About me:
Ex IT nerd who decided to change career paths after the death of my mother. I began my counselling education whilst I was living in London, in 2005. I completed the foundation year of a counselling degree at Roehampton University, earning me a certificate of Integrative Counselling. I came back to Melbourne and completed a Bachelor of Social Science (Counselling) at ACU Melbourne.
I identify as AuDHD (late diagnosed), non-binary and queer. My pronouns are she/they. I am also disabled, having a number of chronic illnesses (that are also exacerbated by perimenopause!).
I have lived experience of mental health and trauma (medical PTSD and family violence) and I believe this gives me a reasonably unique perspective - from both sides of the couch. I believe my experiences have led me to be a more empathetic and understanding counsellor and given me the capacity to create better supports for my clients.
I worked in mental health for 7 years before accepting a role working with survivors of childhood sexual abuse. I also started my own counselling practice that had a focus on sexuality and kink, as there were not a lot of therapists who understood, let alone were comfortable talking about this topic. I have worked extensively with complex trauma clients, and I ran a trauma sensitive yoga & mindfulness group for 3 years.
I have trained in many areas including Internal Family Systems (IFS), CBT, ACT, DBT, Somatic Therapy & Trauma-Informed Therapy. I have completed my Trauma Centre Trauma Sensitive Yoga training and I am also trained in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR).
I have completed training to become a Psychedelic Assisted Therapist. This has been a big passion of mine for some time and I am really excited to see how this field emerges in the next little while.
I practice in Collaborative, Strengths-Based, Trauma Informed and Recovery Focused Models. I believe in a holistic approach to therapy, looking at what each client needs and adapting my therapy to assist them the best. I am very passionate about trauma and how it manifests both in the body and mind.
In 2019 I completed my End of Life Doula training as I believe my experiences in life and therapy place me in a unique position to walk alongside those experiencing a life limiting condition. Unfortunately due to covid I have been unable to pursue any EOLD work as I am unable to be vaccinated and have a medical exemption.
For those of you who join me in sessions, you may get to see one or both of my cats who make an appearance from time to time.
In September 2021 I wrote an article on my experiences as a person who cannot be vaccinated against covid due to medical reasons. You can read the article at Ramona Magazine.
I was a guest on Andrew G Marshalls' podcast - The Meaningful Life. We discussed trauma, PTSD and psychedelic therapy. Andrew has a wonderful way of eliciting information from his guests, I highly recommend subscribing and listening to his old episodes too.
