Meet the Team

SchemX began when Xi and Nicole met at the 2022 International Society for Schema Therapy Conference in Copenhagen. They shared a commitment to making Schema Therapy more inclusive and responsive to culture, society, and the world around us.

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    Dr Xi Liu

    Clinical Psychologist, Advanced Schema Therapist, Supervisor and Trainer.

    Xi (they/them) is a Sydney-based Clinical Psychologist, internationally recognized for their leadership in Telehealth and LGBTQIA+ mental health. Xi completed their Advanced Schema Therapy accreditation at the New York Institute with founder Dr. Jeffrey Young and narcissism expert Wendy Behary. They are an Advanced Accredited Schema Therapist, affectionately known as the “Grandma of Chinese Schema Therapy” for their pivotal role in mentoring and training clinicians across China and Hong Kong.

    Xi integrates intersectional, queer, feminist, and neurodivergent-affirming frameworks to address the cultural and systemic factors shaping mental health. Their work has been instrumental in adapting Schema Therapy for marginalized communities.

    Passionate about advancing equity and inclusion in mental health, Xi uses creative arts to demystify therapy through academic writing, creative storytelling, and performance.

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    Dr Nicole Manktelow

    Clinical Psychologist, Advanced Schema Therapist and Supervisor

    Nicole (she/her) registered as a psychologist in 1997. She has worked in various clinical settings and has spent most of her career working in regional locations where inequalities were often starkly visible. Nicole brings critical queer, decolonial and feminist principles into her practice and has worked in the acute mental health community and inpatient settings with adults and adolescents, correctional settings and as Clinical Director for Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia. She is interested in critical and decolonising psychology and brings this to her practice, supervision and training. She also has an interest in psychodynamic therapy.

    Nicole started her schema therapy journey in 2014. Nicole is excited to explore how schema therapy can incorporate social justice issues into the work. Nicole currently works in private practice, where she practices schema therapy and supervises clinicians seeking schema accreditation.