Michael Ossher has had a long-standing interest in human development. He began his professional life as a lawyer, having begun studies in South Africa and acquiring a Masters of Law from Cambridge University. His legal experiences in South Africa, England and Australia, across a variety of law firms -including small and large commercial practices and government departments – gave him first hand experience of the pressures people encounter in their professional lives. These pressures often had very obvious results for many colleagues – exhaustion and frustration in not being able to balance the volume of work and corporate cultures with other aspects of life such as health, relationships and general social engagement.

These experiences led Michael to shift his focus away from organisations and towards individuals and the complex integration of physical and psychological development. This work has led him to his current emphasis on the importance of integrating emotional/psychological elements in the development and health of the individual.

Michael's formal study in psychotherapy and subsequent case work were undertaken with the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychotherapy (ANZAP), Australia's pre-eminent institution for training in psychotherapy.

In keeping with the ethical and professional standards of ANZAP membership, Michael retains a supervisor as well as a peer supervision group to ensure clients have access to the highest standards of professional care.

About ANZAP

ANZAP was founded by Professor Russell Meares in 1987 when Chair of Psychiatry at Westmead Hospital. The organisation is a forum for the exchange of ideas between professional psychotherapists and provides training programs for professionals interested in the theory and practice of Self Psychology and in more recent years the Conversational Model – one of the most scientifically validated psychotherapeutic models in the professional literature. ANZAP publishes quarterly and annual journals of theoretical and clinical material provided from its members, holds annual conferences and oversees the ethics and professional conduct of its members through its Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, to which its members are bound.

Apart from being a registered member of ANZAP, Michael is a member of the ANZAP Ethics Working Party which reviews ethical standards and demands within the ongoing practices of ANZAP members.

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