Excellence in contemporary psychiatric treatment

Chris is a general adult psychiatrist who has been a part of the Red Tree Practice team since 2011. He has a particular interest in treating depression and anxiety disorders using an individually considered combination of psychological approaches and medication.

Areas of interest: Anxiety Disorders, Depressive Disorders, EMDR.

Chris completed his medical training at the University of Tasmania and moved to Sydney to commence his internship at St Vincent’s Hospital in 2003. He then trained in psychiatry with the Sydney Local Health District. During his advanced training he was involved in setting up clinical services to better address relapse in persisting psychotic illnesses. He also completed a Master of Psychiatry through the New South Wales Institute of Psychiatry. Chris obtained his Fellowship with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) in 2010.

Since qualifying as a psychiatrist, Chris has worked in private practice and also hospital-based roles at Concord, Bankstown and Wagga Wagga Hospitals.

The clinical team he is a part of at the Wagga Mental Health Recovery Unit was awarded the 2018 NSW Health Award for Partnering with Patients. Chris also became a Director at Red Tree Practice in 2021 and overseas the IT and digital strategy.

James is the founding director of Red Tree Practice. He is a general adult psychiatrist and psychotherapist. He has expertise in assessing and treating complicated depression and anxiety disorders which may often include a multi-modal approach with psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy.

Areas of interest: Anxiety Disorders, Depressive Disorders, Trauma, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. Treatment of leaders.

Prior to completing his medical degree from Flinders Medical School, James had pursued studies in music and postgraduate research into the pharmacology of pain. James undertook his clinical specialist training in psychiatry at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, and Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney, after which he became a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP). He completed a Masters of Psychiatry at The University of Melbourne and further Advanced Training in Psychotherapy through the RANZCP.

James has nearly 2 decades of experience in psychiatry. James has held various leadership roles in NSW Health; Clinical Director of the Mental Health Rehabilitation Unit, and Co-ordinator of Training for Psychiatrists both at The Prince of Wales Hospital. Since 2015 James has provided strategic medical leadership in New England in his role as the Clinical Director of Tamworth Mental Health Service. James is an alumni of the Clinical Excellence Commission Executive Clinical Leadership Program. In 2017 he was the first recipient of the Hunter New England Local Health Service District Mental Health Collaborative Leader of the Year award. James has a particular special interest in providing confidential clinical oversight for leaders in the medical, legal and business worlds who may require treatment for psychiatric disorders with comorbid substance use disorders.

Adam is a general adult psychiatrist and clinical academic with a special interest in mood disorders (depression and bipolar disorders). He works collaboratively with patients employing psychological, pharmacological and neurostimulation interventions.

Areas of interest: Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Mood Disorders, Novel Treatments 

Dr Bayes completed his graduate medical studies (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) with honours at the University of Sydney, following a degree in Advanced Science. His subsequent postgraduate clinical training in psychiatry was at Prince of Wales Hospital and the Black Dog Institute (BDI) after which he became a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. Adam has completed postgraduate degrees including a Master of Psychiatry and also undertook a doctorate (PhD) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) under the supervision of Professor Gordon Parker.

Dr Bayes’ primary clinical and research interests are in mood disorders (depression and bipolar disorder) including their classification and treatment, in particular novel physical therapies such as neurostimulation. His PhD thesis focused on differentiating the bipolar disorders from personality disorders with the conclusion that rather than being difficult to distinguish, in the majority of cases they can be separated using a small number of key clinical variables. Dr Bayes splits his time equally between clinical and research roles. He currently sees patients in his private rooms at Red Tree Practice and for assessment at the BDI. Additionally, he is a Clinical Senior Lecturer at the UNSW School of Psychiatry within the Faculty of Medicine and a Senior Research Fellow at BDI where he is engaged in research and teaching activities.

Matt joined Red Tree Practice in 2020. He has expertise in ADHD, anxiety disorders (including obsessive compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder), mood disorders and psychotic disorders, as well as the influence of personality factors on life satisfaction. Rather than focus solely on diagnosis, he would rather take a collaborative approach with a patient to develop a formulation (or understanding) of the problem and use this to guide informed treatment.

Areas of interest: ADHD, Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders, Psychotic Disorders, EMDR.

Prior to working at Red Tree Practice, Matt worked at Mindcare Centre for eight years where he developed his expertise in treating ADHD, as well as further training in the psychotherapies and biological psychiatry. He has also worked at the St George Hospital for a similar time, consulting to the emergency department and focussing on admissions for diagnostic clarification, crisis management and relief of psychiatric symptoms. Matt is a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists and is an AHPRA-registered medical practitioner. He completed his medical studies in 2001 at Flinders University in South Australia.

During his psychiatry training, Matt has gained extensive experience in both cognitive behavioural and psychodynamic therapies, using these skills in all patients regardless of whether he is seeing them for therapy or not. He worked under Professor Gavin Andrews at CRUFAD for two years and developed an online teaching resource during that time. Matt works from both a psychological and biological perspective, using medication where appropriate and being mindful of alternative approaches, including diet and lifestyle. He is happy to share care with psychologists,  psychotherapists, and general practitioners.

Matt has a non-judgmental and accepting approach to patients from all backgrounds, including gender and sexuality diversity.

Elana is a registered psychologist and has a Masters degree in psychotherapy from Sydney University. She practices as a psychodynamic psychotherapist and has a particular interest trauma and in assisting people to self-regulate. In her therapy work Elana offers a comprehensive suite of progressive therapeutic strategies, grounded in a sensitive, supportive and pragmatic approach that is shaped by the client’s individual needs. Where appropriate Elana may integrate an evidence based biofeedback technique to assist individuals in their capacity to self-regulate.

Areas of interest: Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback, PTSD and trauma-related Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Depressive Disorders

Elana commonly assists adults who are facing the following issues: difficulty in regulating overwhelming feelings, anxiety, depression, trauma, post traumatic stress, somatic symptoms, grief and loss, relationship concerns, implementing personal goals, managing career and work related issues, difficulty in adjusting to a new environments (e.g. country/work/family), and general distress.

Elana provides both long and short-term therapy.

Elana is a clinical member of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychotherapy (ANZAP), a member of the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy and an associate member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS).

Medicare rebates are available.

Rohan is a consultant psychiatrist with a special interest in mood and anxiety disorders, older persons mental health, neurostimulation and student mental health. Rohan prefers to work in a collaborative framework, commencing with a thorough assessment to enable the development of comprehensive and holistic management plans, incorporating both biological and psychological therapies.

Rohan completed his undergraduate studies in philosophy and psychology, and his graduate medical degree (MBBS), at the University of Sydney. He completed his psychiatry training in Sydney Local Health District (Concord Centre for Mental Health, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital & Canterbury Hospital), with subspecialty advanced training in Old Age Psychiatry. Rohan became a Fellow of the Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatrists in 2018 and has since worked in both public and private settings, including the Canterbury Older Persons Mental Health Team, the Black Dog Institute and Wesley Hospital Kogarah.

In addition to his clinical work, Rohan is an early career researcher. His PhD thesis, completed at the University of New South Wales, focused on the optimisation of neurostimulation treatment. Rohan is also an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at UNSW in the Discipline of Psychiatry, where he is engaged in research and teaching activities, and sees university students at the UNSW Health Service.

John is a consultant psychiatrist who specialises in the assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder, mood disorders and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). In addition, John has many years’ experience in the assessment of workers’ compensation claims. He is an accredited assessor of permanent impairment for workers compensation and motor accidents in NSW for the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), and Comcare. He is an International Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.

Areas of interest: OCD, Anxiety Disorders, CBT, EMDR.

John completed his medical education at the University of Sydney in 1989, and trained in Psychiatry at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney. He completed advanced training in cognitive behavioural therapy and anxiety disorders at the Clinical Research Unit for Anxiety Disorders at St Vincent’s Hospital. Since qualifying as a psychiatrist in 1999, he has worked in private practice, as well as working in mental health services in Sydney and rural NSW. He completed a Masters in Medicine in Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Sydney in 2008.

John has been involved in teaching of registrars in psychiatry, and written articles on the treatment of Panic Disorders and Agoraphobia, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, OCD and Social Phobia.

Dr Elizabeth Mackenzie has worked in a range of positions in the public health services including the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service at St George and Griffith. Her previous private practice has been at Southview Clinic, Kogarah and the Brain Mind Research Clinic at Camperdown. She has extensive expertise in assessment and treatment of disorders of anxiety and depression, Bipolar Disorder and early onset psychotic disorders in young people.

Areas of interest: Perinatal issues, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Complex Trauma, Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

She has special interest in working with women, treating disorders arising in pregnancy, post-partum and during menopause. She provides assessment for suitability for psychodynamic psychotherapy for relational and personal difficulties.

Cherian completed his medical education at Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences in India. He went on to train in psychiatry in the UK, obtaining membership to the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He then moved to Australia and went on to complete his post graduate training at South Eastern Sydney Local Health district and became a fellow of the Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.

Areas of interest: Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Depressive Disorders, Anxiety Disorders and Youth Mental Health.

Since qualifying as a psychiatrist Cherian has worked as a Staff Specialist working with youth. He has also worked in the community in Orange & has had extensive experience in assessing and treating depression, anxiety, trauma & psychosis. He believes in treatment using a holistic approach.

He has a special interest in sports psychiatry, which addresses the mental health of professional & amateur athletes. He also has an interest in treating mental health issues in youth.

Willy is a friendly, calm and caring canine co-therapist who sits in with Dr Bayes on a weekly basis (Thursdays). Following his adoption from Greyhounds as Pets NSW in 2015 he successfully qualified as a Greenhound and in 2019 passed the Delta Therapy Dog testing. There is growing scientific literature on the use of dogs in the treatment of psychiatric conditions, especially those involving trauma (e.g. PTSD). Willy’s role at Red Tree highlights the power of non-verbal forms of communication and the importance of adjunctive psychosocial strategies in the healing process.