About Me

I believe in the importance of making changes in life when things feel like they’re not working. Sometimes, these changes are internal, like accepting and embracing parts of myself that I once struggled with and denied, such as my highly sensitive nature, and sometimes they are more practical and concrete. Six years ago, after a decent period of time feeling that city life was draining me more than sustaining me, I decided it was time for a change of context. So, I upped sticks and moved from inner-city Melbourne to Regional Victoria. I am now building this phase of my life in a tiny regional town of less than 150 people. This move has allowed me to explore the therapeutic power of nature and allowed me insight into the joys and challenges of tree-changing.

My pathway to counselling has been a circuitous one. A quiet, artistic, and sensitive child; a keen listener and observer, I grew to become a thoughtful, creative adult who came to understand the power of my high sensitivity thanks to the work of Elaine Aaron. In an outer world that always felt too fast and too loud, I cultivated a rich inner world and wondered about the intimate worlds of others. My professional life has included journeys via design, visual art, teaching, and working as a crisis supporter for Lifeline. I bring learnings from these experiences to my professional role as an accredited counsellor.

I have engaged (and continue to engage) in my own personal counselling because I deeply value the process. I have sat in the other chair, so I have a certain understanding of how things can feel from the other side, whilst appreciating that the experience is also utterly unique for each of us.

I have immense respect for the courage and vulnerability that clients exercise when they choose to come to counselling, and I take my responsibility for creating a gentle, holding space very seriously. I also value the power of humor as an important tool in navigating the tough stuff.

I hope this short text has given you a little insight into the person of the therapist.

Please reach out and make contact if you think we might work well together.

My Approach

The counselling space allows you to be seen as you are. We all wear masks in the world at times, and they serve important functions. It can also be valuable to set them aside to explore more often hidden aspects of ourselves to see what they can teach us.

I provide a warm and confidential environment where you can speak honestly and vulnerably—a place where you are truly heard and met with compassion. Everyone experiences challenges in life, and I feel strongly that it is never useful for suffering to be a comparison game. I firmly believe that all people deserve to be met with empathy and care. Ten people can experience the same event in ten vastly different ways, and there is certainly no ‘right’, ‘best’, or ‘most appropriate’ way to respond. Accepting our own responses as valid and then reflecting on their helpfulness can be a good starting point for self-knowledge and personal growth. Counselling provides a gently structured and confidential space to do this.

I counsel in the person-centred tradition, which means I engage with clients as experts in their own lives. No one can know the unique experience of being you and moving through life as you, more than you. A counsellor can help you broaden your perspectives, become aware of blind spots, notice patterns and themes and provide a safe space to try out new mindsets and approaches to life challenges. Our counselling sessions are a place where you can gain insight into yourself: your thoughts, feelings and behaviours, so you can use these insights to take positive action in your life beyond our sessions.

Under the ‘umbrella’ person-centred approach, I use an integrative counselling model. This means I select complementary counselling approaches that best serve your needs and aims. These may involve exploring your past to understand its effect on your present situation, working with the ‘here and now’ experience and taking a future-focused view of your desired life to move towards it with intention.

I am a member of the Australian Counselling Association.
I am committed to supporting you towards deeper self-knowledge, self-expression and self-acceptance.