About — Sanctum Integrative Psychology

Meet Ashra Sherwood

As a Clinical Psychologist, I am dedicated to providing a compassionate, collaborative, and secure therapeutic environment in which clients can explore their experiences, make sense of difficulties, and reconnect with meaning, purpose, and a grounded and authentic sense of self.

My therapeutic orientation is integrative and evidence-based, informed by both contemporary psychological research and an appreciation for the complexity of human development and experience.

Outside of clinical work, I have a particular interest in the interplay between culture, nature, and the psyche—how our internal worlds are shaped by, and in turn shape, the environments we inhabit. I view my work not only as a means of alleviating distress, but as a process of developing insight, flexibility, and the capacity to live with authenticity and resilience through life’s complexities.

Sanctum Approach

How Sessions Work

Each session provides space for reflection, understanding, and the development of new ways of relating to yourself and others.

We recognise that experiences across family, culture, environment, and identity all contribute to how we learn to cope and connect. By approaching these influences with curiosity and care, therapy can become a place where clarity and emotional wellbeing gradually emerge.

I see clients in person at my practice on Tamborine Mountain – a considered, quiet space in the natural landscape of Southeast Queensland – and via Telehealth across Australia.

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Psychological services provided for:

Experiences of low mood or depression
Feelings of anxiety, worry, or internal tension
Stress and the impact of ongoing demands
Complex or developmental trauma
Grief, loss, and significant life transitions
Questions of identity, meaning, or purpose

Psychological services not provided for:

Specific Phobias and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Eating Disorders
Schizophrenia and Psychotic Disorders
Relationship or Sexual Dysfunction Counselling
Child and Family Psychology
Drug and Alcohol Counselling
Anger Management/Forensic Presentations
WorkCover, family court, other legal matters
DVA

Credentials & Recognition

- Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours – First Class)
- Master of Clinical Psychology
- Member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS MAPS)
- Member International Society Schema Therapy (ISST)
- Dean’s Commendations for Exceptional Academic Achievement (Griffith University)
- 2018 APS Award of Excellence (Griffith University)
- 2020 APS College of Clinical Psychologists Student Prize
- Sherwood, A., Carydias, E., Whelan, C., & Emerson, L. M. (2020). The explanatory role of facets of dispositional mindfulness and negative beliefs about worry in anxiety symptoms. Personality and Individual Differences, 160, 109933.
- Emerson, L. M., de Diaz, N. N., Sherwood, A., Waters, A., & Farrell, L. (2020). Mindfulness interventions in schools: Integrity and feasibility of implementation. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 44(1), 62-75.
- Sherwood, A., Paynter, J., & Emerson, L. M. A brief online mindful parenting program: Feasibility and initial effects pilot in a community sample. J Child Fam Stud (2023).
- Bachelor of Business (Marketing)
- Master of Arts (Ancient History)
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ancient History)

Areas of Training

Schema Therapy was developed by Jeffrey Young in 1990 and, since that time, has proven to be effective for a range of difficulties, including depression, anxiety, and complex trauma. It is particularly useful in the case of chronic or long-standing unhealthy patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. It combines elements of Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy (CBT), attachment theory, psychoanalytic theory, and Gestalt Therapy.
Our ultimate aim in Schema Therapy is to heal unconscious patterns made up of beliefs, emotions, body sensations, images or memories – and build new positive, empowering, and healthy ways of being.
Developing flexibility in how you relate to thoughts, emotions, and internal experiences, with an emphasis on values-aligned living.
Cultivating a kinder and more supportive inner stance, particularly where self-criticism or shame feels familiar.
Working with the interaction between thoughts, feelings, and behaviour to develop practical skills for responding to challenges.