Meet Dr Manisha Massey

QUALIFICATIONS:

B.A (Hons) Psychology, M.A Counselling Psychology, PhD (MAPS)

Psychologist (Clinical Registrar) | MAPS | PhD

Coburg & Telehealth Australia-wide

Healing shaped by culture, not despite it.

Hi, I'm Manisha (she/her) — a trauma-focused psychologist with a background spanning India and Australia.

I began my clinical career in India, working with survivors of sexual violence, human trafficking, and other forms of interpersonal trauma — work that has shaped everything about how I practise since. I know that distress doesn't exist in isolation. It's shaped by relationships, culture, history, and systems. So when we work together, we're not just looking at symptoms — we're looking at the family, the migration story, the silence, the shame, and the expectations that often sit underneath them.

My doctoral research explored how culture, migration, family systems, and institutional responses shape the experiences of South Asian women survivors of childhood sexual abuse — and that work continues to inform a decolonial, culturally responsive approach to trauma care. You won't need to explain your culture to me before we can get to the real work. And you won't be reduced to a diagnostic label — I'm interested in who you are beyond it.

HOW I WORK:

I draw on CPT, CBT, ACT, TF-CBT, and DBT, alongside person-centred and schema-informed frameworks — adapted to your story, not the other way around. My approach is trauma-informed and culturally safe: we move at a pace that respects what your nervous system and your history can hold, with curiosity and care rather than judgement.

I offer a collaborative space where you can explore your experiences honestly, and work toward rebuilding a sense of agency, meaning, and connection — on your own terms.

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“Silence has often been the price of survival. In this space, you don't have to pay it anymore.”

    • Individual therapy (Telehealth Australia-wide & in person at our Coburg clinic) for adults

    • Trauma-informed and culturally responsive 1:1 therapy

  • I can see clients under Medicare (Mental Health Care Plans), private/self-funded clients, and self-managed NDIS plans.

    • Trauma and complex trauma

    • Childhood abuse and neglect

    • Sexual violence and recovery

    • Relational trauma and attachment patterns

    • Shame, identity, and self-concept

    • Anxiety and mood difficulties

    • Migration, culture, and identity

    • South Asian and diaspora mental health

    • Family dynamics and intergenerational patterns

    • Life transitions and adjustment

    • Grief and loss

Beyond the Therapy Room

Manisha is a registered psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and has been practising since 2017. She is also a registered counselling psychologist in India, where she began her clinical career supporting survivors of sexual violence, human trafficking, and other forms of interpersonal trauma.

She recently completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Flinders University. Her doctoral research explored how culture, migration, family systems, and institutional responses shape the experiences of South Asian women survivors of childhood sexual abuse. This work continues to inform her commitment to culturally responsive and decolonial approaches to trauma care. Through both her research and clinical practice, Manisha is particularly interested in how trauma is experienced and expressed within cultural and relational contexts, and in creating therapeutic spaces where survivors feel seen beyond diagnostic labels.

Prior to gaining registration in Australia, Manisha worked across community and statutory settings including Child Protection Services with SA Health, where she supported children, young people, and families navigating experiences of abuse and trauma.

Alongside clinical practice, Manisha is actively involved in higher education and teaches topics related to violence, abuse, trauma, and decolonising psychological therapies. Her work across therapy, research, and teaching reflects a shared commitment to creating mental health spaces that are culturally safe, inclusive, and grounded in lived experience.

At the heart of Manisha’s practice is the belief that distress does not exist in isolation. Instead, it is shaped by relationships, culture, history, and systems. Her therapeutic approach invites clients to explore these contexts with care and compassion, while building pathways toward healing, agency, and meaningful change.