MPsych (Clinical) BPsych (Hons) MAPS
Psychologist
Rebecca El-Helou is an accomplished Psychologist, passionate about changing and making an impact on mental health in the local community. A warm, empathetic presence in her clients’ lives, Rebecca truly has a love for our culturally diverse community. Growing up in Western Sydney, she has become culturally aware and extremely open to a breadth of cultural backgrounds, and learning how this shapes world views.
It was apparent from a young age that Rebecca was the person others would confide in times of distress. This felt very natural and became a personal strength, leading her to pursue a career in mental health. Relatable and compassionate, Rebecca always remains open minded and focussed on every individuals specific needs and goals.
Rebecca’s approach is one that is non-judgemental and collaborative. She is very warm and understanding in her sessions, and likes to work as a team together with you to reach your goals. She is a hands on therapist including drawing and writing, practicing skills through role play and exposure tasks as part of her sessions. Rebecca has been involved in extensive research projects over the years, and has volunteered for community aphasia support groups.
Her experience extends to working with children who presented a range of emotional and social development concerns, where she provided evidence-based treatments and worked collaboratively with parents to deliver the most effective outcomes for their specific family circumstances. Further research throughout Rebecca’s postgraduate studies aimed to improve social and emotional outcomes for brain injury patients, particularly for stroke survivors.
As an experienced Psychologist at Creating Change, Rebecca combines a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) and a Master of Clinical Psychology degrees, and is currently in the final stages of completing her Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology. She has extensive training in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Mindfulness techniques and Academic and Cognitive Assessments for children and teenagers.
Rebecca has a real passion and appreciation to work together with people of all ages; including children, adolescents and adults, with an appreciation for elderly adults and their adjustment to life’s limitations. Her level of expertise is evident in the broad range of presentations she treats: older adults, brain injuries (e.g. stroke), stress management, sleep disorders, oppositional defiant disorder, anxiety, depression, improving communication and confidence, anxiety and depression management for those with cognitive impairment, emotional regulation and anger management, grief & loss, self-esteem, social anxiety and panic disorders.
Rebecca’s accomplishments include conducting Event Related Potential (ERP) studies, to examine neurophysiological sex differences in empathy, and to identify neural markers of psychosis in young people with trauma. The research aims to improve the identification and treatment of mood disorders in stroke survivors, and she has recently published a paper in the Disability & Rehabilitation Journal on Development of the “Kalmer” Relaxation Intervention: Co-design with Stroke Survivors with Aphasia (a language and communication based disability).
In the final stages of completion, her Doctoral thesis aims to improve the identification and treatment of mood disorders in stroke survivors, including survivors with moderate to severe cognitive and communication deficits.
On a personal level, Rebecca loves reading classical literature and writes her own short stories. She also sees herself as a big foodie, and enjoys fine dining with friends, as well as running her own clinical related Psychoeducation Instagram page.
Rebecca is a devoted therapist at our practice, and is available for appointments on Mondays and Saturdays.
"In the depths of winter I discovered within me, an invincible summer – Albert Camus"