Belinda Thurlow
Psychotherapist
Welcome to Brisbane Psychotherapy
About Belinda
My path into therapy has been shaped by a deep curiosity about people and the many ways we come to understand ourselves.
I began my training in creative music therapy, where I learned to listen closely and attune to others, often working with individuals who had been described as “unreachable.” This work profoundly influenced the way I listen and relate—paying attention not only to what is spoken, but also to what is communicated beneath the surface. It also deepened my respect for the many ways people express their inner worlds.
My own experience of therapy has been a significant influence in shaping my approach. It led me toward a psychodynamic way of working, where the therapeutic relationship itself is central to healing. I see therapy as a space where patterns can be explored with care, understood more deeply, and gradually shifted within a safe and trusting connection.
My work is guided by empathy, curiosity, and collaboration. I aim to offer a space that feels safe, thoughtful, and genuinely connected, where you can explore at your own pace.
Areas of focus
Therapy can provide a space to gently understand these patterns, reduce their intensity, and develop new ways of relating to self and others over time, to have a felt sense of:
- Greater emotional awareness: A clearer, more immediate sense of what you’re feeling and why, rather than confusion, numbness, or overwhelm.
- Insight into patterns: Recognising recurring themes in your thoughts, behaviours, and relationships—and understanding where they come from.
- Shift in relationship experiences: Feeling safer, more authentic, and less reactive with others, with reduced fear of abandonment or rejection.
- Stronger, more stable sense of self: Less self-criticism and doubt, with a more grounded, consistent sense of who you are.
- Improved emotional regulation: Being able to stay with difficult feelings without shutting down or becoming overwhelmed, and recovering more quickly when distressed.
- A sense of freedom and flexibility: Less stuck in old patterns, with more choice in how you respond, relate, and live your life
Many of the experiences above can overlap and are often rooted in earlier relational or traumatic experiences. As such, I offer short or long term therapy for adults. Short term can be effective, but I specialise in longer term therapy where complex or long standing issues haven't shifted enough for you.
Experience
Drawing on 15years as a therapist, I started in child and adult disability settings using Music Therapy before I moved into an integrative approach that combines Psychotherapy with music therapy. I now primarily offer Psychodynamic Psychotherapy with adults experiencing challenges related to anxiety, mental health, identity, emotional wellbeing, and relationships.
My experience in positive behaviour support reinforced a belief that continues to guide my practice: all behaviour is a form of communication. When we take time to understand the needs beneath behaviour, more compassionate and effective pathways for change often emerge.
Alongside my clinical work, I bring 14 years of experience in executive and organisational leadership—a perspective that shapes how I understand people, systems, and the pressures of modern life.
Practice description
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
A Psychodynamic approach to therapy places the therapeutic relationship at the heart of the work. It is grounded in the understanding that meaningful change develops through a genuine, collaborative conversation—one that pays close attention to what is happening between us in the present moment.
Rather than focusing only on past experiences from a distance, we also gently explore how thoughts, feelings, and relational patterns appear and unfold within the therapy session itself. In doing so, we begin to notice important patterns in how you experience emotions, relate to others, and make sense of yourself.
As these connections become clearer, many people experience a greater sense of coherence, emotional flexibility, and self-understanding.
Music Therapy informed approaches
Alongside talking therapy, music therapy–informed approaches can be integrated where helpful. These offer another way of exploring your inner world, particularly when experiences are difficult to express in words. This may include:
- reflecting on music that feels meaningful to you
- noticing the emotions, memories, or associations that certain songs evoke
- exploring music that “sticks” or lingers, and what it might be communicating
- occasionally using song writing or other forms of creative expression to process experience
At times, we may listen to music together and reflect on what resonates, what moves you, or what feels uncomfortable. Each response can offer valuable insight into your inner experience.
These approaches are always guided by you. They are used flexibly and collaboratively, and only when they feel safe, relevant, and supportive. For many people, they deepen the therapeutic process by opening up new ways of connecting with thoughts and feelings that can otherwise be hard to access.
Education and training
Core Qualifications
- Master’s in Creative Music Therapy – Western Sydney University
- Current Training: The Conversational Model of Adult Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy – ANZAP
Specialist Clinical Training
- Neurological Music Therapy – Centre for Neurological Music Therapy
- Working Therapeutically with Complex Trauma – Blue Knot Foundation
- Trauma, Attachment and Neuroscience – Byron Clinics (short course)
- Understanding Dissociation and How to Work with It – Eise Education
- Adult Intellectual Disability Mental Health Program – NSW Health
Behavioural & Organisational Practice
- Proficient Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner – Ability Consultants
- Empowering Leadership Coach – Priacta
Professional Memberships
- Australian and New Zealand Association for Psychotherapy (ANZAP)
- Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA)
- International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP)
