Therapeutic Sessions
Individual Therapy
We work together to understand your life story so that we can gain a deeper understanding of the issues that you are currently facing and work on learning skills to overcome these. This work is primarily based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Dyadic Developmental Practice, as well as an understanding of neuroscience and the brain-body connection. I work with adults, adolescents and children by examining the origins of the behavioural patterns that are keeping them stuck in ways that do not serve their best interests, and together we clarify what their ‘Valued Direction’ is, or what brings a sense of vitality, and start working on ways to move towards this through employing a variety of techniques. Overall, the methods employed in individual therapy aim to raise the subconscious state that is driving our behaviour and unwellness into a state of conscious awareness so that it can be transmuted into a new way of being that is more closely aligned with the most authentic version of yourself, leading to greater health and wellbeing.
I am also an ACC Approved Provider for Sensitive Claims so can guide you through this process from initial engagement to following the ACC processes for seeking short or long-term support, which can involve further assessment, as well as the development of Wellbeing Plans, followed by implementing treatment based on the identified goals (pending approval from ACC).
Costs and Bookings
$130/session (one hour)
24 hour cancellation policy
Bookings can be made weekly/fortnightly/monthly
Testimonials
“Thanks so much for all your help over the last year – you really helped me to grow and regain my confidence, and to understand myself better. It was so lovely working with you and I’m super grateful for all your support.”
“I have learned so much about myself and my son thanks to your guidance, and I appreciate it beyond measure. It’s been funny, heading in to support my son, but realising how much I’ve needed it myself! I’m not 100% sure what I’m going to do without you.”
Relational/Family Therapy
The dynamics in family/partner relationships can become quite complex, often reaching a point where there is significant dysfunction among family members/partners, often pertaining to ineffective communication styles and misunderstanding each other. In my experience, however, this is not what any members of the relationship desire, yet we can easily get stuck in patterns that do not serve the best interest of anyone. Using the framework of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Dyadic Developmental Practice, we can examine the deeper patterns and emotions underlying the current issues and learn new ways of communicating that are based on a compassionate understanding of each other’s experiences. We can also examine your Valued Direction as a family/partners and look at the obstacles that get in the way of living in alignment with this and how to overcome these. This includes some mindfulness-based work as well, focused on noticing our own automatic reactions to things that trigger us, and learning how to consciously choose how to respond instead, with each person holding space for the other to practice these skills. Sometimes, this work requires individual sessions as well, as often we need to go on our own personal healing journey to be able to function better in a relationship.
Costs and Bookings
$150/session (one hour)
24 hour cancellation policy
Booking can be made weekly/fortnightly/monthly
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Steven Hayes)
This therapeutic framework is grounded in mindfulness based practices and advocates psychological flexibility; this means that we learn how to observe all that arises in our life from a place of equanimity, without any judgement, and instead simply accept thoughts and feelings as they arise. We learn Cognitive Defusion techniques i.e. the skill of noticing when we are hooked up in thoughts and learning how to distinguish if they are helpful thoughts that we want to continue following, or unhelpful thoughts that we need to let go of so that we can focus on what is truly important and meaningful to us, moment by moment. This is what is known as ‘Values-Based Living’ and ACT incorporates exercises aimed at helping you to clarify your values so that these values act as your guiding compass. We can then set objectives i.e. small, achievable goals, that can help you move in the direction of this compass. In ACT, we use a variety of mindfulness techniques and exercises to practice the skill of noticing thoughts and feelings, particularly difficult thoughts and feelings. Experential avoidance is something that is commonly used by people to suppress, in numerous ways, thoughts and feelings that they find uncomfortable. In ACT, we learn how to become comfortable with being uncomfortable, and we learn to become willing to experience this uncomfortableness in order to follow our Valued Direction and create a more meaningful life.An adolescent version of this, the DNA-V model, is used when working with young people; refer to The Thriving Adolescent (in Group Programmes/Workshops) for more information.
Dyadic Developmental Practice (Dan Hughes)
This therapeutic framework is used to explore the behavioural patterns and beliefs we have developed from as early as infancy when our primary attachment relationships were formed. We will examine your life story and look at the attachment style you are likely to have developed, and how this is impacting on your current relationships; relationships with yourself, with others and with the world around you. Together we will start to reframe your own life story so that you gain a deeper understanding of yourself and can then consciously use this knowledge to continue narrating your story in a way that best serves you.
We will also draw on elements from another psychotherapy model, Internal Family Systems, to recognise the protective parts of yourself, how they have developed, what their purpose is and how they can be integrated into your sense of being so that you can access your ‘true self.’
Body and Brain Practices
We so often get stuck in behaviour patterns that we know do not serve our best interests, or the best interests of those around us, yet we constantly find ourselves stuck repeating the same dysfunctional, automatic behaviour time and time again, and often judging ourselves negatively for it. We draw on scientific frameworks, such as Polyvagal Theory (Stephen Porges) to become aware of the way our nervous system is triggered unconsciously by the environment (known as neuroception), leading to automatic ‘defensive’ behaviours rooted in the fight, flight or freeze responses. We will build awareness of the related sensations in the body, learning how to observe them with curiosity, non-judgement and compassion, processing and releasing these emotions in a way that leads to ‘conscious action’ instead of reaction (Hilary Jacobs Hendel: The Change Triangle). We will create new synaptic connections in the brain by practicing responding in ‘values-aligned’ ways, even when these triggers occur (known as ‘mental rehearsal’), so that we can ‘break the habit of being ourselves’ (Dr Joe Dispenza). Through increased self-awareness and learning the skills to process whatever arises in a healthy way, we become the masters, instead of the slaves, of our own brains and bodies, creating the most authentic version of ourselves.