Connection, Healing, Transformation
Dr. Alana Roy
Founder and Director, Psychologist, Social Worker, Advocate
Dr Alana (Lani) Roy is the Founder of The Signs of Life Psychology. She is a psychologist, social worker, and therapist and has spent the last 15 years working in mental health, suicide prevention, trauma, sexual abuse, family violence, and the disability sector. Lani is an Associate Research Fellow for Swinburne University and Founding Board Member of Australian Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Practitioners (AMAPP).
Lani has worked with borderline personality and dissociative identity disorder in various roles in the community, such as rape crisis centres with victims of ritual abuse; childhood and adult sexual assault; supporting women in the sex industry; and survivors of human trafficking. She specialises in complex trauma, disabilities and dual diagnosis, and working with the Deaf community by providing therapy in Auslan sign language.
Lani specialises in harm reduction in the field of psychedelics, sexual abuse and complex trauma and the Ayahuasca and the vegetelista dieta lineage. Refer to this section for more information https://thesignsoflife.com.au/ayahuasca-dieta-preparation-and-integration/
She is dedicated to evidence-based therapies and increasing public and professional safety by working closely with key advisors and researchers in this rapidly emerging field of psychedelics.
Lani provides a range of educational and group-based psychedelic programs. She is a board-approved psychology supervisor and provides psychology, social work, and biomedical student placements and supervision across Deakin, Monash, Victoria University, Psychedelic Research in Science and Medicine (PRISM), Entheogenesis Australia (EGA) and the Mental Health Foundation. Lani coordinates the psychedelic and plant medicine Mental Health Professional Network (MHPN). Lani has taught as an Australian teacher on Psychedelics Today Navigating Psychedelics for Clinicians and other Australian Psychedelic programs.
Lani has begun providing Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy (PAP) for clients accessing ketamine treatment in Australia with partnering clinical organisations. She is currently working on a range of research trials focusing on psilocybin and Ayahuasca.
Dr Lani Roy is an AMAPP accredited Psychedelic Therapist and AMAPP approved supervisor. She is trained in Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy and has worked with clients who have been prescribed cannabis and ketamine. Lani has completed training in Australia and America in a range of novel treatments.
Lani has co-created a model with Melissa Warner which focuses on metacognitive, somatic, transpersonal and relational dimensions of psychedelic therapies titled: EMPATHS Integrative Somatic Assisted Psychotherapy EISP.
Dr Lani Roy is not a prescriber of any medication or psychedelic medicines. She works externally with Psychiatrists and GP.
Lani is passionate about holistic and integrated healthcare and weaves integrative assessments, internal family systems therapy, EMDR, somatic psychotherapy, transpersonal psychology into her practice.
Lani has an Advanced Certificate in Nature Based Therapies and is passionate about reconnecting to land, culture and self.
She is passionate about connecting with professionals and community members who have integrity, creativity, and innovation; people who can uphold the sacred nature of these medicines as we bring them safely into the clinical context. Most importantly; she is a mother of two young boys, an owner of two beautiful high needs French bulldogs, and a wife of a sexual abuse detective.
To book with Lani contact us here to discuss intake and needs.
“May we have the courage to face life and all its challenges. May we live with integrity, embodying strong values and ethics in our relationships and work. May we stay deeply connected to ourselves, each other, the earth and our own sense of spirituality and meaning” – Dr Alana Roy
Jake Payne
Provisional psychologist
Jake is a provisional psychologist with over 10 years of theoretical and practical psychological experience.
Jake sees therapy not as a doctor-patient dynamic but as two colleagues solving a problem together. His work draws from an integration of psychological models including acceptance and commitment therapy, client-directed outcome-informed therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, interpersonal therapy, and existential therapy. Jake helps clients with a range of psychological problems including issues around assertiveness and masculinity, emotional dysregulation, anger management, social anxiety, psychedelic and spiritual integration, suicidality, relationship breakups, substance use and existential concerns. Jake has a particular interest in working with men.
Available Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays.
To book with Jake contact us here to discuss intake and needs.
Andrea Ellis
Administration officer and PA to Dr Lani Roy
Melissa Warner
Psychedelic Medicine Integration Coach, Mindfulness Meditation Teacher
Melissa is an advocate for innovative solutions for mental health and is on a mission to cultivate an evidence and experience-based understanding of consciousness.
Melissa is Secretary of Psychedelic Research in Science and Medicine, co- founder of The Australian Psychedelic Society and a member of the UK Australian Young Leaders Forum.
After graduating in Neuroscience from the University of Melbourne, Melissa traveled to leading international centers of psychedelic research, transformative technology, meditation and somatic practices to forecast next-generation mental health treatments. Currently, Melissa supports Australian psychedelic research trials at PRISM and is a post-graduate psychology student at The University of Melbourne.
Melissa is an experienced meditation guide, having studied under Mingyur Rinpoche of the Mahamudra lineage. She is passionate about the potential of mindfulness-based approaches to scaffold and accentuate psychedelic healing. As a preparation and integration coach, Melissa’s values the multiplicity of every individual and welcomes the whole person into every session. Melissa’s approach is informed by a scientific outlook, a transpersonal perspective, a positive psychology lens and grounded in somatic awareness.
Melissa seeks to create a space that nurtures the therapeutic, poetic, and eudaemonic capacities of the psyche.
In her creative time, Melissa enjoys her yoga practice, poetry, dance and painting.
To book with Melissa contact us here to discuss intake and needs.
Dr Orit Holtzman
MBBS, PhD & Co-Founder of Leura Wellness
Dr Orit Holtzman (MBBS, PhD) is the co-founder and director of Leura Wellness, and co-founder and president of the Australian and New Zealand College of Cannabinoid Practitioners (ANZCCP). Dr Holtzman is one of Australia’s most experienced cannabinoid medicine practitioners and educators.
She holds a bachelor of science in biology and psychology from the University of Tel Aviv (summa cum laude), a PhD in neuroscience from the University of NSW and an MBBS from the Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney.
After working in the public hospital system, Dr Holtzman started to explore holistic health solutions and became passionate about utilising medicinal cannabis as a therapeutic agent.
She began prescribing cannabis in 2019 and has since treated over 1,000 patients who have been prescribed medicinal cannabis for various indications under her care.
Dr Holtzman shares her experience and research in cannabinoid medicine in her work as a medical educator, teaching doctors about medicinal cannabis and the endocannabinoid system.
She lives in the beautiful Blue Mountains in NSW with her husband and three children.
Dr Jamie Rickord
GP and CBD/THC specialist
Dr Jamie is the founder and Chief Medical Officer of Ananda Clinics with a passionate focus on patient-first medicine, innovative treatment options, and a sunny Byron Bay lifestyle. Practising in the Northern Rivers since 2012, Dr Jamie has developed his specialty in Integrative Medicine, Trauma Informed Psychotherapy and the therapeutic application of plant-based medicines.
Ana Uribe
Trauma informed Embodiment Facilitator, Educator and Coach
Trainings, retreats, programs, individual sessions
Ana is a senior yoga, meditation and Certified Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Facilitator (TCTSY-F). She works as a trauma-informed embodiment practitioner, educator and coach. Through her own experiences with trauma, adversity and the subsequent process of healing and integration, is committed to a practice that focuses on creating safe spaces for people to reclaim their bodies, innate wisdom and power. Her areas of expertise include mental health, trauma recovery and psychedelic and plant medicine integration.
Ana’s work has included facilitating roles within the prison system, youth homelessness, foster care and not-for-profit sectors, as well as universities and corporate environments. She regularly runs retreats, training and educational workshops on trauma-informed approaches to support the wider community and professional development.
Ana offers a 10-week person-centred program that is based on a multi-dimensional approach and the creation of mutually respectful and supportive relationships. Her mission is to meet people where they are at, moment to moment, through engaging compassionate inquiry, somatic/embodied processes and the spaces between. The program welcomes individuals and groups.
Most recently, Ana developed a trauma-informed program in collaboration with Victoria University. As the co-author and facilitator, she guided 300 students through the mindfulness program centered around mental health, wellbeing and trauma-informed yoga over the course of 10 weeks.
Ana is currently completing a certification in Compassionate Inquiry® a Psychotherapeutic approach that was created by Dr. Gabor Mate. In her free time, Ana loves to go camping with her partner and dog. She thrives in the community and enjoys chatting with her family in Colombia.
To book with Ana contact us here to discuss intake and needs.
Violet Cordwell
Research Assistant and Project Officer
Violet is a third-year Bachelor of Social Work student studying at Deakin University, who recently completed their social work placement at The Signs of Life Psychology. Violet works as a learning and education advisor for The Signs of Life, in addition to working in the space of institutional child sexual abuse where she has spent the first three years of her social work career.
Violet has experience in case coordination and management; complex stakeholder liaison and high-risk case management; complex mediation and conflict resolution and training and facilitation.
Violet is fascinated by the transpersonal, body-centred practices (including yoga) and the healing power of the natural world. Violet values integrity and compassion as the foundations of her work and seeks to reignite the relevance of creative expression, movement, connection, community and mindfulness to the social work field.
Kim Day
Research Assistant
Kim is a research assistant working on various studies exploring psychedelic-assisted therapy in Melbourne. With a background in neuroscience research, she is fascinated by the mind, consciousness and spirituality. In her free time, she enjoys spending time in nature, rock climbing and yoga.
Kit Kline
Nature Based Therapist Consultant
Social Work Student
Kit Kline, the founder of Nature Based Therapy, was born in Canada and moved to Australia when she was 10. She is a descendant of the Wampanoag people on her paternal side and is a member of the Sou’West Nova Metis Council. Kit has always felt a strong connection to her Native American ancestry and believes her philosophy on health and wellness derives from this connection.
She has 20 years’ experience working as a counsellor and trainer in the social and community services sector with both public and private health services specialising in mental health and addictions. She established the modality ‘nature based therapy’ due to the success she was having with the people she was working with when she incorporated ‘nature’ into her work practice. Kit is currently completing a master’s in social work. She has successfully completed a masters in Indigenous studies, holds a BA in Indigenous studies and has postgraduate studies in mental health. Other qualifications include diploma in welfare studies, alcohol and other drugs, holistic healing and certificate IV in both training & assessment and youth work.
She is working with The Signs of Life Psychology and Dr Lani Roy to develop and expand nature based therapists in Australia, particularly in the psychedelic preparation and integration space.
For more information about the Advanced Diploma please see:
https://www.naturebasedtherapy.com.au/advanced-accreditation-in-nature-based-therapy/
Kylie Cooper
Creative Arts Integration Support and Mentor
Certified Breathwork Facilitator and Creative Arts and Health Student
Kylie is a student of Mental Health and is excited to start a Diploma of Arts Therapy at Ikon Institute in 2023. She has 15 years experience in leadership, training and mentoring and is now working to bring these skills to help people integrate emotional life experiences and crises by facilitating practices that establish safety, purpose, personal wisdom and life meaning and values. Kylie uses art-making and story as primary tools for exploring the deepest aspects of self and is working with Signs of Life Psychology to share these healing processes.
She has lived experience of medically diagnosed mental health conditions including spiritual emergency and neurodivergence. She is devoted to inner work and is very curious of the kinds of psychological struggles it takes to reach beyond the self and also what it takes to retreat and how the seasons are directly related to these processes. Kylie hopes for a world where everyone feels connected enough to show up whole, and where individuals can share their personal wisdom and feel empowered by their experiences.
Kylie has a life-long love of the great mystery, mother nature and self-reflection. She has wide-ranging interests and many special interests that include lots of books and is always seeking insight in the golden threads of the invisible. Kylie is a homeschooling mother of a neurodivergent child and a volunteer co-host of the Mad In America Co-Arting Group which provides much opportunity to practice being deeply human.
Celia Robers
Yoga and Meditation at AMAPP
Celia Roberts, BSc, has a long-term interest in merging the science and spirituality of Yoga, Meditation, and Lifestyle Medicine. With deep dedication to the field of mental health and the prevention of suicide, Celia has sought natural and novel ways based on the ancient traditions of Yoga and Buddhism to treat the mind and body through the emerging field of biopsychosocial medicine.
Celia is the Founder and Director of BIYOME – The BioMedical Institute of Yoga & Meditation and has taught and trained thousands of teachers to the highest educational standards over the last decade. Her practice is innovative and explanatory, exploring alongside her students the intricate study of yoga, including how to use the ancient Vedic sciences to explore the deeper aspects of consciousness in an evidence-informed way.
Throughout her journey as a Senior yoga and meditation teacher and yoga therapist, Celia Roberts has traveled and taught worldwide. Celia runs an online institute and has offered face-to-face training at a retreat center property in Brookfield, Brisbane, for over a decade. It’s a breathtaking and stunning location in Australia to undertake training.
BIYOME’s works with Dr Lani Roy and Melissa Warner creating educational programs fused with science and contemplative wisdom via the Certificate of Psychedelics and Contemplative Therapies Psychedelic Assisted Therapy Teacher Training Courses – The BioMedical Institute of Yoga & Meditation (biyome.com.au)
