Individual Counselling
Individual Counselling is tailored to meet the unique needs of each client. I specialise in working with adults experiencing a range of difficulties, including:
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Self-Esteem issues
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Relational Trauma
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Relationship/Attachment challenges
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Self-discovery and Development
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Improving self-compassion, acceptance and independence
I draw from a range of evidence-based therapies, tailoring my approach to each individual's unique needs and goals. These include:
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A non-pathologising approach: My approach to mental health is non-pathologising, meaning I understand distress as a response to life circumstances. While I respect and welcome clients who prefer working with a diagnosis, my focus is on your individual strengths, resilience, and the context of your experiences. I believe in collaboration and empowerment, working with you to find solutions that fit your unique needs and support your growth. This approach aims to reduce stigma and foster self-compassion.
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Trauma-Informed Practice: I provide a safe and supportive space for you to process and heal from past trauma, recognise its impact on your present well-being, and provide tools and techniques to support your healing journey. Fostering safety (physical and emotional), transparency, choice, and collaboration are central to this approach.
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Strengths-Based Approach: We'll work together to identify and build upon your existing strengths to navigate challenges and create positive change. For example, we might explore your past successes and identify the skills you utilized to overcome those challenges.
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Attachment Theory: Understanding how early relationships have shaped your current relationship patterns can provide valuable insights and support healing. This can be particularly helpful in understanding relationship dynamics and patterns.
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Internal Family Systems (IFS): This approach helps you understand and work with the different parts within yourself, fostering self-leadership and cultivating qualities such as calmness, curiosity, compassion, and confidence.
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): ACT empowers you to live a rich and meaningful life by focusing on accepting difficult emotions and committing to values-based actions. ACT can help you clarify your values and take steps towards living a life that is meaningful to you, even in the presence of difficult emotions.
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Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT): As a trained couples therapist, I offer specialised support for relationship challenges. While my primary focus remains on you as an individual, I can offer a deeper understanding of how relationship patterns and dynamics may be impacting your well-being. This perspective can be particularly helpful in exploring challenges related to connection, communication, and intimacy.
In addition, I offer a practical approach to therapy, where I can provide exercises that focus on emotional regulation, grounding, self-soothing, mindfulness and other skills and strategies that you may want to learn or develop.
Common barriers to seeking support
Reaching out for help can be challenging, and many factors can prevent someone from starting therapy. Common barriers include practical concerns like cost, time constraints, and difficulty finding a therapist or accessing services. Stigma and shame surrounding mental health can also play a significant role, with individuals worrying about judgment or feeling they should handle things alone. Emotional barriers, such as fear of vulnerability, discomfort with difficult emotions, or skepticism about therapy's effectiveness, can also hold people back.
Understanding these common barriers is the first step towards breaking them down and making support more accessible.
Sometimes, people minimise their struggles, believing they aren't "serious enough" for therapy or they may simply be unaware of available resources. However, there's no minimum level of "seriousness" required. People seek counselling for a wide range of reasons. This might include navigating significant life changes like becoming a parent, coping with illness, grieving a loss, or going through a divorce. Others find support in managing mental health challenges like anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, burnout, or low self-esteem.
Ultimately, if your difficulties are causing you distress and impacting your daily life, that's reason enough to seek support. Your mental and emotional well-being is important. You don't have to wait until things become overwhelming to reach out. Counselling is a proactive way to care for yourself and improve your overall quality of life.
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Preparing for Counselling
To help us make the most of our first session, you'll receive a brief questionnaire to complete beforehand. This will give me some initial insights into your concerns, what you hope to achieve through counselling and any relevant background information.
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Your First Session
Our first session together is an important step in building a strong therapeutic relationship. We'll start by discussing the practical aspects of counselling, including confidentiality (and its limits), cancellation policies, and how sessions typically run. This ensures we're both on the same page and you feel comfortable moving forward.
Then, we'll begin exploring what brings you to counselling. I'll ask questions like:
* What are some of the challenges you've been facing?
* How long have these difficulties been present?
* What steps have you already taken to address these issues?
* What would your ideal outcome be if these challenges were resolved?
The goal of this first session is for me to understand you and your situation better, while also creating a safe and comfortable space for you to share your experiences openly.
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Ongoing Sessions
From our initial meeting, we'll work together to develop a plan that meets your specific needs. Everyone's therapeutic journey is unique, and the number of sessions will vary depending on your individual goals and the nature of your concerns.
While some find that a few sessions are sufficient, others benefit from longer-term support. We can discuss a suggested number of sessions during our first meeting, and we'll regularly check in on your progress and adjust our plan as needed. I generally offer short-to-mid-term support, which typically ranges from 8 to 24 sessions or more. We can discuss what might be most appropriate for you.
Frequency of Sessions
The frequency of your counselling sessions will depend on your unique needs and goals. While weekly or fortnightly sessions are often beneficial in the beginning, we can discuss what works best for you. As you progress and feel more confident, we can explore adjusting the frequency to monthly or as needed. My priority is to find a rhythm that supports your well-being and progress.
Fees, Medicare and Private Health Insurance
I understand that accessing affordable counselling is important. While I'm not currently able to offer counselling under the Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) my counselling services do require a full fee payment. I understand that cost can be a factor and I'm committed to helping you find the support you need. Please don't hesitate to reach out, and I'll be happy to discuss alternative options and provide referrals to other services that may be more financially accessible.
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How do I get started?
I understand that starting therapy can feel like a big decision. I offer a free initial consultation where we can discuss your concerns, answer any questions you may have, and determine if we're a good fit.
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Session Details
Time: 50 minutes
Cost: $140
Offered: In-person, telehealth or telephone
