About Circle of Life Psychology Practice Sydney
Circle of Life Psychology Practice offers face to face and online psychological services in Sydney CBD. Our aim is to support people aged 18+ with developing self-efficacy and improving psychological resilience when facing transient or chronic mental health issues.
Circle of Life Psychology Practice services are offered face-to-face in Sydney CBD and online by psychologist Carmen Iancu.
The psychologist will assist each individual in achieving personalised mental health recovery goals. Improved treatment outcomes would be facilitated by additional support from a social network, peer support network and specialised support network (ie. other health professionals).
"Wherever you are, be totally there."
Eckhart Tolle
Circle of Life Psychology Practice Sydney
- Striving Together for Mental Wellness
“Circle of life” envisages an opportunity for self-reflection in a safe space, and an open invitation for self-actualisation.
The “circle of life” concept has subconsciously emerged while viewing the movie “The Lion King” with my family. I felt deeply touched by the characterization of Simba. What struck me most was Simba becoming the Lion King, despite the challenging and traumatic experiences throughout his upbringing. He found his true essence, his real self, which he accomplished within his own circle of life.
Self-actualisation
Poor mental health impacts our self-view, our functioning and our relationships. It colours how we view the world, and where we place ourselves in the world.
Psychological problems can impact all aspects of our life. For example, we can end up disconnected from ourselves. Or we can lose track of the “circle of life” that would symbolically facilitate individualised self-actualisation. But with professional psychological help, it is possible to develop better connections to ourselves, our significant others, our community, and the world we live in.
Self-actualisation can foster improved psychological resilience. As a result, a better quality of life arises as we develop our understanding of our own “circle of life”. With the help of a psychologist, this comes through a process of integration of our unique life experiences.
Abraham Maslow, American psychologist, “believed that truly healthy people were self-actualizers because they satisfied the highest psychological needs, fully integrating the components of their personality, or self”.
About Carmen Iancu
PGDCSCL, MPP, BSEd
Psychologist, Secondary Supervisor PBA, MAPS
Carmen is a seasoned psychologist with over 20 years clinical experience. She is accredited as a Secondary supervisor by Psychology Board of Australia (PBA), is a member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) and an accredited treatment provider by the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA).
Carmen has provided psychology services extensively in Sydney since 2002 and in Bucharest, Romania, from 1995. Since 2011 she practiced as a clinical supervisor, as per the ongoing approval provided by the Psychology Board of Australia (PBA) via Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Carmen has practiced as a treatment provider under the Workers Compensation scheme since May 2020 and maintained the ongoing approval provided by the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA).
For more information about Carmen’s professional bio please, access her professional profile on Linkedin.
In her spare time, Carmen enjoys to wonder in nature, spend quality time with her family and friends, and engage in creative pursuits.
Carmen values professional integrity and upholds ethics to the core of her practice as a psychologist and clinical supervisor. Carmen’s professional motto is encompassed in this quote:
(Perkins et al 2012)
Services provided by Circle of Life Psychology Practice
All Psychology and Clinical Supervision services are available in person or online.
Therapeutic alliance and treatment outcomes
Lambert and Barley (2001) found that 30% of client outcomes in psychotherapy could be attributed to ‘common factors’. These factors included the therapist’s facilitative competencies, such as empathy/warmth/and congruence, and the therapeutic alliance. This is upheld by the Australian Psychological Society (APS).
“A therapeutic alliance involves the therapist and client agreeing on the goals of therapy, collaborating on the specific tasks to be achieved, and sharing an affective bond.”
(Bordin, 1979; Zuroff & Blatt, 2006)
Treatment outcomes are determined by each individual’s investment in fulfilling their mental health recovery goals. Outcomes are heavily influenced by the subjective experiential response to the psychological services provided. This is somethimes in conjunction with the pharmacotherapy prescribed by a treating GP and/or a treating psychiatrist. Specialised services such as exercise physiology have proved to be effective for mental health and overall wellbeing improvement. Additional effective services include pain management services, dietician services, AOD services (ie. detoxification programs, residential rehabilitation services) etc.
Read more on the healthdirect website.
Charter for clients of APS psychologists
Circle of Life Psychology Practice is committed to uphold the Australian Psychological Society (APS) Charter of Client Rights:
All psychologists are legally required to be registered in Australia, which means your psychologist is registered with the Psychology Board of Australia. Your psychologist is also a member of the Australian Psychological Society, the largest professional organisation for psychologists in Australia.