Joanne Hodzic

I am a Child and Family Therapist and an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker with over 22 years of experience. As an experienced therapist in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, I hold a Masters Degree in Family Therapy from the University of New South Wales, as well as an Honours Degree in Social Work. I am a full member of the Australian Association of Social Workers.

My Journey to become a Child & Family Therapist in Sydney

I have a lifelong curiosity about what helps people heal, grow, and thrive—even in the face of adversity. My early experiences shaped my deep interest in human resilience, justice, and mental health.

I eventually found my path in social work, a profession that allows me to live out my values and support others in meaningful ways.

22 Years Experience – Child & Family Therapist Eastern Suburbs

My career spans 22 years. I’ve had the privilege of working across government, non-profit, and health sectors. For the past 12 years, my focus has been on child and youth mental health within NSW Health, including roles at Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) and Child & Family East, supporting children, adolescents, and families through a range of complex challenges.

Throughout my career, I’ve facilitated a range of group therapy programs, including Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and parent support groups.

The standout experiences of my career are not the big conferences or group therapy programs I have participated in, but rather the small moments after an intervention has helped a family.

Child & Family Therapy Services – Eastern Suburbs Sydney

I work with children, adolescents, parents, and families with children aged 0 to 18 years. My areas of focus include:

Infants and Young Children (0–5 years)
Support with attachment, behaviour, sleep, settling, anxiety, and toileting.
Primary School-Aged Children
Assistance with behavioural challenges, anxiety, emotional regulation, social difficulties, bullying, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and trauma.
Adolescents (High School Age)
Support for behavioural issues, anxiety, emotional regulation, peer relationships, social challenges, and trauma.
Family Support
Guidance through family transitions such as separation or divorce, adjustment difficulties, and relational concerns.
Trauma
Support to children, teens and adults who have experienced trauma including offering: psychological first aid in the initial aftermath of trauma, ASSYST for acute stress syndrome stabilisation and EMDR.

Child in Therapy with Psychologist Eastern Suburbs, Sydney

Helping Children, Parents and families in Sydney

As a mother of two school aged children I understand how fulfilling and demanding parenting can be. It takes bravery to enter a therapist’s office and be vulnerable.

I treat my clients with respect, warmth and empathy.

We begin with an assessment to understand the strengths and challenges that your child and family to therapy. This may include questions about your child’s development and past experiences. Together—me as the therapist and you as the expert on your child—we develop a shared understanding of what may be happening and set goals for therapy.

Find out about the clinic approach

My Therapeutic Frameworks

Therapy is tailored to your child’s needs and may include individual sessions, parent sessions, parent-child work, or family therapy sessions.

As an experienced child and family therapist in Sydney, I incorporate the following therapeutic approaches into my sessions:

I incorporate the following therapeutic approaches into my sessions:
Family therapy
Circle of security
Marte Meo
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Strengths frameworks
Trauma informed frameworks
EMDR

Programs I Deliver:

Circle of Security Parenting

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy

Parent Hope Project

“everything can be taken from a man but one thing the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way”. (1)

A Quote that Inspires Me

This quote inspires me as it reminds me of the resilience of the human spirit. Being a social worker is a privilege — a career where I get to help children and families to know themselves (their thoughts, feelings, bodies and behaviours) and ``choose their own way``.