Youth & General Psychiatry Fellow
Dr Israel Berger provides a variety of mental health services with the multidisciplinary team at The Bendigo Rainbow Hub.
My Approach
I am autistic and come to clinical practice as Dr. Israel Berger, bringing with me the lived experience of ADHD, depression, PTSD, life struggles, and the difficulty of finding appropriate mental health services for my situation. Since my teenage years, I have put great effort into developing social skills and understanding others. I believe that my experiences with mental health difficulties have made me a more understanding, empathetic, and responsive doctor. I strive to ensure that my patients have a positive experience when seeking mental health assistance. I particularly excel in working with autistic individuals, transgender people, those with attachment difficulties or trauma, and individuals facing crises in their lives. Additionally, I enjoy supporting people who have experienced psychosis, dedicating myself to understanding their perspectives.
I advocate for an informed consent model, rather than gatekeeping, for access to gender affirmation services. After careful consideration, I became a member of the Australian Professionals Association for Trans Health (AusPATH) in 2022, aligning with my consistent values, including informed consent, and I served as the Treasurer for two years. My goal is to help individuals evaluate their options, values, and personal goals realistically and factually. While I provide psychotherapy for broader mental health issues to trans individuals, I do not engage in therapy aimed at changing a person's gender or sexuality (conversion therapy) and support legislation that seeks to make such practices illegal.
I am also a member of several professional associations, including the Australian & New Zealand College of Cannabis Practitioners, the Australasian Integrative Medicine Association, the Australasian ADHD Professionals Association, the Australian Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Practitioners, the International Association of Trauma Practitioners, and I am a Fellow of the Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.
About Me
Outside of my clinical and research life, I am a civil celebrant. I also enjoy hobbies such as gaming, gardening, sewing, and knitting, and I love being in the bush. Additionally, I have cats and a dog, and I cherish spending time with family and friends.
Before joining the medical workforce, I completed my PhD in psychology at the University of Roehampton in London, focusing on methodological issues in the qualitative method of Conversation Analysis through the lens of psychotherapy and everyday interactions. After medical school at the University of Sydney, I furthered my education with a Master of Psychiatry and PGCert in Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne. I am currently completing a MMed (Pain Management) at the University of Sydney and expect to achieve Fellowship of the Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatrists in 2025.
As Dr. Israel Berger, I believe in engaging with multiple, overlapping subject areas. I reject the idea that researchers and clinicians should hyperspecialize, as this neglects the various factors that contribute to an individual or community's experience of health, including access to mental health services. My work integrates numerous aspects of health, incorporating communication and social determinants of health, alongside ethical and methodological issues.
I enjoy working with people of all ages while maintaining a holistic and developmental focus. I am committed to using methods that are appropriate to the research question rather than forcing research questions to fit preferred methods. I also believe that clinical approaches should be tailored to the individual seeking help. My top concern is doing what is best for the person in front of me, which sometimes means using therapeutic approaches that are most aligned with the individual's concerns, ways of thinking, and their capacity to engage with various ideas.
I am thus experienced in a range of therapies, including psychodynamic psychotherapy, projective cards, family therapy, motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, and psychopharmacology, as well as diverse research methods, such as conversation analysis, experiments, survey research, systematic reviews, grounded theory, program evaluation, and other qualitative and quantitative methods. I enjoy engaging with innovative research and introducing students to the fascinating and expansive world of research and clinical practice.
My Education
2023-Present MMed (Pain Management), University of Sydney
2022-Present AdvCert in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, RANZCP
2025 FRANZCP, Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatrists
2023 PGCert in Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne
2020 Master of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne
2016 MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery), University of Sydney
2012 PhD in Psychology, University of Roehampton
2011 Diploma (Distinction) in Clinical Nutrition Level 4 NCFE, Stonebridge College
2008 BA (Hons.) cum laude in Psychology, University of Rhode Island
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