Getting to know Kate…

Tell us a bit about your business?

I am the Director and Principal Clinical Psychologist at Strive Hive Psychology in Nelson Bay. Our team has two clinical psychologist, four psychologists, a mental health social worker and three support roles. We are also welcoming a paediatrician to our team this month and we are over-the-moon to bring such a needed specialist service to the Bay!

At Strive Hive we address the full lifespan – from preschool-aged children to midlife to the adjustments that come with retirement. We offer adult and child assessments for Autism, ADHD, Intellectual Disorders/Giftedness and Learning Disorders as well as intervention for a range of presentations. We are also passionate about spreading education to the community. Throughout 2025 I offered free parent presentations on “Preschoolers: Big Emotions and Challenging Behaviours” and we have just commenced booking in my 2026 presentations with the local daycare centres! In addition, this year we have reached out to the local schools to offer free parent presentations to support our school aged children. 

Tell us about your biggest hurdles and successes in business?

My biggest hurdle is being so passionate about what I do and trying to balance that with family life. I was (and still probably am) doing too much and I recognise that my biggest and most important role right now is as a mum. I want to offer after-school appointments to my clients, attend committee meetings and offer community presentations, yet I want to be with my kids even more. It’s a balancing act – and I have an amazing support network to ensure it all works.

We have had a few successes! We doubled our office space in 2025, and we are doubling again this year! As I write this, the builders have started knocking down the walls next door to our current office to open us up to four additional therapy rooms! Additionally, being able to open-up the waitlist for Dr Ally Croker (Consultant Paediatrician) who is coming to Nelson Bay this month is just incredible and I am so glad we could lock her in for our community!

What do you value about being a PSWIB member?

I have enjoyed the opportunity to meet other like-minded individuals and not only contribute to the network, but also benefit from the wisdom of all these amazing women! PSWIB has given me a platform to explore a few passion projects including; ‘Port Stephens Unplugged’ – A movement to spread education on the impacts of technology (screentime, social media, gamified learning tools, smartphones) on child development and safety to promote educated decision-making and mindful choices regarding the use of technology. I am still navigating how to promote our ‘unplugged’ community and would love to hear from you if you have ideas or would like to collaborate!