Counselling

Counselling is a process of a trained counsellor working with one or more clients, to help address concerns and support growth. It provides a non-judgemental and confidential relationship whereby you can focus on what is important to clients.  While counsellors are aware of mental health conditions, we work first and foremost with what is important to the client. We do not go out of our way to search for pathology. We often pay special attention to client strengths, knowledge and resources, with an aim to empower.

Counselling can help provide a supportive space to voice your concerns, to gain increased understanding, and clarify ways forward. It can assist with stress management, improving relationships, building confidence, and making decisions. Counselling can assist with issues such as trauma, depression, anxiety, addictions, grief, separation, and anger.

Counsellors will typically ask for information about yourself, provide space for you to speak about what you want to talk about, and ask you questions. The counsellor's aim is to clarify your hopes for counselling, support your coping, and help you identify solutions. Counselling can also provide space to do more healing type work, such as helping you to work through pain that is unresolved. As a client, your preferences in what we do in therapy are important. Some clients want to explore emotions. Others prefer to focus on what they are doing well. My role is to support your process and hopes for therapy.

In my view, I believe that clients should decide how often and for how long they want to see a therapist. Clients who have a relatively simple issue may find one session is sufficient. Clients with trauma or long-standing issue may want to see a counsellor for several years. Most people find between three and six sessions gives a short-term recovery, while for a long-term recovery, research suggests the average number of sessions is 18. My own approach is that clients can see me as long as they find it is helping.

Generally, most people start by having weekly sessions, and when they stabilise, we may space the sessions to fortnightly, and then monthly. After this, clients can sometimes have a check-in session every six or twelve months. However, in my view, the best measure is whether the frequency chosen frequency feels right for the client.

Counselling is confidential. Confidentiality is the bedrock of trust, and trust is key to building a strong therapeutic relationship, which is a predictor of treatment success.

There are, however, some limitations to confidentiality. The first is that if I believe you may attempt suicide or may be a risk of harm to others, or that you have committed a serious crime (such as child abuse), then I am ethically required to report to an appropriate person. This is relatively rare and in most cases, I would discuss with my client prior. These exceptions are standard across counsellors.

I was initially trained in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Person Centred Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy. Over time, I have transitioned to using an integrated approach informed by a wide range of therapies. I have also become more attuned to the client theory of change, fitting my therapy to the client's own ideas of what will be helpful. I believe this approach is more respectful of client's own competencies, while also enabling me to supplement with other ideas that I might have.

I have not registered with any private health insurers, however I am a clinical member of PACFA. If you have private health insurance, you might consult with them to see if they would accept my services under your policy.

I am not a registered Medicare Provider.

My fees from May 2023, are $150 per 50 minute session for individuals, and $200 for 1.5 hrs for couples.

Carepatron is practice management portal used by health professionals to schedule appointments, store encrypted client records, collects payments, and it also has a video conference feature (like Zoom) for telehealth appointments.  It is safe to use.