Prof. Dylan Flaws

Dr Flaws is both the founder of The Grass Tree Group and our head psychiatrist. His passion for providing a holistic approach to mental health treatments, guides how we treat our patients every day.

Dr Flaws comes from a strong research background, and considers continued learning to be one of the pillars of a strong psychiatry practice. He completed an MSc in Psychology during medical school, exploring how clinicians measure and communicate risk. He also completed a PhD with a thesis focused on exploring the clinical problem of chest pain presentations to emergency departments. The EDACS score, a notable result of his PhD work, has revolutionised how chest pain is assessed in emergency departments across New Zealand and has attracted international accolades.

Dr Flaws has focused his post-doctoral research on the physical, cognitive and psychological recovery journey of patients that survive severe illness or journey. And it’s this research that has informed the current focus of our practice.

Dr Flaws also acts as an adjunct professor of psychology at Queensland University of Technology.

Dr Rashmi Gururajan

This team member’s bio is currently being updated.

Dr Palingu Dhanapala

Dr. Dhanapala is the dedicated Practice Manager at The Grass Tree Group, bringing over 8 years of experience in practice management and operations.

Dr. Dhanapala’s academic journey commenced with a Bachelor of Technology degree with honours in BioMedical Sciences from the University of Auckland. This laid the groundwork for her PhD in Anatomy, where she delved into the intricacies of neurogenesis and stem cells in both the animal model and the post-mortem human brain affected by Parkinson’s disease. Notably, Dr. Dhanapala earned a coveted spot on the Dean’s List for her exceptional work during her PhD studies.

Continuing her research, Dr. Dhanapala served as a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Pharmacology & Clinical Pharmacology at the School of Medicine, University of Auckland. There, she significantly contributed to advancing our understanding of neural progenitor cells in Huntington’s disease. Following this, Dr. Dhanapala seamlessly transitioned from scientific research into a pivotal role in medical administration.

Dr. Dhanapala’s journey from academia to practice management showcases not just her stellar work ethic but also her remarkable ability to swiftly acquire and apply essential skills. She stands as an invaluable asset to our team.

Mrs Melissa Haffenden

This team member’s bio is currently being updated.

Dr Faith Ng

Dr Ng is a highly skilled and experienced psychiatrist committed to providing  quality care for her patients. She is committed to ongoing professional development to ensure that she stays up to date with the latest advancements in psychiatric research and treatment modalities.  She has been an associate lecturer for the School of Medicine in University of Queensland, is dual certified in child and adolescent psychiatry as well as consultation liaison psychiatry, has developed a home visiting psychiatry service, published on doctor’s health, severe post traumatic stress disorder, neuropsychiatry, eating disorder, and eating disorders. She has received nomination of awards for focus on provision of holistic care in the community, acknowledged for delivery of quality medical education from the UQ School of Medicine, and received research scholarships. Her caring and compassionate approach, combined with her strong clinical skills, enables her to effectively assess, diagnose, and treat a range of mental health conditions with a combination of talk therapy and medication.