Dr Megan Richardson is a Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist based in Brisbane, with her practice relocating to Canberra in 2026. She works with children, adolescents, and young adults, offering thoughtful, collaborative care for those navigating depression, anxiety, trauma, neurodivergence, and complex internal experiences. Her work is grounded in the belief that every person carries wisdom within their internal system, and that healing grows from curiosity, compassion, and safe therapeutic connection.
Dr Richardson completed her medical degree at the University of Queensland before undertaking specialist training through the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP). Her training spanned major public hospitals including the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Prince Charles Hospital, Princess Alexandra Hospital, and the Queensland Children’s Hospital, as well as community mental health teams. She later completed the RANZCP Certificate in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, deepening her commitment to developmental and relational approaches to care.
Since Fellowship, Dr Richardson has focused her work within private practice, bringing together her interests in trauma, attachment, neurodivergence, and therapeutic psychiatry. She has pursued ongoing training in Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy (Level 1 completed), Schema Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). She is trained in neurodiversity-affirming autism assessment tools including ADOS and MIGDAS-2, and is a Circle of Security Parenting facilitator.
Approach to Mental Health Care
Dr Richardson offers psychiatric care from a psychotherapeutic and relational frame, integrating medical, psychological, and developmental understanding. She works from a trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming perspective, recognising that emotional and behavioural patterns often arise as adaptive responses to lived experience. Rather than framing symptoms as problems to be eliminated, she supports patients in understanding their inner worlds with gentleness and respect.
Her approach is collaborative and paced, weaving together elements of IFS, Schema Therapy, ACT, and CBT. Where medication is part of treatment, it is offered thoughtfully and in partnership with the young person and their family, as one component of a broader healing process. Above all, she aims to create a space where patients feel safe, understood, and supported to build inner coherence, compassion, and resilience.
Areas of Focus
Dr Richardson works with children, adolescents, and young adults experiencing mood and anxiety disorders, trauma and complex PTSD, ADHD, autism and difficulties with school engagement. She also provides NDIS assessments and reporting. Her practice is especially suited to young people seeking a deeper understanding of their internal world and families looking for a warm, reflective, therapeutic approach to care.
Outside of medicine
Outside of clinical work, Dr Richardson enjoys pursuits that offer both creativity and restoration. She loves books, music, and art, as well as the imaginative spaces of tabletop role-playing games. She values meditation, mindful movement, and the ritual of a good cup of coffee. Much of her grounding comes from the joyful chaos of family life with children, cats, dogs, and the ongoing effort to drink her coffee while it is still hot—reminders of the importance of humour, compassion, and balance in everyday life.