When your usual ways of coping stop working, it helps to have somewhere to take it. My counselling is trauma-informed, solution-focused, and centred on what is actually within your control to change.
I support you to move through your immediate needs and your longer-term hopes, and to map out practical strategies that decrease stress and build resilience.
What people come to me with
You do not need a diagnosis, a referral or the right words to start. People come to counselling with:
- Low mood, depression, stress, anxiety or panic attacks
- A relationship breakdown, or conflict and distress in a relationship
- Family issues, or conflict with friends or within community groups
- Workplace conflict, bullying or transition
- Difficulty re-engaging with life after a significant accident or illness
- Social isolation
- A desire to explore issues relating to gender, sexuality and identity
- A mental health diagnosis, or the suspicion that you have one
If the severity and duration of stress symptoms are starting to affect your day-to-day life and your relationships, that is usually the point at which counselling helps.
How I work
I draw on four evidence-based approaches, and which ones we use depends entirely on you.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – building the willingness to sit with difficult feelings while still moving toward what matters to you.
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) – practical skills for managing intense emotions, distress and relationships.
- Interpersonal Skills Training – working on how you communicate, set boundaries and handle conflict.
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) – noticing thought patterns early, so they have less pull.
Underneath all of it, what matters most is that we have a workable connection. If I am not the right fit for you, I would rather we found that out in a free 20-minute call than three sessions in.
What happens when you get in touch
- A free 20-minute call. Confidential, no obligation. You tell me what is going on, I tell you how I work, and we both decide whether to go ahead.
- An initial session, 1.5 hours. Longer than the sessions that follow, so there is time to understand what has brought you here and what you want to be different.
- Ongoing sessions, 1 hour. In person or on Zoom, at a rhythm that suits you.
Sessions and availability
Counselling sessions run Thursday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm, in person or by Zoom. Enquiries are answered Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
I see clients in person around Bellingen, Coffs Harbour and Nambucca on the Mid North Coast, and online right across Australia.
Common questions
Do you offer Medicare rebates?
No. I do not offer Medicare rebates, so sessions are not claimable through a mental health care plan.
How long is a session?
The initial session is 1.5 hours. Sessions after that are 1 hour.
Can I have sessions online?
Yes. Every session is available in person or as a Zoom session, and you can mix the two.
What are your qualifications?
I am a qualified Social Worker and an accredited member of the Australian Association of Social Workers, with over ten years of experience in mental health, welfare coaching, program design and interventions.
What if I need to cancel?
I ask for 24 hours notice to reschedule or cancel without a fee. When you book, I reserve the full hour for you, so the full fee applies to non-attendance or to cancellations inside 24 hours. It also lets me offer the time to someone on the waiting list.
How do I start?
Book a free 20-minute confidential call. Email [email protected] or call 0403 722 587.
Book a free 20-minute call
If it feels like time to reach out, start with a conversation that costs nothing and commits you to nothing. Get in touch with Alex and we will find a time.