Trauma Support Providers

Professional Biography

I am strongly motivated by a desire to enact social justice in my work. It is the driving reason for my nearly 20 years continuous work in the not-for-profit sector. I believe that everybody deserves to have their voice heard and respected. Trauma is the “elephant in the room” that so often prevents people’s full and active involvement in their community. Every person has intrinsic value. As a society we must address the root causes of interpersonal complex trauma and support the unfolding of people’s individual healing journey.
I have five years experience working at the Sexual Assault Support Service with adult and child survivors of sexual abuse and spent three years co-ordinating the service’s Royal Commission response. In addition I provided direct counselling support to people engaging with the Royal Commission and supported survivors to attend hearings.
I offer trauma informed counselling for individuals. Any approach or strategy is decided upon collaboratively with you. I view the counselling relationship as a team approach and I aim to be transparent about the process.
Telling your story is not essential to healing although for some it can be very powerful component. I will be present and available to support you in whichever area of your life you choose.
I offer a “three stage” model of counselling. The first stage focuses on creating safety, managing strong emotions and overwhelming feelings and reducing the impact of nightmares and flashbacks. This is about supporting you so that you can live free of the debilitating impacts of trauma. This stage may involve mindfulness training, trauma affect regulation, recognising triggers and CBT. I can also offer information about current research regarding how the brain and body respond to traumatic events. Understanding why we react to trauma in the way we do can be incredibly helpful.
The second stage is about processing the emotional response. During this stage I offer approaches such as art based expression, expressive therapies (expressing the mental thoughts and reactions) or direct emotional release processing of memories held in the body. These activities are framed with respect for the natural unfolding of your process and are conducted in a manner designed to increase your personal power.
The third stage is integration. The focus is on integrating the trauma into your life story, and giving meaning to it. It is about developing and strengthening your sense of self both personally and in relationship to others.
The decision to attend counselling is often a big step. Walking through the door to meet a new person takes courage. I offer a warm, non-judgemental space where you can simply be yourself.

Client Types

• Child
• Adolescent
• Adult
• Couple
• Family
• Groups
• LGBTIQ