Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.
– Brené Brown
What it is, what it looks like
Individual counselling is a safe place for you to sort through your thoughts, work through your challenges, and set your direction for the future. My counselling style is client-centred, curious, collaborative, and optimistic about the future. In sessions, we will work together to clarify your goals for counselling, and to understand how things are working in your life at the moment. We’ll typically discuss the challenges you’re facing and the places you’re getting stuck, and then I can provide support to help you work out where you want to go in the future, and what changes you can make to help you have the kind of life you want.
What type of therapy do I use?
With individual counselling, I primarily use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which is an evidence-based therapy proven to make a positive difference in many people’s lives, in many different situations. ACT is my preferred framework because it’s realistic and forward-focussed, practical and empowering. It helps people with three fundamental tasks: be present, open up, and do what matters. ACT includes practical strategies for helping you to be more connected to the present (instead of getting pulled into the past or future), strategies to help you cope with difficult thoughts and feelings, and activities to help you clarify your values, figure out where you want to be and help you to do what you need to do.
How individual counselling can help
Individual counselling can provide life-changing support for many different situations and challenges:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Addictions
- Anger management
- Grief and loss
- Work challenges and burnout
- Relationships
- Helping loved ones with any of these challenges
- Gender identity and diversity
- Self esteem and confidence
- Adjusting to major life changes, transitions
- Spirituality and worldview, such as deconstruction and reconstruction, or managing different perspectives in a family
- Parenting challenges, such as the unique period that is the adolescence
If you broke your arm you’d get that sorted. But sometimes we neglect the more ‘invisible’ challenges we’re having, when they can often have an even more powerful, longer-lasting effect on us. You don’t have to do it alone, and you don’t have to just wait and hope it gets better.
Individual counselling FAQs
Are my sessions confidential?
Yes! Counsellors, like other health professionals, are bound by strict codes of ethics and guidelines around privacy and confidentiality. Everything I do in my practice is in line with the Australian Government’s Privacy Act, the Australian Counselling Association’s Code of Ethics, and my own personal values of integrity and caring well for my clients. Everything we talk about in sessions is just between you and me. The only exceptions are in the case of a subpoena from court, or mandatory reporting if I believe that someone could be in danger of harm.
How many sessions does counselling usually take?
It depends on your goals. Many counselling approaches recommend at least six sessions over time to see growth, especially if the challenges you’re dealing with are significant. However, some people find even just one or two sessions is helpful. Just keep in mind that your first session usually is mostly about getting to know you and your situation. We can discuss this during your sessions, and you are of course able to discontinue sessions whenever you like.
How often are sessions?
Again, it depends. If we are working through a difficult issue together (e.g. high anxiety, severe depression, relationship breakdown) or if you have just experienced a significant crisis (such as losing a loved one), then it may be valuable to meet once a week. Once the crisis becomes less overwhelming, you may like to move your sessions to once a fortnight or once a month, until you are ready to move forward on your own again.
Can I come to counselling even if my partner is not interested?
Yes, it can still be very beneficial to engage in individual counselling even if the big problems relate to your relationship. There are changes you can make alone that can make a difference. While we can’t change our partner, we can work to be the person we want to be in the relationship, and often when we become healthier ourselves it creates a positive effect on the people around us.
Do you provide counselling to children?
At this point I provide counselling only to adolescents and adults, age 12 and up. I do work with parents of children however, and this can make a difference in some situations. Otherwise, I can recommend some wonderful therapists who work with children.
Have more questions? Check the main FAQs page, or connect with me using the contact form.
