does not accept referrals for assessment or treatment related to forensic, criminal, civil, insurance or court-related matters (including family court-related matters). Requests for reports will be declined in every instance.