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Taryn Lores: Health Psychologist- on extended leave

Taryn is on extended leave and not currently taking referrals. 

Taryn is a health psychologist registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) and fellow of the College of Health Psychologists.  She holds a Master’s degree in Health Psychology from the University of Adelaide and a Diploma in Clinical Hypnosis from the South Australian Society of Hypnosis. Taryn is currently undertaking her PhD with Deakin University.

In response to the current Covid-19 pandemic Taryn is offering support to adolescents and adults impacted by depression and anxiety, generally, but also specifically relating to the current situation. As a Health Psychologist, Taryn provides support to individuals with stress and anxiety relating to their own and other’s health and can assist with unhelpful ways of coping,  including compulsive behaviours, related to the same. She can also offer support relating to managing uncertainty and isolation.

In general practice, Taryn works with adolescents and adults in two main areas: healthy weight management and chronic disease management. This work is continuing and even more salient in the current situation.

Healthy Weight Management

Taryn has a passion for working with people to improve their relationships with food and eating, physical activity and body image.  Her approach includes a focus on specific health behaviours, an emphasis on health rather than weight, and a non-dieting approach to changing eating habits.  Self-care and sustainable behaviour change are also targeted.

Specifically, Taryn has experience working with people to:

  • foster healthy eating habits (e.g. reduce dieting, emotional eating and binge-eating)
  • increase physical activity and find joy in movement
  • reduce preoccupation with weight and size
  • improve sleep quality
  • manage stress more effectively
  • improve emotional and psychological health (e.g. treat anxiety and depression)
  • increase self-efficacy and self-care

Chronic Disease Management

Taryn is also experienced in working with people with a range of chronic physical health conditions, including organic and functional gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory illnesses, diabetes, arthritis, cancers and persistent pain.  Therapy aims to help people maintain function and important life roles, manage the emotional and psychological challenges that can accompany chronic illness, and engage well in medical care and management.  There is a focus on reducing the burden of illness, improving resilience and coping, and increasing self-management.

Specifically, Taryn has experience working with people to:

  • adjust to a new diagnosis
  • manage ongoing symptoms (including pain and fatigue)
  • decrease psychological burden and distress
  • adapt to physical changes and limitations
  • improve coping and self-management
  • increase treatment and medication adherence
  • reduce unhelpful health behaviours; and
  • build resilience

Taryn’s approach is warm, empathetic, client-centred and collaborative.  She draws from a range of psychological frameworks including cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), with adjunctive use of mindfulness, emotional freedom techniques (EFT or “tapping”) and clinical hypnosis (including gut-directed hypnotherapy for functional gastrointestinal disorders).