YOU'RE REACHING OUT BECAUSE...

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• Cope with stress or anxiety

• Adjust to big life changes

• Make sense of emotional isolation

• Deal with grief or sadness

• Understand anger or other emotions

• Make one of those huge life decisions

• Recover from trauma or loss

• Manage an addiction

• Build your self-esteem

• Embrace your uniqueness

• Create meaningful relationships

• Understand & stop behaviours that hurt  you or your partner

• Improve your quality of life 

... and help you to address many other concerns

In our lifetime, we meet many kinds of people from all walks of life - rich or poor,  gay or straight, cisgender or transgender,  healthy or unwell, from different cultures and places - people on top of the world and people down on their luck, all with different strengths, loves, interests, and struggles.  And literally anyone can benefit from the supportive embrace of a therapeutic relationship.    

There are many things that make you You.... but unfortunately, other people will not always accept every part who you are.  But guess what - at the centre of your life's journey is You - wonderful You! 

Even in the face of racism, homophobia, ablism, transphobia, classism, sexism, and so many other forms of oppression, counselling can support you to move towards self-acceptance and increased self-esteem.  

If you've received important news, lost a person who mattered to you, or are going through a big change - you might be feeling like you're up to your neck in uncharted waters. You're wondering how on earth you will be able to weather the storms that are surely coming your way? 

Whether you need to process feelings of grief, develop new coping skills, make a big decision or just find your way again, a counselling conversation is a good place to find your bearings in times of change.

Humans are, for the most part, social creatures. Our bodies and psyches are wired for connection - but in the modern society, sometimes those connections seems difficult, or overwhelming or just out of reach. Shame or anxiety or any number of difficult feelings and situations might be preventing you from forming nourishing relationships - or you might notice that there seems to be no real desire to connect to other people. Counselling can help you to identify a way through the loneliness, build confidence and  redefine the inner-circle and communities that will support you to live a full and happy life.

Sometimes we can't quite identify what keeps us stuck in a pattern of self-limiting or self-destructive behaviours. Counselling can provide the confrontation and challenge - along with the support and skill-building - that is necessary to replace old habits with new ones (that will probably be better for you).

I often work with people who have used or are using abusive  behaviours in their relationships. I spent about 3 years co-facilitating a Men's Behaviour Change Program.

My approach to counselling in these situations is to invite you identify the kind of person you really want to be, figure out what's happening within you that leads you astray, and support you to learn to choose behaviours that are safer for you and your loved ones.   

I have several years experience in supporting people who are in relationships that leave them feeling scared, stressed, confused, indecisive, broken or abused.  I can help you to identify and name your partner's patterns of abuse, find your power and brainstorm ways to keep yourself and your children safe from harm.

If you would prefer to speak with a female counsellor, please contact 1800 RESPECT or  1800737732 

The international experience brings with it a whole range of emotions. Even though you have signed up for adventure, opportunity and excitement - it's also common to feel lonely, daunted, disconnected, out-of-your depth and sometimes just very homesick.

If you or your family have relocated to the another part of the world, you might find yourself without the support and social systems that gave you the resilience it took to make this huge decision in the first place. Relationships might be strained, your plans might not be working out quite as you had hoped... And expat connections are also infamously transient, so it can be hard to make lasting friendships.

Online counselling can give you the private space and time to reconnect with your own strengths, your reasons for moving abroad, and the range of experiences you're going through on this chapter of your adventure. 

Here's a blog entry you might relate to.

 A long time ago I went to Sicily to settle down... and almost immediately I knew it wasn't going to work. I can only imagine what might have happened if I had found a social network to support me there.

So whether you're a long-term expat, a new arrival, or just travelling the globe, reaching out for counselling in your mother tongue might just offer you the extra support you need right now. 

With Skype and online counselling, it makes no difference where you are... You can reach out to me via text or WhatsApp message, and we can start talking soon. 

"Talking with you has helped me to feel more hopeful about an otherwise horrible situation. I feel like I have come out of the darkness now, and I'm confident that I now know how to handle whatever happens in the near future"

"I didn't realise what had been happening within me until Steve worked what can only be described as magic. When he guided me through a relaxation I could feel myself becoming more aware of what had been going on in my body. I felt like myself again" 

"I really appreciate the attention you have paid to me as I have been talking my way through this. I can tell that you have really been listening. You helped me to gather my thoughts and you have asked the type of questions that make me say 'aha'! And I feel so 'heard'."

Do you feel like you've forgotten what's important to you in life?

Are you wondering if grief is supposed to feel like this?

Could this "down" feeling mean that you're depressed?

Have you been feeling panicked or anxious this week?

Are you unsure how to live your life to the fullest?

Are your own standards making life difficult?

Does your self-esteem support your goals?

Are you still dealing with the effects of a traumatic event?

When does anger become a problem for you?

Is alcohol creating more problems than it solves?

These surveys do not replace professional help, but they might provide some guidance about what we can work on together. Call 0417679535 to start the conversation