You are here because you have experienced something traumatic, or maybe you are grieving for the loss of a loved one and the life you thought you were going to have. Your experience might have made you feel like the world is an unsafe place. I want to say that there is hope and there is a whole life waiting for you to be lived. And I hope I can help you find a way to feel alive again. To feel joy and to laugh again.
Counselling for grief and loss
Grief can be overwhelming and can affect your emotional, mental as well as physical well-being. The effects of grief, especially on the body, can be frightening. During the grieving process, you may experience sadness, anger, confusion, or even relief. It’s also common to feel regret, guilt, and show signs of depression.
Counselling can help you process and cope with your loss, whether you are grieving for a friend, family member, pet, or other life circumstances such as when leaving an abusive relationship. Or your grief may be complicated by trauma or by the stigma attached to that death, such as grieving for people who died as a result of suicide or overdose. Or you might not be showing any signs of grief.
Grief affects everyone differently and it also affects people at different times.
Having a space in which you can process your grief is invaluable. There is no right or wrong way to grieve.
Post-Separation Counselling
I provide counselling for people who have separated or are in the process of separating.
I provide a safe space for individuals to express their thoughts and feelings about their separation and put skills and strategies in place to manage during and after the separation.
Support for clients to cope with challenges and adjustments after separation includes:
managing the relationship with your ex-partner
supporting children during and after separation
coping with feelings of loss and loneliness
Counselling following sexual violence
I can provide you with a safe, confidential space to talk about your feelings and concerns and help you explore how you might have been affected by your experiences. This can help you understand and deal with upsetting feelings, issues and problems.
I provide trauma-informed counselling. This means I am trained in sexual violence and the impact of trauma. Trauma-informed counselling aims to help you feel better and more in control and to heal from trauma.
I will work with you to understand what you want to get out of counselling. this could include understanding your feelings, coping with strong or upsetting feelings, dealing with or reducing the number of flashbacks, nightmares or intrusive thoughts, reducing shame and self-blame, and improving your self-esteem.
I will always be guided by you and you can take it at your pace.
You can’t change what happened but you have a great deal of control over what happens next.
Counselling for relationship difficulties
I work with women have have experienced, or are experiencing, relationship difficulties, domestic and family abuse. A place to be heard and a place to be believed.
I won’t tell you what to do, advise you to leave. That’s not my role. Instead, I offer you a space for you to work out what is going on for you. Together, we can explore the problems you bring, the issues and experiences that are important to you and look at the changes you would like to make.
In our sessions together, we can look at all the conflicting feelings you might have about your relationship and anything else that feels relevant.
Just being able to talk to a counsellor about the situation and what is happening and being heard and believed can be an enormous relief.
Counselling for stress, depression and anxiety
Living in a harmful environment can result in chronic stress, which can contribute to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and other mental health issues. I offer you a safe, non-judgmental space where you can express your emotions, share your experiences, and receive support.
I can help you learn coping skills and strategies to manage stress, anxiety, and depression caused by your situation.
You will develop a more positive self-image, increase your self-compassion, and improve your self-esteem.
Trauma informed counselling
I provide confidential one-to-one trauma informed counselling for women age 18 years and over who have experienced and or witnessed abuse of any kind, either historical or on-going.
Trauma informed means is that I am trained and understand the impacts of interpersonal trauma. I understand how this can impact and affect you as an individual and most importantly I am able to help you understand what is happening and help reduce some of the symptoms of trauma that you may be experiencing.
Abuse can include physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, financial, coercive control, harassment, stalking, on-line or digital, forced marriage, honour based violence and female genital mutilation (FGM). These experiences of abuse may have been with intimate partner, parents, siblings, wider family members, someone to your family, a carer, someone you have just met.
Experiencing abuse of any kind can leave you with a whole range of difficult and challenging emotions and reactions, and you can feel confused, scared and unsure of what is happening to you.
I offer you an accepting and non-judgemental space to discuss and explore the range of complicated thoughts feelings and emotions you are experiencing at whatever stage you are at in your journey.
My approach and style
My approach is humanistic where the client is at the centre of everything we do. I believe that everyone has the capacity to heal given the right conditions. I aim to provide you with a safe space in which to process your experience and where you can work at your own pace, whilst using trauma informed care principles to help you manage the impact the trauma had on your emotions, behaviours and reactions.
During the initial session, I will explain how I work in greater detail and give you the opportunity to ask any questions you may have. We will talk about what brings you to therapy and discuss what you would like to achieve. At the end of the session, we will make a decision regarding whether we are the right fit for each other. You are welcome to have some time to make a decision on whether you are ready to begin therapy.
In my work I use a blend of approaches to create a unique, collaborative therapy which is suited to the individual. The modalities I utilise include Three Phased Approach to Trauma Recovery, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Emotion Focused Individual Therapy. I also include some Art Therapy techniques where I think they may be of benefit. Where this is the case, I will usually discuss this with you first so that you can understand the purpose of what we are doing and the hopeful benefit to you.
Who I work with
I work with women age 18 and above who experienced grief and loss, trauma, domestic and sexual violence.
I also work with women who have experienced abuse as children including family and domestic violence, emotional abuse, narcissistic abuse or neglect resulting in low self-worth, anxiety and depression.
Counselling can help you process your trauma, reduce self-destructive behaviours, strengthen your relationships and improve emotional self-regulation. Healing from your past can help you build a better future.
I want you to remember that you are not your trauma, but untreated trauma can cause complications later in life if left untreated. In our work together I can help you work through your experience, allowing you to process it in a safe way and getting you to live the life you deserve.
Expertise
Grief & Loss
Post-Separation Counselling
Recovery from domestic and family violence
Narcissistic abuse
Toxic relationship
Childhood Trauma
Recovery from sexual assaults
Emotional distress
Trauma
Depression
Anxiety
FAQ
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It takes a lot of strength to make that first therapy appointment. Scheduling your first therapy session requires resolve — to admit you may need some help or that you have a condition, symptoms, or challenges to work through — and self-awareness to recognise you need a little help.
Your first session will probably involve asking you a lot of questions about you, how you cope, and your symptoms. You may also chat about goals for therapy, expectations, and more.
Your first therapy session can be emotionally draining, even if you don’t initially expect it to be.
Therapy can involve unearthing many things your brain has worked hard to bury — the painful memories and feelings you may not have been up to exploring on your own. And as you sit down for first-time therapy, you may find the floodgates opening… whether you mean them to or not.
Don’t let it scare you. Being open and candid with your therapist is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
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I adhere to protecting and maintaining the confidentiality of all my client’s personal information. The information shared with me is protected under the National Privacy Principles Act outlined in the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988.
Confidentiality allows you as a client to feel safe in a therapeutic space and ensure their privacy is maintained.
However, there are some limitations to the confidentiality, this includes harm to yourself or others or when subpoenaed by courts.
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Building a strong and trusting relationship with your therapist will involve discussing your deeply personal matters. It is vital that we are a good fit for each other and that you feel easy at sessions.
To determine if we are a good match, I suggest beginning with an initial one-hour session.
This way, you can assess whether working with me is the best choice for you.
Sometimes you may not "click" with your therapist. A good therapist understands there are many factors at play in the client/therapist relationship, and won’t be defensive or offended if you decide to opt out. In fact, you may find them unexpectedly supportive. It is quite acceptable to keep looking until you find a therapist to accompany you on your journey - someone with whom you feel a reasonable amount of confidence.
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Those who require online counselling or therapy will have to make an appointment directly with me or via our online booking form or on the phone. I do not accept bookings on behalf of an individual or couple from a third party unless as part of an insurance plan, support scheme or similar arrangement.
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We recommend setting up for your online therapy session 5-10 minutes before it commences. Make sure your computer or phone microphone and video is working, and that you are comfortable and ready to sit through your session uninterrupted.
There is no pressure to prepare anything for your first session but if you find it helpful, you can jot down some points about specific things you’d like to work on or discuss with me.
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