Have you been dealing with the ongoing impacts of PTSD or complex trauma?
Trauma occurs in the body, not in the events or the intellectual retelling of them. This means the answers are found there too, but until you’re able to ‘complete’ the experience by allowing your body to respond in ways it was prevented from doing at the time you were overwhelmed, you’ll continue to have ‘triggers’ and feel unsafe.
Complex posttraumatic stress disorder is the result of long-term multiple stressors often occurring in childhood while your brain was still developing. Repeated experiences that are overwhelming, such as family conflict, abuse and neglect, disrupt many aspects of a child’s ability to form secure attachments and a healthy sense of safety in relationships with others
What happens in a one to one counselling session?
For locals to South East Queensland, sessions are available in person and last for 60 minutes. Online sessions are held via secure Telehealth platform (not Skype or Zoom, unless you request it) where you’ll receive your own unique link with no software to download. Your investment is AU$180 and a Medicare rebate of $96.65 for up to 10 sessions per year is available for Australian recipients of a mental health care plan.
We’ll discuss what’s been coming up for you, what you’d like to work on, and what you’ve already tried. We’ll come up with an overall idea of what needs to happen and how we might go about creating that.
We won’t just talk about what’s happening, we’ll dig deep and start exploring. This often brings up more questions, which is why we might use somatic work and art therapy approaches to deepen the exploration and connect with your body wisdom.
We’ll integrate what we’ve learned, and come up with an active plan to make changes tangible in the real world. We’ll turn your insights into actions so that you can embody the changes in your daily life.
You might choose to focus broadly on the issues that have been affecting you across a range of life situations, for example anxiety and panic, low mood, difficulties with communication or assertiveness. Alternatively you might want to focus on a specific area, such as relationship issues, family conflict, body image, self-sabotage, or workplace stress.
You are welcome to schedule a free 15 minute chat if you’re unsure how we might work together on the changes you’re looking for in your life.
I have a particular interest in working with clients from families where the dynamics include narcissistic abuse, scapegoating and low or no contact among family members. I have walked and still walk this path and I bring to you everything I’ve learned a long the way.
Also as an adopted person from the era of closed adoptions, I am uniquely able to understand and support people with adoption-related trauma. I have done specialised training with the Australian Psychological Society in this area in addition to having lived experience.
However, regardless of your family background, trauma is what we experience when we’re confronted with situations that leave us feeling under threat and unable to respond effectively in the moment, such as separation and loss, injury or illness, witnessing harm to others, bullying, or any type of assault.
Because our stories can’t always be fully expressed in words, I use a number of mediums in addition to more traditional approaches such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. These include guided drawing, somatic psychotherapy, and therapeutic journalling. You do not need to have any creative experience whatsoever. Together we’ll find the most simple and effective approach for you and your unique journey.
Being a psychologist doesn’t mean I know what’s best for you. It doesn’t mean I see you as a category or a diagnostic label. It means I have the honour of you trusting me with the pieces of the jigsaw, allowing me to hold them without judgment as you sort them into a design that works best for you. Sometimes the best framework for this is an embodied creative model rather than focusing on one specific goal.
This creative process means I have the privilege of shining light for your feet as you pick your way through the debris to create a path only you can create. It means we become detectives together, being curious and exploring the dark corners, shifting what we can while accepting what is. Together we’ll tap into your inner wisdom and create a map of your life as a living expression of your spirit.