About Anna
Anna is a Psychologist and Play Therapist. They began their career working with children and young people living in Out of Home Care. During this time, they observed the power of play in promoting healthier relationships, which inspired them to complete a Master of Child Play Therapy. Anna frequently works alongside parents, carers, the child safety system, schools, and other stakeholders to provide collaborative care for clients. They are passionate about early intervention and supporting care-teams to understand behaviours through a trauma-informed and Neurodivergent affirming lens.
Anna is actively involved in Autism advocacy work, including public speaking to raise awareness about the importance of Neurodiversity-affirming approaches to therapy and protecting clients from exploitation in healthcare settings.
Anna is also a part of the Witness Intermediary Pilot Scheme through the Tasmanian Department of Justice. Here, they assist with assessing witnesses communication needs during police interviews and court proceedings.
Anna has undertaken advanced training in EMDR Therapy and is an EMDRAA Accredited Consultant. They are actively involved in the EMDR community, run a Neurodiversity Affirming EMDR Peer Group and are currently collaborating with other EMDR therapists to contribute to emerging research in this area.
Anna is also the Co-Director of Divergent Futures and provides education, training, and consulting in the field of Neurodiversity-Affirming practice. Anna is an experienced public speaker and has presented in the following areas:
Responding to violent behaviours
Neurodiversity-affirming approaches to treatment
Trauma-informed recommendations for supporting clients in healthcare settings
Strengths-based treatment for eating disorders
Providing evidence at two Royal Commissions to advocate for increased accessibility and safety in healthcare settings for people with disabilities.
Facilitation of the Parent Learn to Play Program, providing parents with education and skills to engage in therapeutic play with their children at home.
In their free time, Anna can be found hiking in the Tasmanian bush. They are also an avid reader, weightlifter, and artist.
Anna’s Academic Publications:
Darker-Smith, S. & Clarke, A. (in press). Neurodiversity-Affirming EMDR Therapy with Autism and ADHD. In D. Farrell, S. Schubert & M. Kiernan (Eds). The Oxford Handbook of EMDR. Oxford University Press.
Darker-Smith, S. & Clarke, A. (in press). Coping with “difference”: Neurodiversity-affirming EMDR therapy for Autistic and ADHD clients with eating disorders. In Trauma-Informed Approaches to Eating Disorders (2nd ed). A. Seubert & P Virdi (Eds). Springer Publishing Company.
Clarke, A., Cox, R., Simpson, A., Bergmeier, H., Bruce, L., Savaglio, M., Pizzirani, B., O’Donnell, R., Smales, M., & Skouteris, H. (2019). Understanding problematic eating in out-of-home care: The role of attachment and emotion regulation. Appetite, 135, 33–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2018.12.027
