Sometimes we don’t need someone to give us the answers—we just need someone to help us make sense of the questions.
I’ve always been drawn to the in-between spaces. The chapters of life where things aren’t quite clear. Where something is shifting beneath the surface, but you’re not sure what it is yet—or what to do with it.
That’s the space I work in.
I’m a psychologist and psychotherapist. I support people who are feeling stuck, overwhelmed, uncertain, or quietly undone by something they can’t fully name.
Some are navigating a change in identity, relationships, work, or motherhood. Others come with a more general sense that life isn’t unfolding the way they thought it would.
My approach is quietly deep and gently curious. I don’t offer advice or strategies in the traditional sense. Instead, I help you listen to what’s happening inside, explore the patterns you’ve developed to cope, and make sense of how your past might still be shaping your present.
You don’t have to be in crisis to come to therapy. Sometimes you just need space to feel what you’re feeling—and a steady presence beside you while you do.
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I’m a registered psychologist with postgraduate qualifications in counselling psychology. I’m also a full member of the Australian Psychological Society (MAPS).
For over a decade, I’ve worked with adults across private practice, public health, community services, and national policy settings.
I’ve supported people through fertility grief, identity transitions, anxiety, emotional overwhelm, relationship changes, and the quiet, lingering sadness that can come with life not unfolding the way you imagined.
These experiences—clinical and systemic—have shaped the way I work: with depth, thoughtfulness, and a strong belief in the importance of understanding both the personal and the context in which it unfolds.
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The Waiting Room began as an idea—long before it became a practice. It came from a feeling I kept noticing in therapy, in writing, and in my own life too. That sense of being in-between things. No longer in the old version of your life, but not quite in the new one yet.
It’s a space that can feel quiet, confusing, and emotionally full. Often, it’s where people arrive when they come to therapy. They don’t always have a name for what they’re feeling. They just know something isn’t working anymore.
That’s why I named this practice The Waiting Room. Because therapy often begins with a pause—a moment to sit with what’s shifting, and to find language for what’s unfolding inside.
Alongside my clinical work, I also write under the same name. The Waiting Room is a place where I reflect on the emotional themes that show up in therapy but also in life—grief that’s hard to explain, uncertainty around motherhood or identity, the invisible weight of things that never quite happened.
Some people come here looking for support. Others find their way in through the writing. You’re welcome either way.
If you’re navigating a transition, feeling overwhelmed, or simply want a space to reflect with someone steady beside you—therapy might be the place to begin. And if you're not quite ready to speak, you're welcome to read.
Previous work
In addition to my therapeutic practice, I work in mental health consulting—contributing to policy, service design, and national reform efforts. Across both roles, I aim to support not just individual wellbeing, but the conditions that allow people to feel safe, connected, and understood. I believe that emotional wellbeing isn’t just a personal responsibility—it’s shaped by the systems and structures around us. My work reflects that: spanning one-on-one therapy, research, advocacy, and systems change.
Here are a few national projects I’ve contributed to as a writer, collaborator, or co-author—each focused on strengthening mental health support and access across Australia.
Smiling Mind
Mental Wellbeing Index
This national report was one of the first of its kind in Australia—measuring the emotional wellbeing of people across the country and helping us understand how mindfulness, stress, digital habits and daily life affect how we feel.
Why it matters: It gave schools, parents, workplaces, and health organisations clear insights into what’s helping—and what’s not—when it comes to mental wellbeing.
Smiling Mind
State of Mind report 2024
These follow-on reports explored how Australians were feeling during major social shifts—including COVID lockdowns—and highlighted how digital tools were being used to support mental health in real time.
Why it matters: The findings helped organisations and schools adapt their wellbeing programs to better meet the needs of young people, parents, and educators.
Rethink Addiction
The Cost of Addiction in Australia
I co-authored this national report, exploring the social and economic costs of addiction—not just in dollars, but in lives and stories. It combined data with the voices of people who’ve experienced addiction, showing the impact of stigma and the importance of recovery-focused support.
Why it matters: It helped shift the conversation from blame to understanding, and called for more compassionate, community-based responses to addiction.
Mater Foundation submission to the
Queensland Select Committee Inquiry into Mental Health
I co-authored a submission with the Mater Foundation that led to the funding and establishment of Catherine House, a new women’s mental health service in Queensland. It’s a space designed to provide trauma-informed care to women and infants.
Why it matters: This is a powerful example of how lived experience, thoughtful design, and strong advocacy can lead to real, tangible change in the system.
Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Capability Framework
I helped design this framework to support mental health and wellbeing workers across Victoria—following recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health and Wellbeing System. It sets out what a capable, supported, and safe mental health workforce looks like in practice.
Why it matters: A strong mental health system starts with a supported workforce. This work helps ensure clinicians, peer workers and frontline staff have the training, supervision, and structures they need to care for others—without burning out themselves.
Speaking, media & collaborations
In addition to therapy, I also work with organisations, schools, media, and community groups to help shape conversations about mental health in Australia. I offer:
Guest speaking and panels
Strategy or writing support for mental health projects
Media commentary on topics like emotional wellbeing, social change, and system reform
If you’re interested in working together or inviting me to speak, please get in touch via email at hello@hayleycaulfield.com.au.