Counselling in Doncaster East, VIC

Caring & non-judgemental counselling for LGBTQIA+ folk. You may have been feeling bad about yourself and have noticed that you have been acting in inauthentic ways. Perhaps you are worried others won’t accept the real you. It’s been difficult to share your self-critical thoughts with others. I help LGBTQIA+ folk with a non-Judgmental and caring space to explore and better understand and process their distress.

Welcome, I am a gestalt psychotherapist and mental health accredited social worker, offering individual and group therapy from my practice in Melbourne. If you are looking for a warm and nurturing therapeutic environment, you have come to the right place. My approach is relational, non-judgmental, anti-oppressive and informed by a feminist structural lens. I work with a diverse range of people looking for deeper understanding of themselves and have over 15 years of experience and training in this area.

Therapy can benefit anyone from those who are "feeling stuck" or dissatisfied and don't know how to shift things, to people who are facing major challenges such as depression, anxiety, chronic illness, trauma or grief and loss. Therapy can be useful for people who want learn more about themselves, engage in personal development or personal growth, develop better communication or relationship skills, explore their creativity or blocks to creativity, explore their identity, their gender or sexuality or develop a better understanding of work and work place challenges. It can be a form of deep soul work or a way to work on a particular.

During our sessions, I create a safe and supportive space to navigate life's challenges. My approach gently empowers self-understanding and reinforces your self-confidence, my style is both strengths based and process-orient. I offer both in-person sessions in Brunswick, Melbourne as well as online support.

I'm an accredited Medicare registered therapist (AMHSW) with rebates available. I work with trauma, anxiety, mental health issues, grief and loss. I am highly experienced in the area of complex trauma and have a deep understanding of the ways this impacts everyday life and connections. Around trauma, I work both somatically and with talk therapy. I offer a safe and accepting space for members of the LGBTIQ+ community, providing support and understanding around issues such as coming out, gender identity, dysphoria and exploring sexual orientation. I use evidence-based therapeutic approaches to work in a person-centred holistic way.

I am compassionate about guiding my clients to explore their difficulties and strengthen their emotional wellbeing. I provide specific counselling in the areas of anxiety, stress, depression, and relationships; as well as behavioural and other cognitive issues, offering a wide range of counselling support to meet the needs of clients and an organisation’s employees.

Are you finding it hard to manage feeling stressed, worried, angry, and tired? Perhaps you feel disconnected or different from others? Are these feelings getting in the way of creating the life you really want? Not sure of who you are anymore, or what is most important to you? Together we will find the strategies that work best for you, so that your life is more satisfying, and you are more confident to be the person you really want to be. From a safe and non-judgmental space, I support you to unpack things that have happened in the past as well as work out how to change what is going on now.

I have a Social Work background with experience in consultation services, child protection, family intervention, clinical mental health services, systems work, senior leadership and management. I am originally from Turrbal and Jagera country but have called Naarm home since mid-2022. My mob are Mununjali, and I am a proud Aboriginal person. I identify as queer and as a proud ADHDer. I appreciate the opportunity to work alongside the LGBTQIA+ and neurodiverse communities and am committed to providing queer-affirming and neurodiversity-affirming practices that are trauma-informed and safe.

People seek Pat's counselling and therapeutic healing services for a variety of reasons incl: • negative experiences intruding upon life • difficulties coping panic or anxiety • feeling low or depression • sadness and grief • difficulties in relationships including break-ups • experiences of violence or abuse • Trauma e.g. car accident, a significant injury, illness, or event • low self-esteem • phobias and fears • chronic pain or fatigue • negative patterns of behaviour • medical traumas • complex trauma & PTSD • LGBTIQ+ transitioning / coming out • job loss • midlife stresses • retirement • feeling dissatisfied with life.

I am a Counsellor and Psychotherapist who works from a wholistic, trauma-informed, social justice framework. I believe that each client is unique and individual and I use a client-centred approach. It is important that you feel empowered and in control of the sessions which means that we will work together to find out what works for you and your needs. Areas I am particularly interested in are self-esteem and self-growth, trauma healing, managing anxiety and gender and sexuality exploration.

In over 20 years as a therapist, I have worked with a wide range of clients and couples with many and varied issues. I work in a way that is strongly client, and emotionally focused. I have worked with clients experiencing depression, anxiety, substance issues, food disorders, grief, child-hood trauma, uncertainty around sexuality and gender, around identity and self confidence/esteem. I work well with clients who are looking to change their lives and who are open to exploring their issues; to challenge their thinking and to examine what isn't working for them and to take practical steps to shift beyond where they are now.

Isy (she/they) provides integrative counselling with a somatic, body-based focus. Specialising in mental-health aware, queer-affirming and trauma-informed frameworks, Isy’s approach to both counselling and embodiment practices is holistic and relational. Isy's work is informed by attachment theory and polyvagal theory to support client's in feeling more connected, safe and inspired.

Lauren is a compassionate and dedicated psychotherapist who provides a safe, non-judgmental environment, tailoring therapy to the unique needs and goals of the individual. Lauren has expertise in LGBTQIA+ issues, anxiety, stress, trauma, grief and loss, relationship issues, life transitions, finding purpose, self-esteem and confidence-building. Lauren ensures that you feel heard, understood, and empowered throughout the counselling process. Lauren identifies as queer and understands the unique challenges faced by the queer community.

I offer online counselling and advocacy services for people who are LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent, in diverse relationship structures or with complex health challenges or disability. I am committed to providing a space that is anti-racist, LGBTQIA+ affirming, fat-liberating, sex-positive, neurodiversity-affirming, disability justice-oriented, trauma-informed and anti-oppressive.

Jayson has 17 years of experience working with individuals (adolescents and adults), couples and groups within a range of settings (drug and alcohol, forensic, the LGBTQIA+ community, mental health, sexual health, and private practice settings).

Stacey is a certified sexologist and counsellor who works with individuals and those in relationships to have healthy intimate connections with others or self. She can help you explore intimacy, pleasure, sexual difficulties and help you find more enjoyment from sex. She aims to give balanced advice in a non-judgemental setting. As an LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent friendly and non-touch therapist, Stacey creates a safe space where you can enhance your relationships and make your sex life more fulfilling. Poly and NM relationships are welcome. Stacey works online and in-person in Abbotsford, Victoria.

Are you feeling stuck, like something important is missing from your life, but you can't quite put your finger on it? Do you find it challenging to have your emotional needs met in relationships? Are you trapped in repetitive patterns, struggling to define healthy boundaries? There is a reason behind these struggles, and together, we will uncover what is holding you back, providing you with the clarity and confidence needed to turn things around. I specialize in somatic therapy, an approach that dives deep into the core of unresolved trauma within the body, facilitating rapid healing.

Do you experience aspects of your life as dissatisfying or distressing, this may feel like depression, anxiety, hopelessness or a pervasive self criticism? Such dissatisfaction and distress can be supported through Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. Laura's focus is the development of a safe, trusting and reliable relationship which becomes the basis for exploring your thoughts and feelings, and generating insights about the sources of your personal struggles. Generating insights open new opportunities for more satisfying connections to self and others, and greater life choices.