Counselling
Talking itthrough.
What this is
Counselling is the talking-things-through work — but it’s not just listening. I hold space, certainly. I also offer framing, careful reflection, gentle challenge, and the occasional honest opinion when one would help.
The tradition I work in is strategic and practical. We’re not aiming at insight for its own sake; we’re aiming at the kind of insight that changes how the next week feels. Sometimes that’s a single session of clarity. Sometimes it’s a longer arc of unpacking.
You set the pace and the topic. I bring structure where structure helps and stay out of the way where it doesn’t.
Who this is for
- Life transitions — career, relationship, identity, parenting shifts
- Grief and loss
- Anxiety and overwhelm
- Relationship work — partners, family, friendships
- Working through a specific decision or situation
- Wanting to understand yourself better
What a session looks like
Sessions are sixty minutes, conversational but not unstructured. We start with where you are, often more checked-in than you’d expect — a quiet five minutes of arriving. Then we work, with the conversation following the thread that has the most life in it.
Toward the close I’ll usually mark what feels worth noticing between now and next time. The work continues between sessions; my job is to make that easier rather than denser.
The details
Common questions
Counselling and psychotherapy overlap heavily, and the line between them is more about tradition than substance. I work in the practical-strategic tradition rather than long-form psychoanalysis — we keep an eye on what would actually be different in your life if the work succeeded.
A friend is invested in the relationship. A counsellor is invested in your growth — even when growth requires noticing things a friend would (kindly) move past. Different jobs, both important.
Yes, often the most effective approach. I'll help you decide what to use when. Sometimes a single hypnotherapy session unlocks several months of counselling work; sometimes the talking has to come first so we know what we're working on.
Counselling under this practice isn't Medicare-rebatable — that requires a Mental Health Care Plan and a registered psychologist or accredited social worker. If that matters to you, I can refer you to a colleague who is. Some private health funds cover counselling under their extras; check with your fund.
Booka session.
A first conversation is fifteen minutes, no charge. We work out whether what I do is what you need.