0428 600 279

0428 600 279

Our People

Our People

Dr Anita Cochrane

B Sc, B App Sci, Grad Dip Nutr Diet, Post Grad Dip Psych, Dip Clin Hypnotherapy, Master Org Psych, PhD, FMCP, MAPS, MDA
Clinical Psychologist
Accredited Practising Dietitian
ANZAED Eating Disorder Credential – Mental Health Professional
Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner (FMCP)
ReCODE 2.0 Practitioner, Bredesen Protocol (prevention and management of cognitive decline and dementia)

Dr Anita Cochrane is a clinical psychologist and an accredited practising dietitian. Her life’s work has been helping people like you achieve better health outcomes for their mind and body.

Anita believes that the world we live in has become so complex that we need to take a systems-focused, integrative, and interdisciplinary approach to health management.

Anita’s areas of interest include the inter-related role of your nutrition, your genes, your gut health (part of your microbiome), stress, your life experiences and lifestyle, as well as the impact of external environmental factors (such as toxins), in determining your physical health, mental health, brain health and your weight.

Anita’s combined skills in psychology and dietetics have been particularly useful in helping people with their mental health, weight and body image concerns, and eating and gut issues.

Anita’s Research & Training

Anita’s PhD research indicates that interventions for chronic and complex conditions are more effective when tailored to the various factors affecting clients seeking treatment. These factors include social, psychological, biological, economic, and environmental influences. In addition to client factors, the research emphasizes the importance of the practitioner’s role and the strategies used to help clients achieve positive outcomes. The accompanying figure illustrates Anita’s findings and has become a foundation for LifePsyche’s commitment to best practices.

To stay at the forefront of integrative health, Anita has gained expertise in several gene testing platforms and completed training with the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (ACNEM) and the American College of Nutrition (CAN). She became a Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner (FMCP) through the Institute of Functional Medicine in the USA in 2019. In 2017, Anita trained in the Bredesen Protocol, which offers guidelines for preventing cognitive decline and treating mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer’s Disease. She has since updated her knowledge to ReCODE 2.0. Anita is currently training with Psychiatry Redefined, a US-based educational platform for practitioners who aim to move beyond symptom management and adopt a functional, personalized, and holistic approach to treating mental health issues. She regularly attends conferences and workshops on Integrative Medicine for Mental Health (IMMH), functional medicine (IFM), eating disorders (ANZAED), and general psychology.

Over the years, Anita has trained in numerous psychological modalities, including CBT, ACT, DBT, EMDR, EMDR 2.0, SFT, EFT, and hypnosis. She has a keen interest in functional and integrative approaches to nutrition and mental health. Her training in disordered eating includes CBT for BN and BED, CBT for E and AN, ARFID, and MANTRA.

Anita is a registered provider with Medicare and most health funds in psychology and dietetics.

Figure. Systems interplay for managing chronic disease and complex conditions.

Aloysa Hourigan –Accredited Practising Dietitian

B.Sc.; Grad Dip Nutr & Diet; Grad Dip Counselling

Aloysa has several decades of experience as a Dietitian working both in private practice and community nutrition for Nutrition Australia. In addition to her dietetic qualifications, Aloysa has a Graduate Diploma in Counselling from the Queensland University of Technology.

Having a counselling qualification alongside expertise in nutrition and food has led Aloysa to focus on the area of lifestyle change to improve health and well being and support individuals living with eating disorders. She has a great deal of compassion and experience providing support for long-term recovery.

In addition to her tertiary studies Aloysa has undertaken additional training in motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and CBT-E. She continually engages in professional development especially in the areas of eating disorders, bariatric surgery, and gut health.

Aloysa takes a health coaching approach with clients and takes care to ensure suggested dietary changes can be implemented in a sustainable and feasible way in the daily lives of her clients. Her special interest areas, in addition to eating disorders, include nutrition and mental health, gut health (including inflammatory bowel disease, GORD, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome), food allergies and intolerances as well as prevention and management of chronic disease.

Aloysa has a great passion for food, improving people’s relationship with food, and for all things associated with the social aspects of eating and its impact on health and wellbeing.