As a counselor of many years, and previously an energetic healer, I have been impressed by the courage it takes to attend the first appointment of therapy, and believe it is an important acknowledgement to be made on the outset. Within my own journey of healing from past traumas and life’s challenges, I can attest to the effort it takes to ask for help, especially after trying to resolve problems alone. I believe the first place in all therapy is Kindness: kindness to the person, kindness to the emotional pain and if possible, kindness to past events that may of caused such pain. I offer such a space to You.

Due to my background in Energy Healing before completing my studies, I hold a very broad view of what can be explored, for all parts of one’s life experience is important. I have combined my Traditional Counseling skills with my Energy Healing skills, using the Bio/Psycho/Social/Spiritual model of Counseling.

Biology is included in my work, to first acknowledge that stress and difficult feelings will have an impact on the human body, be it sleep disturbance, anxious thinking, digestion upsets, chronic inflammation, or information processing in the brain. Thus, Somatic Regulation skills will be offered if required, so a Client will have self-soothing tools to manage difficult times outside of appointments. Please know I am Mental Health trained and not medical. If any physical health issues that are linked to stress and trauma are identified, I encourage the Client to include their GP in our therapy journey. This will aid support in a much more holistic fashion.

For the Psychological side of therapy, I offer an open space of care and kindness for the Client to explore all areas of their issues. Listening with heart and compassion is fundamental to my work, coupled with a deep sense of patience, for all things have a natural timing. Trust in therapy is also fundamental to aid the client to discuss deep seated challenges that are often “underneath’ the initial reason for therapy. Therefore, a sense of safety is something I will ensure for Talk-Therapy to be effective. To assist in understanding topics of concern I will often use Narrative Therapy, Dialectic Behavioral Therapy and an Internal Family Systems style of inquiry to help the client explore their inner world, and to understand the construction of problems. These therapies can often lead to different ways of approaching life’s challenges, seeing them in a broader perspective with skills to cope with the issues. I am keenly aware that the past can have an impact on the person’s present issues, thus my trauma-informed background will be engaged here. It is most important with a difficult history to rebuild a sense of safety to the self, by developing trust in one’s self again. This I focus on, helping the Client reconnect to their sense of truth, instincts and their unique needs, creating changes in their life.

The Social side of my model of Counselling is to recognize the importance of relationships in the Client’s life, both present and past. There is a need for healthy boundaries with one’s external relationships, as well as any internal unhelpful beliefs which were formed in past relationships, such as with parents or ex-partners. These relationships can be a cause for one to not reach for their goals. Often during the psychological development of a child, each of us will have some social beliefs and roles that were helpful in the past but now, when one is creating a life in the present, are hindering our authentic expressions and limiting our needs being met. Understanding this, and identifying our beliefs and how they’re are operating in our daily relationships, can very much assist a person to find different, helpful beliefs and ways of interacting to create a more self-honoring life. This will help one to gain more healthy boundaries with others.

Lastly, the Spiritual (or Transpersonal) side of my Counselling addresses the deeper meaning that some clients hold quietly within themselves, yet rarely speak of. This part of ones’ life is very important. It is often connected to a much greater sense of self, maybe through a religious structure or purely with a higher consciousness, that guides one’s life. Even though I am not a religious practitioner, I do honor all forms of religious and spiritual meaning in a client’s life. Due to my experiences in Energy Healing I can offer an open and welcoming space to explore this side of one’s self, to aid in a more integrated style of therapy.

For more information on my work history please see my Introduction Blog post.

Choosing a Counsellor is a very personal choice, and thus I will always honor the Client’s direction and needs in each session.

In my private life, I am an Author and Publisher of poems, short stories (see my blog here), and have a self-help book under my pseudonym Grace Collina, “Self Compassion and Radical Acceptance: Become your own best friend” . In my spare time, I am a Mother and Grandmother, I love to bake cakes, read books and feel incredibly lucky to enjoy walking and swimming in this beautiful place, Albany, Western Australia.