Rachelle Porter is a Clinical and Performance Psychologist, based in Melbourne.
Rachelle combines evidence-based therapeutic approaches with performance psychology principles to help individuals enhance wellbeing, resilience, and self-worth.
She works with clients experiencing mental health challenges as well as those seeking to optimise performance, confidence, leadership, and personal growth in high-pressure environments.
About Rachelle
Clinical and Performance Psychologist
Rachelle works in both clinical and performance domains to help adolescents and adults achieve psychological wellbeing while performing at their best in demanding environments.
Using a compassionate, evidence-based approach, she supports clients experiencing anxiety, stress, depression, trauma, emotional challenges, and life transitions. Rachelle also helps high-performing individuals enhance confidence, focus, leadership, and decision-making: working to optimise functioning.
Holding a Master of Clinical Psychology, Rachelle integrates clinical expertise with performance psychology to foster resilience, emotional regulation, self-awareness, and sustainable wellbeing. Since 2019, she has been a selected psychologist within the Australian Institute of Sport Mental Health Referral Network (MHRN) and is an affiliated provider with the AFL Players Association (AFLPA) and Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA).
Rachelle is passionate about creating a safe, collaborative, and empowering environment where clients can overcome challenges, pursue meaningful goals, and develop the skills to thrive across personal, professional, academic, and sporting domains.
Qualifications:
Bachelor Science (Psychology), Brigham Young University
Bachelor Arts, Brigham Young University
Post Grad Diploma Psychology, Swinburne University of Technology
Masters Psychology Clinical, Swinburne University of Technology
Affiliations:
Fully Registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Reg. # PSY0001669077)
Member of the Australian Psychological Society (MAPS) since 2006
Registered Medicare Provider (# 4501885H)
Therapy
Helping You Thrive, Not Just Cope
Life can be challenging, and finding the right support can make all the difference. Whether you’re navigating anxiety, stress, trauma, burnout, relationship difficulties, or a major life transition, you don’t have to face it alone.
Rachelle Porter is a Clinical and Performance Psychologist with over 15 years of experience helping adolescents and adults build resilience, improve wellbeing, and achieve meaningful personal and professional goals. Using a compassionate, evidence-based, and trauma-informed approach, she creates a safe and supportive environment where clients feel heard, understood, and empowered to make lasting change.
Rachelle recognises that our experiences shape how we think, feel, and respond to life’s challenges. She works collaboratively with clients to develop greater self-awareness, emotional wellbeing, confidence, and practical skills that support both healing and growth.
Whether your goal is to overcome adversity, improve your mental health, or perform at your best, Rachelle is committed to helping you move forward with confidence.
How Rachelle can support you:
- Develop strategies to manage stress, anxiety, and daily challenges
- Build resilience and confidence to navigate life transitions
- Explore emotions and relationships in a safe, supportive space
- Strengthen coping skills and improve overall wellbeing
- Work collaboratively towards goals that matter to you
Therapeutic approaches include:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Mindfulness
- Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
- Positive Psychology
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
With experience across both public and private mental health settings, Rachelle provides compassionate, evidence-based care that is tailored to your individual needs, helping you create lasting and positive change.
Who Rachelle works with:
- Adolescents
- Adults
- Athletes
- Mental Health Care Plan referrals (GP referral)
- Private client (no referral)
Rachelle can work with you either face-to-face in her office in St Kilda Rd, or online (Telehealth).
Therapeutic Approaches
Rachelle approaches all counselling from a person-centered modality, a commitment to providing an environment of safety, acceptance, non-judgement and unconditional positive regard.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
(CBT)
CBT is an evidence based psychotherapeutic approach, a talking therapy. CBT aims to solve problematic emotions, behaviors and cognitions through a goal-oriented, systematic procedure in the present.
There is empirical evidence that CBT is effective for the treatment of a variety of problems, including mood, anxiety, personality, eating disorders, substance abuse, and psychotic disorders.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)/Mindfulness
ACT is a scientifically based therapy, which takes its’ name from one of it’s core messages: accept what is out of your personal control and commit to action that improves your life. The main aim of ACT is to help create a rich, full, and meaningful life while effectively handling the pain and stresses that go with it.
ACT has been proven to be effective with a wide range of issues, from anxiety and depression to work stress to schizophrenia. It is a very active model, involving practicing psychological skills to assist in handling difficult thoughts and feelings more effectively.
Solution Focused Brief Therapy
This therapy focuses on what clients want to achieve through therapy rather than on the problem(s) that made them seek help. The approach does not focus on the past, but instead, focuses on the present and future.
Solution focused therapy helps people identify the things that they wish to have changed in their life and also to attend to those things that are currently happening that they wish to continue to have happen.
Clinical
Rachelle take a holistic, trauma informed, person-centered approach. She is committed to providing an environment of safety, acceptance, non-judgement and unconditional positive regard.
Rachelle has experience and expertise working with individuals with a variety of issues, including:
Anxiety
Depression
Stress management and coping
Mental health/illness, including psychosis, bipolar disorder
Parenting challenges
Grief and loss
Relationship issues
Breathwork and cued Relaxation
Post traumatic stress
Developmental trauma
Physical health concerns
Self-development
Problem solving skills and training
Anger management
Social skills training
Communication training
Stress management
Assertiveness training
Self-esteem issues
Finding value and meaning in life
Performance
Rachelle has extensive experience supporting high-performance athletes, including Olympians, elite competitors, professional athletes and High-Performance staff. She works to assist individuals to build mental skills and resilience to manage the psychological and emotional challenges unique to high performance environments, particularly sport.
Rachelle works both in Melbourne and globally via telehealth.
Areas Rachelle works with include:
- Athlete identity and life transitions
- Managing pressure and expectations
- Difficult emotions and mental health challenges
- Performance anxiety
- Career transitions and retirement from sport
- Relationships and team dynamics
- Perfectionism
- Burn-out
- Values and beliefs
- Sport/life balance
- Dealing with injury and setbacks
Fees and Services
Rachelle’s fee is $250.00 for a one hour consultation.
This includes a 50 minute session with the remaining 10 minutes being used for writing session notes, letters and other matters, as required.
Medicare rebates are available with a referral from a GP; please see Medicare Services. Alternatively, you may be eligible for rebates from private health care funds.
Medicare Services
In order to receive the Medicare rebate, clients need to obtain a Mental Health Care Plan from their GP or psychiatrist.
Clients with a valid referral are eligible for a rebate of $149.05 per session.
After claiming the Medicare rebate, the cost for a 50-minute session is reduced from $250.00 to $100.95
Students/Health Care Card Holders may be eligible for a reduced rate.
Clients are then eligible to receive up to 10 sessions of focused psychological treatment per calendar year.
Examples of eligible psychological conditions under the Medicare Scheme:
Adjustment disorder
Depression
Phobias
Sexual disorders
Mixed anxiety and depression
Unexplained somatic complaints
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Eating disorders (bulimia)
Bereavement disorder
Panic disorder
Alcohol use disorders
Drug use disorders
Sleep problems
Obsessive compulsive disorder