Dr Liz Schilpzand
Managing Director and Senior Clinical Psychologist
Qualifications:
Registered Clinical Psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA No. PSY0001804176)
Registered Board-Approved Supervisor of Psychologists with Psychology Board of Australia
Bachelor of Psychology (Honours), Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.
Master of Psychology (Clinical), The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Member of the Australian Psychological Society and Fellow of the College of Clinical Psychologists
Full Member of the EMDR Association of Australia
Certified Circle of Security Facilitator
Certified Tuning into Kids Facilitator
Gottman Method Couples Therapy Level 1 & 2
Languages:
English
I am the founder and Managing Director of Sombok Psychology. I am an Australian Clinical Psychologist and have been practicing psychology for over a decade. I love being a psychologist and I feel most alive in the therapy room. I discovered my love for Cambodia on a visit in 2018 and moved to Phnom Penh in 2020. I founded Sombok Psychology in September 2022.
I have always been drawn to understanding others and hearing their stories. My therapeutic style focuses on building trust and relational safety. I strive to help my clients feel seen and heard and to meet them with compassion wherever they are at. I like to think of myself as a warm, approachable and caring therapist. I have found that transparency, authenticity and compassion with a dose of humour are the foundations for a good therapeutic relationship.
I have worked with a wide variety of people from different cultural and social backgrounds. Many of my clients work with me long-term and come in and out of therapy over the years as they need it. Prior to moving to Cambodia, I primarily worked with families, parents and young people in the child and adolescent mental health field in Australia. Since working in Cambodia, I’ve developed a greater focus on adult psychotherapy and couples therapy.
I am particularly passionate about working with clients who have experienced sexual exploitation, abuse or trauma. My PhD research was an independent study of parental influences on children’s recovery from traumatic events. In my spare time, I’m writing a self-help book for Khmer women on healing from sexual trauma.
I utilise a range of evidence-based therapeutic approaches with clients including Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Schema Therapy, and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. When working with couples, I primarily use the Gottman Method of couples therapy.
My areas of interest include:
PTSD and trauma-related mental health
Borderline Personality Disorder / Complex PTSD
Sexual trauma, sexual abuse or exploitation
Couples therapy and relationship issues
Sexuality and gender concerns
Parenting and attachment
Eating issues and eating disorders
Anxiety disorders
Self-harm behaviours and suicide
Beyond therapy, I also provide psychoeducational assessments, training and consulting services. I am a board-approved supervisor of psychologists with the Psychology Board of Australia. I provide clinical supervision to the clinical team at Sombok, as well as supervision to external psychologists and counsellors working across different settings. I am passionate about supervision as it is the foundation for our professional growth as therapists.
Sombok Psychology is more than a workplace for me; it is an extension of who I am and where I express my creativity in order to make a space for others to experience healing and growth. In my life outside of Sombok, I enjoy deep conversations and spending quality time with family and friends. I love learning new things, discovering parts of Cambodia and lying by a pool with a good book. I have a one-eyed Cambodian cat who runs my household.
