About Us

Shai is a proud Ngarigo woman, Principal & Clinical Psychologist, and facilitator of Clinical Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy at Conscious Mind Centre. Shai holds a Master of Clinical Psychology from Bond University, Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) from Griffith University, and a Certificate of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies (CPAT) Facilitator from Mind Medicine Australia.

Shai brings a wealth of experience from private rehabilitation to university clinics, and private practice. Shai comes from her own recovered lived experience with chronic pain and PTSD. With her compassionate, patient-centred, and integrative approach to healing, Shai seeks to incorporate the body, mind, spirit, and environment into the therapy process.

Shai works exclusively with adults presenting with:

• Trauma
• Complex Trauma
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (including C-PTSD)
• Substance misuse
• Psychedelic integration and harm reduction
• Chronic Illness, and
• Well-being

Shai is passionate about supporting patients through harm minimisation, preparation, and integration of Medicine-Assisted Therapy, breathwork, and meditation. Shai supports individuals with prolonged adverse experiences following medicine use and participants of clinical trials.

Outside of approved clinical use, Medicine-Assisted Therapy remains strictly prohibited and illegal in Australia. To access Medicine-Assisted Therapy you must have a diagnosis of Treatment-resistant Depression or PTSD.

Shai offers the following therapeutic modalities:

• Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Medicine-Assisted Therapy (MAT)
• Altered consciousness preparation, integration therapy, and difficult experiences support (meditation, breathwork, and other)
• Structural Dissociation
• Somatic Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Motivational Interviewing
• Incorporating interventions from Parts, Inner Child, Schema, Chairwork, DBT and more

Dr Manfred Penzhorn completed his medical training at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, in 1999. Since 2004, he has worked exclusively in psychiatry across South Africa, the United Kingdom and Australia. His experience spans forensic psychiatry, rehabilitation psychiatry, acute and emergency psychiatry, and psychiatry of older adults. He completed his specialist training with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) in 2015.

Dr Manfred’s approach to psychiatric care is grounded in understanding the individual beyond their diagnosis. He places particular importance on patients’ preferences, the personal meaning of their experiences, and the social and environmental circumstances that influence their mental health. He believes these factors are central to developing meaningful, individualised treatment plans.

As a general psychiatrist, Dr Manfred has broad clinical interests, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, neuropsychiatry, dementia, and mental health concerns associated with ageing.

Dr Manfred maintains a strong interest in the evolving field of psychiatry, particularly emerging treatment approaches and Medicine-Assisted Therapy. He recognises the importance of bringing medical and psychological perspectives together when working with complex and persistent mental health conditions. His approach emphasises individualised assessment, collaborative clinical decision-making, and the responsible consideration of emerging research alongside established psychiatric practice.

Having previously contributed to medical education at Griffith and Bond Universities and the training of psychiatry registrars, Dr Manfred has since stepped back from teaching commitments to focus on clinical practice and patient care.

Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with family, listening to loud music, experimenting in the kitchen, and stomping around in the bush.

Jeff is a clinical psychologist with a background in military service, frontline emergency response, and outdoor adventure. His work integrates evidence-based modalities and experiential psychotherapy, including movement-assisted and nature-informed approaches, to support people living with trauma and other complex presentations. 

Jeff focuses on emotional regulation, psychological flexibility, therapeutic integration, and values-driven living. His trauma-informed approach combines professional lived experience with evidence-based practice, alongside an interest in expanded states of consciousness and emerging models of trauma care. Jeff maintains a grounded and clinically informed approach to helping people rebuild resilience and reconnect with purpose.

Jeff offers the following therapeutic modalities:

• Schema therapy
• Medicine-Assisted Therapy (MAT)
• Altered consciousness preparation, integration therapy, and difficult experiences support (meditation, breathwork, and other)
• Nature-Based Therapy
• Movement Focused Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Motivational Interviewing
• Incorporating interventions from DBT and more

Jeff is not currently offering EMDR.

Paul brings extensive experience in supervision and management from a previous career in technical and industrial environments, before a significant illness and subsequent disability made it necessary for him to step away from the industry.

His own experience of living with disability, alongside his recovery from PTSD and treatment-resistant depression, has shaped a strong commitment to improving access to meaningful, person-centred mental health care. Paul now brings this lived experience together with his management background to support the day-to-day operations and continued development of Conscious Mind Centre, both within the practice and behind the scenes.