Background:

Christopher Semmens is a Clinical Psychologist who has worked in a private practice setting for twenty years.

For much of this time the treatment of chronic pain patients has formed a significant part of his work. He was a foundation partner, together with a medical practitioner and an exercise physiologist, of the first private multidisciplinary pain management centre established in Perth Western Australia in 1994 - Cambridge Pain Management. Chris has presented on pain management at national conferences of the Australian Pain Society and Psychology Private.

Christopher Semmens is one of Australia’s best credentialed in cognitive behaviour therapy (member of the International Association for Cognitive Psychotherapy).

Over many years Chris has sought out professional development opportunities from the leading clinicians in his particular fields of interest. He has attended numerous international congresses and workshops, training with most of the prominent exponents of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) including: Ellis; Beck, Tim and Judith; Freeman; Mahoney; Young; Clark; Salkovskis; Foa; Barlow; Seligman; Turk; Padesky; and the Sobells, Mark and Linda.

Among his professional association memberships are the Australian Psychological Society and the Australian Pain Society. He is one of fifteen Australian members of the International Association for Cognitive Psychotherapy and is also a member of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Chris has undertaken extensive specialised training in rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) and he is one of six Australians on the International Referral List published by the Albert Ellis Institute in New York.

Since 1997 Chris has incorporated one of the new generation of psychological interventions, thought field therapy (TFT), into his treatment armamentarium. He is a foundation and life member of the Association for Thought Field Therapy (ATFT) and is a member of the board of directors of the ATFT Foundation.

Chris has an extensive background in Thought Field Therapy and is currently Australia’s foremost TFT exponent.He has trained frequently in California with Dr. Roger Callahan, the discoverer and developer of Thought Field Therapy. He has completed advanced TFT trainings and regular refresher trainings with Dr Callahan including TFT training in heart rate variability (HRV) and toxins, Refresher Dx course, Algorithms, train the Trainer, TFT Total Body Management.

In addition to CBT, REBT and TFT Chris has trained in clinical hypnotherapy with the Australian Society of Hypnosis, and he has also completed two years of training in Gestalt Therapy. As well as contributing to the multidisciplinary work of Cambridge Pain Management Chris also specialises in the treatment of anxiety disorders and traumatic stress.

Credentials:

Christopher Semmens is a Clinical Psychologist who has worked in a private practice setting for twenty years.

• Foundation and Life Member of the Association of Thought Field Therapy (ATFT)
• Member of the International Association for Cognitive Psychotherapy (IACP)
• Member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS)
• Listed on the International Referral List of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) published by the Albert Ellis Institute in New York
• Member of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS)
• Member of the Australian Society of Hypnosis (ASH)