COUNSELLING SERVICES
I work with people who are experiencing all kinds of issues in life, including relationship difficulties, feeling lost or uninspired, stress, work/life balance, depression, anxiety, grief & loss and trauma. I believe (and research shows) it's important to feel comfortable with whoever you see for counselling, so would encourage you to make a call, see how a few counsellors sound and choose the one that you feel is best suited to your needs and personality.
LGBTIQ+:
I support and promote freedom of sexuality and gender identity.
This practice is part of the safe place NSW initiative.
My counselling practices reflect my support for diversity.
SPECIALISING IN:
Working with men:
Everyone's different, so my suggestion that I specialise in men's counselling isn't a statement that I think all men are the same. It perhaps better reflects the majority of my counselling clients and a familiarity with some of the common issues men are challenged by. Men often have different ways of communicating and making sense of relationships due to the way they have been taught to "do relationship". I've spent a long time studying and working with men to understand the various influences that might significantly impact on men's experience.
Relationship issues/counselling:
Often people attend counselling to discuss relationship issues, whether they be from the past, present or hopes for the future. I work a lot with people on their relationships, often focussing on what they can do to enhance their way of engaging in relationship.
Teenage males:
I've spent almost 2 decades working with teenage males who may be struggling with anger related issues, violence, a decline in school grades, withdrawing from family and friends, depression, sleeping problems, self-harming behaviour etc.
Often young men are faced with various challenges that can be difficult to understand and navigate, particularly when attempting to do so within a society where "being a man" rarely involves showing vulnerability, fear and/or hurt. A lot of my work involves providing a safe space for males to explore these emotions and develop strategies to express them so they don't lead to anger and abuse.
Anger & violence:
Violence is often associated with anger and anger with violence. However, the two are very different. A person can be angry without expressing it in violent ways. Similarly violent, controlling or abusive behaviour is not necessarily always motivated or caused by anger. I am interested in working with people to discover alternative ways of expressing anger, without feeling as thought the only option is using violence. I do this from a belief that most people want loving and respectful relationships in their lives, and that it's their choice of behaviour/action that gets in the way of achieving this.
Anxiety & Depression:
Anxiety and depression are the most common mental illnesses that people experience today. I have various strategies and techniques drawn from a variety of counselling frameworks that may assist in your management of these conditions. Click here to go to the "Helpful links" page of this site.
Parenting:
The majority of my experience in this sector has involved working with families, whether it be with the children or the parents, individually, as family units or running group programs. My philosophy on parenting is one where control and discipline take a back seat to listening, respectful communication and the value of parents spending time truly engaging with children and the positive implications this can have on behaviour.