Trauma Support Providers

My work is shaped from experiences with survivors beginning two decades ago working as a nurse in a residential addictions hospital. I am eternally grateful to have been shaped since then by both survivors and also leaders in the field about how to carefully accompany and hold space in meaningful ways. Over the years I worked full time in various mental health facilities until I commenced private practice in 2011. As I expanded my therapeutic skill set and knowledge around working with trauma, I felt restrained in the system, and found pathologising people left me feeling dead inside.
I believe that working with trauma is a sacred process, calling for a broad range of ""ways of working"" together in a flexible way that feels absolutely right for you. While each person's path is unique, the work is grounded in the nonlinear phased approach, initially prioritising a sense of safety and self care, paving the way for future work for some, and for others achieving stability in themselves is relief enough.
You could say my approach is multimodal and entirely ""bespoke"" to you. There is nothing more meaningful than being part of a persons self discovery and growing those conditions together is (in my opinion) incredibly nourishing
The safety and self care aspect of the work involves invitations to experiment with of the following (as an example)...body based exercises, tapping, gesture work, voice modulation, support networks eg animals, humans (dead and alive), landscapes and many many more.... Utilising these methods allows ways for managing overwhelm and putting on the brakes, when everything is going to fast...
I am forever gathering new learnings and trainings so that I can have more in my tool box to offer .... In my personal life, I am an artist with a passion for painting....my house, stretched canvases and furniture. My therapy room is painted entirely in Annie Sloan Aubusson Blue chalk paint and is located in a 1920s brick cottage on a very quaint street 5 kilometres from the city, lined in Peppermint trees. It is quiet, calm and very private.
Choosing a counsellor can be daunting but so important to follow your instincts and go with what feels right for you. The therapeutic process needs to unfold in a way that is unique to you, and that may be both illuminating, difficult and inevitably satisfying on a very deep level. If you choose me as your therapist we will form an agreement about frequency and time for our appointments. I look forward to our work together and be assured that you and all your concerns will be taken seriously.

I have supported people with complex trauma for 20 years through both my private practice and through working for various organisations. I have been employed as a trauma counsellor for Lifeline Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Helpline, NSW Rape Crisis Centre, Weave Women and Children’s Centre, Blue Knot Foundation, Knowmore Legal Service and CatholicCare.
My practice is strengths-based, creative, and trauma informed and I value people’s capacity to find incredibly adaptive ways to live their lives. I admire the people that I support and am rewarded by the connections that are established. The principles of trauma informed care and practice are the foundations of my personal practice. Establishing safety, both internally and externally often takes time as does building trust in the therapeutic relationship. All our work is negotiated collaboratively, maximizing people’s choices and focusing on self-understanding and empowerment. I value well-timed and well-considered endings to therapeutic relationships, aware of the strong feelings of abandonment that can be felt if not given sufficient focus. I think that many survivors have been misunderstood and mistreated and consequently re-traumatised. This motivates me to want to offer a safe, understanding and valuing therapeutic relationship and to help repair some of the damage done.
I keep up to date with the latest ideas and ways of working with complex trauma and I have found that find that my learning has been cemented and advanced by providing training on Trauma Informed Care and Practice for Blue Knot Foundation and teaching Trauma and Mental Health at Australian College of Applied Psychology.
Counselling sessions are offered via Zoom, telephone and email. Currently able to offer counselling support through Victims Services NSW and Victims Support ACT.

Jennifer is passionate about working with people from all walks of life to help them create a more vital, rich, full and meaningful life. In this work, Jennifer uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) which is a modern, science-based psychotherapy. Simple, effective and proven skills help you feel better and LIVE better.
Jennifer has a special interest in chronic pain & illness, Hoarding Disorder and using neurofeedback to optimise brainwaves for living well. Children, adolescents and their families as well as adults struggling with a range of life challenges benefit from therapy with Jennifer. Her approach is trans-diagnostic – anxiety, depression, PTSD, eating disorders, pain & other health issues, personality disorders and more serious mental illness – all are welcome.

I am a Clinical Social Worker/Psychotherapist. I received my Masters from Melbourne University and have completed advanced training in Mindfulness, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. My approach is person-centred and evidence-based. I use an eclectic and engaging approach with adults and children based on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Mindfulness. I offer a range of therapeutic interventions including:
• Cognitive behavioural therapy
• Mindfulness
• Social skills training
• Problem-solving
• Anger management/emotional regulation
• Play Therapy
• Stress management
• Parenting skills
• Interpersonal therapy
• Group work
• Psychoeducation
• Relaxation strategies

I have 12 years of counselling experience and I run my own counselling practise in St Kilda. I also work across 10 schools in the South East region of Melbourne. Schools utilise my specialist skills for children and families who require extra supports to thrive at home and school.

Area of Focus:

Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Developmental disorders
Emotional abuse
Family Therapy
Intellectual Disabilities
Learning Disabilities
LGBTI issues
Life Coaching
Panic Disorders
Parenting
Pastoral care
Personal Development
Personality disorders
Psychotherapy
Relaxation training

Modalities:

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Emotionally Focused Therapy
Positive Psychology
Psychotherapy
Solution-Focused Therapy

Patient Focus:

Children
Teenagers
Adults

Languages Spoken:

English
Russian

Services:

Group Sessions
Home Visits
Online consultations
School Visits

Education:

Batchelor of Arts (Melbourne University). Postgraduate Master Degree in Clinical Social Work (Melbourne University)
Accreditations

Advanced training in Mindfulness, Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Certifications

Advanced training in Mindfulness, Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Jim Chapman began working as a psychologist in 1981 has very broad experience helping people with a wide range of anxiety, depression, grief, work-related stress, compounded life stresses, motivation, goal achievement and planning. He is particularly interested in assisting people with pain management and coping with health issues. He has also worked with people from a range of cultures in Australia and overseas and is deeply committed to supporting members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

His practice over the past 40 years has included community psychology and organisational psychology and training as well as face to face clinical, counselling and psychotherapy. His training includes many modes of therapy including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Gestalt, Eriksonian hynotherapy, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Psychological Pharmacology and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing). Most recently he has worked in Employee Assistance Programs, enterprise training in Mental Health at Work and Peer Support Training and provided psychological services for mining and other large and medium sized agencies and companies throughout the Hunter region of NSW. This includes Critical Incident Counselling and on-site staff training for emergency and critical events. He has also worked as a contractor providing counselling for the Open Arms program (formerly VVCS), which provides counselling and therapy for Servicemen and women and veterans of Australia's armed forces.

Many of these roles involve intensive and thorough therapy for the serious impacts of trauma including symptoms such as PTSD, grief, dissociation and moral injury.

I have been providing counselling sessions for over 18 years in my own Allied Health Practice, and have extensive experience of approx. 10 years in sexual assault crisis care/counselling, as a result of my role at Centre Against Sexual Assault in Melbourne, and previous listing on the ASCA Website for referrals to my practice.
I currently work from counselling rooms in Geelong and also offer video/telephone sessions for survivors of trauma.

Dr Josie McSkimming is a clinical social worker and psychotherapist with more than 35 years experience. She is fully accredited with the AASW as a mental health social worker and with the Clinical College of Social Work. She has also been approved as an ‘interim counsellor’ with Victims’ Services, Department of Justice, NSW. She has been practising and teaching narrative therapy since 1991, and is currently an adjunct lecturer at the University of NSW in Sydney within the Masters of Social Work (Counselling) course. She has worked in a variety of settings including hospital social work, post-adoption, drug and alcohol treatment and mental health. She has been in private practice since 2000, and currently provides psychotherapy to individuals, couples and families. She is also a clinical supervisor for many individuals and teams working within the government and non-government sectors.
She has undertaken considerable professional development over the last 10 years in working with people who have experienced complex trauma, and also teaches in Trauma at a university level. She considers that the core problems to be addressed in counselling in regard to trauma are: affect dysregulation, structural dissociation, somatic dysregulation, impaired self-development and disorganised attachment. These are most likely to remain the foundation for clinicians working with survivors of complex trauma, regardless of the specific diagnosis or assessment and treatment methodologies in use. Her main learnings have come from the research of Judy Herman, Bessel van der Kolk, John Briere, Michael White, Alan Wade, Babette Rothschild and Janina Fisher. She also maintains that the politics of practice is paramount in trauma work, recognising that violence is principally a male issue and is shored up by predominant social discourses of patriarchy and heteronormative dominance. She is therefore also informed by ‘response-based therapy’ (Alan Wade) and narrative-based trauma therapy (Michael White), which considers people’s responses and resistances to trauma, as well as the effects and ongoing impact. What is also significant is that she has published a book (‘Leaving Christian Fundamentalism and the Reconstruction of Identity’, 2017, Routledge) and several journal articles describing the nature of power within church communities, and other high-demand microcultures. Within her practice, she has met with many clients who have experienced the ongoing effects of abuse within church institutions, referred by professional standards units within several denominations. She not only offers counselling but also consultation to interested parties regarding the nature of power and control within religious organisations. She has spoken on radio and television about her personal and professional experience, and is regarded as having considerable professional expertise in this area.

I have worked with children and adults who have experienced abuse and violence since 1992. This work included working with children who had experienced sexual abuse, parents of children who were sexually abused and adults who experienced abuse as children. I have also worked in family violence in refuges and in therapeutic settings with groups and individuals. Change Futures is situated in a quiet residential area and our staff and facilities are warm and welcoming.
Change Futures partners with an indigenous agency and works extensively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families; with refugees who have experienced torture and trauma; with children and families in the child protection system.

As a Registered Psychologist and mindfulness practitioner, I am passionate about working with individuals to help them identify strengths and coping strategies, heal from past and present difficulties, and live a life that feels rich, meaningful and happy. I work closely with my clients to build a supportive professional relationship, and use a holistic approach that is guided by evidence-based psychology techniques.

For over 20 years I have enjoyed working with a wide variety of clients from the general public, the multicultural community, emergency services and military personnel. I have specialised training in working with people facing a wide range of challenges, including:

Anxiety
Depression
Trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder and sexual abuse
Pain management
Grief and loss
Substance abuse
Relationship difficulties

My first priority is to create a therapeutic environment in which you feel safe and supported to express and explore your concerns. We will work together to identify and clarify your goals and priorities, and determine the best ways for you to move forwards. You can be assured of being treated non-judgmentally at all times, and with warmth, respect and acceptance. We will regularly review your progress to make sure we’re heading in the direction you want to be.

I look forward to working with you to help you achieve your goals.

Karen has over 18 years experience providing support, assessment and psychotherapy services to a wide range of individuals including those with autism and intellectual disability. She has a strong person-centred approach and utilises a range of evidence-based therapies to assist clients to overcome difficulties and improve their well-being. Karen has a particular interest in the following areas: anxiety, trauma, PTSD, depression, ADHD (adults and children), self-esteem issues, dementia/memory disorders, autism spectrum disorder , disability (intellectual, physical), chronic pain and health conditions, workplace issues, school/work bullying issues and adjusting to major life changes. Karen is a certified EMDR practitioner. Karen works with children and adults of all ages and cultural backgrounds.