How I work
What ‘type’ of counsellor I am
The most important thing to know about how I work is that I respond to each of my clients as individual human beings with a unique set of needs, perspectives and experiences.
In psychotherapy lingo, I’m a ‘person-centred therapist’. If you’re interested, you can read more about the person-centred approach here.
What this means on a practical level is that you might find it frustrating to work with me if you are looking for a diagnosis, looking to be ‘cured’ or ‘fixed’ quickly, or looking to be told what to do.
What we’ll do instead is bring out the resources that are already within you. We’ll find a path to things that already exist, rather than destroying the old to build the new.
Who I work with
I enjoy working with individuals with any gender identity, sexual orientation, cultural background and religion.
While the ‘type’ of client I work with remains very broad, there are certain issues that my clients are typically dealing with. The main issue my clients present with is low self-worth. This shows up in varied ways—depression, anxiety, relationship troubles and so on—but it often becomes clear that these symptoms arise from negative beliefs about the self.
Online, I’m open to working with people anywhere in Australia. Regardless of your location, we’ll need to ensure at the outset that online work is appropriate for you.
Who I don’t work with
Some people have issues that require more specialised assistance than I am able to offer. These include:
Children under the age of 12
People with schizophrenia spectrum disorders or dissociative disorders
People requiring rehabilitation from alcohol and other drug use disorders
People with feeding, eating or elimination disorders
The people I work with are often struggling with:
feelings of low self-worth, self-loathing or toxic shame,
perfectionism or fear of failure,
feeling low, flat or numb most of the time,
feeling anxious, stressed or angry most of the time,
‘stuck’ emotions,
feeling disconnected or isolated,
shame around sexuality,
unrealistic expectations of self or others, and
relationship breakdown.
What to expect
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From your first session
It’s normal to feel some uncertainty about your first session. You might worry that you’re going to be judged, that you won’t get along with me, or simply that it’ll be a waste of time.
What I would say is: simplify your expectations.
You will probably know pretty quickly if the ‘vibe’ is right. The first session is an opportunity to tune into this and make sure you feel comfortable.
You might be able to tell some of your story and start exploring what has brought you to counselling. Or you might not. You might unleash a flood of tears, or you might feel nothing at all.
The most important thing to come away with is a sense that I’m someone you feel comfortable working with, and some hope that things can feel different.
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From subsequent sessions
Expect to attend on a consistent, weekly basis, at least in the short-term. Anything less than weekly slows down the process exponentially.
It gives you enough time to reflect on the session and think about the significance of what happened. But it isn’t so long that you forget what was said or how it felt. New thoughts and ideas will occur to you during the week without even having to work at it.
If attending weekly is going to be too expensive, it’s really important to let me know as soon as you can, and we can figure out a rate that will be sustainable.
I’ll check in fairly regularly with you about how you’re feeling about progress and that you’re comfortable with continuing.
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From your final session
It’s really beneficial if we can have a session to properly wrap things up. If the idea of ending doesn’t come up naturally in the conversation, flag it with me at least a week before you want to finish, so we can prepare for it together.
A final session of counselling can be an opportunity for a new kind of ending: one that is satisfying and therapeutic in itself.