• As your Counsellor,  I am committed to providing a safe, caring and professional service and seek to gently:
• offer genuine acceptance without judgement, upholding the inherent worth of each person
• value and understand your emotional struggles by helping you to process your emotions within a respectful , private and confidential space
• help you to identify your strengths and to find new ways of viewing and overcoming areas of your life that are impacting on who you are and where you want to be. 

Areas of Counselling practice I am passionate about:

• relationships
• sole parenting, parenting and step families
• family issues, past and present
• childhood abuse
• maintaining healthy boundaries
• self-esteem, overcoming feelings of shame and guilt
• periods of personal crisis or change
• stress management
• emotional crises, depression, anxiety
• life transitions (children starting or leaving school or home, empty nest, divorce, ill health or disability, ageing, death of loved ones)
• grief, loss, bereavement and trauma
• faith crisis
• school refusal

Professional qualifications

Bachelor of Social Science, UNE

Masters of Counselling , Excelsia College, Sydney. 

Certificate IV in Workplace Training and Assessment

Facilitator for “Circle of Security” a relationship based parenting program. 

Interventions based on 'Theraplay principles' (Level One Theraplay and Marschak Interaction Method)

Experience I bring

Overall I hold 20 years combined experience working in social welfare in addition to working as a school counsellor, holding my own private practice and working with people in the community.

My professional practice and work experience includes extensive case management in working with, children, young people and families in relation to children at risk of harm from domestic violence, mental health, addictions, disability, unstable housing and children who are living in alternative care arrangements.  

My practice in case management has extended to providing advocacy, support and initial counselling to adults who were victims of institutionalised abuse as children and as adults were seeking acknowledgement, counselling support and financial reparation.  

My capabilities have extended to assessing and sensitively recruiting foster carers, many infertile, who sought to achieve their dream of adopting a child.   

I’ve developed training and delivered workshops to new Child Protection Case workers and for non-government colleagues focussing on dignity driven practice and engaging involuntary families.  I co-wrote and delivered Certificate IV in Disability and in Community Services to staff for a non-government organisation.

Therapeutic approaches

I draw on an integrative psychotherapy approach that incorporates:

Person-centred therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Play therapy, Theraplay Principles, Solution focussed and Strengths based approaches, Mindfulness, Attachment and trauma informed theories and practice approaches.

I am committed to professional training and am supported by supervision on a regular basis to maintain my ethical and professional standards.