All FAQ’s
Services FAQ’s
The first session is an opportunity for us to begin understanding what has brought you to therapy, what is happening in your life and what you would like to work on. There is no expectation that you arrive knowing exactly what you need or where to begin. We start with what feels most relevant to you.
Yes. Therapy is available via telehealth as well as face-to-face, depending on your needs and location.
I work primarily with adults from a wide range of backgrounds and life circumstances. I also have a particular interest in working with men and men’s mental health.
People come to therapy for many different reasons, including anxiety, depression, loneliness and isolation, relationships, anger, stress, grief and loss, addiction, motivation, meaning and purpose, values, self-awareness, life changes and workplace pressures.
No. You do not need a referral to make an appointment and can contact me directly to discuss therapy or arrange a session. Medicare rebates do not apply.
I offer a complimentary 15-minute initial phone call where we can briefly discuss what you are looking for, answer any initial questions and consider whether working together may be a good fit.
Yes. Workplace mental health services can complement your existing EAP and internal supports rather than replace them. This can provide a more targeted, practitioner-led option for a particular workforce, group or identified need.
Yes. I design and deliver bespoke workplace mental health programs based on the needs of the organisation and its people. While I have particular experience and expertise in men’s mental health and wellbeing, programs can be tailored to the needs of the organisation and its workforce, regardless of gender.
Workplace services can also include individual employee counselling and psychotherapy and practical mental health consultation for managers.
Your Life Therapy provides practitioner-led workplace mental health services tailored to the needs of individual organisations and their people.
Services include bespoke workplace mental health programs, specialist men’s mental health programs, individual employee counselling and psychotherapy, and practical mental health consultation for managers.
Engagement can range from an initial pilot or targeted session through to progressive programs and ongoing support arrangements.
The approach brings together extensive counselling and psychotherapy experience with more than 20 years of management experience working with people, teams and organisations.
Programs go beyond simply presenting information about mental health. They combine psychoeducation with open and honest conversation, reflection and facilitated process work, helping participants connect what they are learning with their own experiences and everyday lives.
The aim is to make mental health relevant, accessible and practical while creating opportunities for greater awareness, conversation and engagement with appropriate support.
Yes. Men’s mental health is a specialist area of Your Life Therapy.
Programs can explore areas including stigma and help-seeking, masculinity and changing expectations, relationships and separation, loneliness and isolation, emotional literacy, coping, the multiple roles and responsibilities men carry, support networks, supporting others, self-awareness and resilience.
Programs are developed around the organisation and its workforce rather than delivered as a standard, off-the-shelf presentation.
Yes. Tailoring is central to the approach.
The starting point is understanding your organisation, workforce, existing supports and what you are trying to achieve. Content, format and delivery can then be developed around those needs.
An engagement might begin with a single targeted session or pilot and, where appropriate, develop into a progressive program or broader initiative.
Yes. Organisations can fund confidential individual counselling and psychotherapy for employees, either as a standalone service or as part of a broader workplace mental health initiative.
Employees can seek support for concerns arising within or outside work, including anxiety and stress, depression and low mood, relationships and separation, grief and loss, trauma and difficult experiences, burnout, loneliness, alcohol or other problematic behaviours, family pressures and other mental health, emotional and life concerns.
Individual counselling and psychotherapy can also operate alongside an organisation’s existing EAP or other support services.
Yes. Confidentiality is fundamental to the therapeutic relationship.
Where an organisation funds an employee’s counselling or psychotherapy, the therapeutic relationship remains between the practitioner and the employee. Information disclosed during therapy is not ordinarily provided to the employer without the employee’s consent.
As with any counselling or psychotherapy relationship, confidentiality has defined limits, including circumstances where disclosure may be required by law or where serious safety concerns require action. These boundaries are explained to employees before therapeutic work begins.
Any agreed organisational reporting is structured to protect individual confidentiality.
Workplace programs are delivered in person at a site nominated and provided by the client organisation.
The client is responsible for ensuring the nominated venue is suitable for the agreed program and participant numbers, and for arranging the practical requirements associated with the site, including access, facilities, any required equipment and relevant workplace and site requirements.
The client organisation also remains responsible for its own site-related safety, risk management and insurance arrangements. Your Life Therapy maintains the professional and business insurances applicable to the services it provides.
Venue and logistical requirements are agreed with the organisation before delivery so that both parties are clear about their respective responsibilities.
Yes. Therapy provides a private and confidential space to talk openly, explore what you are experiencing and work through things that may be difficult to discuss elsewhere.
Confidentiality is subject to some legal and ethical limits, including concerns about serious risk of harm, mandatory reporting requirements and legal processes such as subpoenas or court orders. Where possible, I will discuss these circumstances with you before information is disclosed.
How Jon Can Help FAQ’s
- Addiction & Problematic Behaviours
- Anger & Emotional Regulation
- Anxiety & Stress
- Burnout & Exhaustion
- Communication & Boundaries
- Coping & Resilience
- Depression & Low Mood
- Grief, Loss & Life Changes
- How Can Jon Help
- Identity & Sense of Self
- Individual Therapy
- Loneliness & Isolation
- Meaning & Purpose
- Motivation & Feeling Stuck
- Personal Growth & Self-Awareness
- Relationships & Connection
- Self-Esteem & Confidence
- Supporting Managers
- Trauma & Difficult Experiences
- Understanding Emotions
- Values
- Work & Career Pressures
Stress is commonly connected with demands, pressure or situations that require us to respond or adapt. Anxiety involves worry, apprehension or fear and may continue even when the original pressure has passed or when there is no obvious external trigger.
They can feel very similar and often occur together.
Ongoing or significant stress can contribute to anxiety. Being under sustained pressure can leave you increasingly worried, tense and alert to what might go wrong. Stressful situations are recognised as one of the factors that can contribute to anxiety symptoms.
Yes. Persistent anxiety can itself become stressful.
Constant worry, overthinking, difficulty sleeping, physical tension, avoidance and feeling continually alert can consume considerable mental and physical energy. Anxiety can also make everyday demands feel harder to manage, creating additional pressure.
It is often more accurate to think of anxiety and stress as experiences that can reinforce each other rather than one simply turning into the other.
Overthinking can be an attempt to solve a problem, prevent something going wrong or create certainty.
The difficulty is that some situations cannot be made completely certain regardless of how long you think about them. Repeatedly analysing the same issue can then create more anxiety rather than more clarity.
Stress can develop through accumulation rather than one significant event.
Several smaller demands involving work, relationships, finances, health, responsibilities and everyday life can gradually exceed the amount of capacity and recovery you have available.
Internal experiences such as persistent worry can also contribute to feeling stressed.
Yes.
Occasional anxiety and stress are normal human responses and can sometimes be useful. The concern is when they become persistent, overwhelming or begin interfering with your wellbeing or everyday functioning.
Yes.
Both can involve physical responses. Anxiety can include a racing heart, shortness of breath, sweating, trembling and stomach discomfort. Stress can be associated with headaches, muscle tension, changes in sleep, exhaustion and stomach problems.
Yes. Counselling and psychotherapy can help you understand the pressures, thoughts, emotions and behavioural patterns involved and develop different ways of responding.
Depending on what is happening, the work may involve managing anxiety, reducing avoidance, developing boundaries, responding differently to stress or recognising that particular demands or circumstances need to change.
No.
You do not need a diagnosis to seek counselling and psychotherapy for anxiety, stress, worry, overthinking, feeling overwhelmed or difficulty coping.
If symptoms are significant or you’re concerned that you may have an anxiety condition or another health issue, it can also be appropriate to speak with your GP.
It may be worth seeking support if anxiety or stress is persistent, becoming difficult to manage, affecting your sleep, relationships, work or everyday functioning, causing significant distress or leading you to avoid important parts of your life.
You do not need to wait until you reach crisis point before asking for help.
No. Anger is a normal human emotion and is not itself a mental health condition. The concern is how anger is expressed and whether it is harming you, other people, your relationships or your work.
No. The aim is not to pretend you aren’t angry. It is to recognise what you’re feeling and develop ways of expressing and responding to it without causing harm.
There can be many contributors, including stress, frustration, exhaustion, feeling threatened or disrespected, learned patterns and difficulty recognising earlier signs that anger is building.
Yes. Counselling and psychotherapy can help you recognise triggers and patterns, understand thoughts and emotions associated with anger and develop healthier ways of responding.
Other people’s behaviour can affect how you feel, and sometimes anger is understandable. You are still responsible for how you choose to respond.
You cannot change what has already happened, but you can take responsibility for your behaviour, understand the patterns involved and work on responding differently in the future.
If anger feels difficult to control, is affecting your relationships or work, causes you to behave in ways you regret or creates a risk of harm, it is important to seek professional support.
No. Having boundaries does not mean disregarding other people’s needs. Boundaries can help clarify what you are able and willing to do while recognising that your needs also matter.
You may be accustomed to helping, pleasing or taking responsibility for other people. Doing something differently can feel uncomfortable even when the boundary itself is reasonable.
There isn’t one rule for every relationship. It can help to consider what you need, what you are responsible for, the impact on the other person and whether the boundary respects both people’s rights and safety.
Conflict can feel uncomfortable or threatening, particularly if previous experiences taught you that disagreement leads to rejection, anger or other negative consequences.
Yes. Counselling and psychotherapy can help you understand your communication patterns, emotional responses, assumptions and difficulties expressing needs or dealing with conflict.
You can communicate a boundary and decide how you will respond if it is crossed. You cannot completely control another person’s behaviour.
Yes. Boundaries can involve workload, availability, responsibilities, communication, behaviour and how much of yourself you are able or willing to give in a particular situation.
Someone disliking a boundary does not automatically mean the boundary is wrong. Their reaction may still be important information, particularly if it involves intimidation, threats, coercion or attempts to punish you for having reasonable limits.
Everyone experiences periods of low mood. Depression tends to be more persistent and can begin affecting different areas of your life, including your energy, motivation, relationships, work, sleep, concentration and ability to enjoy things.
You don’t need to diagnose yourself. If changes are continuing, getting worse or significantly affecting your life, it may be worth talking with a GP or mental health professional.
No. Depression can take different forms, and people can experience different combinations of emotional, physical, cognitive and behavioural changes.
The severity, duration and impact can also vary considerably between people. You don’t need to work out which particular form or diagnosis may apply before seeking support.
Men experience the same core features of depression as anyone else, but depression does not always appear as obvious sadness.
Some men may notice irritability, anger, exhaustion, withdrawal, reduced motivation, physical symptoms or increased use of alcohol or other coping behaviours. These experiences aren’t unique to men, and every person’s experience is different.
There isn’t always one clear cause. Depression can develop through a combination of life experiences, ongoing stress, relationships, isolation, physical health, biological factors, family history and other circumstances.
Sometimes there is no obvious trigger.
Counselling and psychotherapy can provide a place to understand what’s happening, explore contributing factors and patterns, work through difficult experiences and develop practical ways of responding.
What support is appropriate will depend on the individual and their circumstances. Depending on the nature and severity of the depression, therapy may also form part of broader care involving a GP or other mental health professionals.
No. You don’t need a diagnosis to seek counselling and psychotherapy.
You can ask for support because you’re feeling low, disconnected, unmotivated, overwhelmed, different from yourself or simply finding life harder to manage.
It can. Some people experience depression once, while others experience depressive periods at different times in their lives.
If you’ve experienced depression previously, becoming familiar with your own early warning signs may help you recognise when it could be useful to seek support.
That’s okay. You don’t need to arrive knowing what to say or be comfortable talking about everything straight away.
Therapy can begin with what’s happening in your life now and what you’re finding difficult. You can work at a pace that feels manageable.
Yes. Loneliness relates to how you experience your social connections, not simply how many people are around you. It is possible to be socially connected and still feel lonely.
Social isolation generally refers to having few social relationships or limited social contact. Loneliness is the subjective feeling that your relationships or connections are not meeting your needs.
There may not be one reason. Relationships, work, health, life changes, loss, anxiety, depression and gradual withdrawal can all contribute.
The longer you’ve been isolated, the more difficult reaching out can sometimes feel. You may lose confidence, worry about bothering people or become accustomed to managing things alone.
Counselling and psychotherapy can help you understand what may be contributing to loneliness, explore relationship patterns and consider practical ways of developing greater connection.
Having a small number of relationships is not necessarily a problem. The important question is whether you have the level and quality of connection that feels right for you.
If loneliness or isolation is persistent, affecting your wellbeing or making your world increasingly smaller, it may be worth talking to someone.
Your relationship with yourself is present throughout your life and can influence how you respond to your needs, emotions, mistakes, boundaries and choices. It can also influence how you connect and communicate with other people.
It does not mean liking everything about yourself or always feeling confident. It can involve understanding yourself more clearly, responding to yourself with greater balance, recognising your needs and taking responsibility for your choices without relying entirely on criticism or judgement.
Yes. Individual counselling and psychotherapy can help you understand your own experiences, communication, boundaries and relationship patterns even when another person is not involved in therapy.
Sometimes familiar ways of responding can repeat across relationships. Exploring those patterns can help you understand where they may come from, what keeps them going and whether you want to respond differently.
There can be many reasons, including fear of conflict or rejection, previous relationship experiences, uncertainty about your own needs or becoming accustomed to putting other people’s needs first.
Counselling and psychotherapy is not about making that decision for you. It can provide space to understand the relationship, your needs, concerns, values and options so you can make your own decision.
You cannot control another person’s behaviour. You can develop greater awareness of your own responses, communication, boundaries and choices. Sometimes changing your part of a pattern affects the relationship, and sometimes it provides greater clarity about what you can and cannot accept.
If you feel unsafe or are experiencing violence, threats, coercion or abuse, your safety takes priority. If there is immediate danger, call 000.
No. People can be significantly affected by many different difficult or distressing experiences. You don’t need to decide whether your experience deserves a particular label before seeking support.
No. Distress and trauma-related reactions can occur after difficult experiences without meeting the criteria for PTSD. PTSD involves a particular pattern of symptoms that persist and significantly affect functioning.
No. Trauma-informed counselling and psychotherapy should respect your pace and your ability to make choices about what you discuss. You don’t need to tell your entire story in the first session.
Responses to difficult experiences can change over time. Sometimes an experience becomes more noticeable following another event, a life change or when there is finally more space to think about what happened.
Yes. Difficult experiences can affect trust, intimacy, communication, emotional responses and feelings of safety in relationships.
Counselling and psychotherapy can help you understand your reactions, develop ways of managing distress and work through difficult experiences at an appropriate pace. The particular approach should depend on your needs, circumstances and the nature of what you’re experiencing.
You don’t need to decide that before seeking therapy. We can start with what happened, how it affected you and what you’re experiencing now.
There is no single way to grieve. People experience and express grief differently, and grief can change over time.
There is no fixed timetable. The intensity and experience of grief vary depending on the person, the loss and their circumstances.
Yes. Relationship breakdown, health changes, job loss, retirement, loss of identity and other major changes can involve grief.
Grief does not necessarily follow a straight line. Memories, anniversaries, places and unexpected reminders can bring strong emotions back even after periods when you have been coping relatively well.
No. Grief can involve complicated and sometimes conflicting emotions. Relief can exist alongside sadness, love, guilt or other feelings.
Counselling and psychotherapy can provide space to talk about the loss, make sense of difficult emotions and adjust to the changes it has created.
No. Moving forward does not require forgetting a person or pretending a loss didn’t matter. It can involve finding a way to carry the significance of what happened while continuing with your life.
No.
A substance or behaviour can be causing problems without necessarily meeting criteria for addiction. You do not need to decide which label applies before seeking support.
It may be worth paying attention if you are finding it increasingly difficult to control, spending more time or money on it than intended, hiding it from other people or continuing despite negative effects on your health, relationships, finances, work or wellbeing.
Difficulty controlling a substance or behaviour despite harm is one of the central features associated with addiction.
Knowing that something is harmful does not necessarily make it easy to stop.
The behaviour may provide immediate relief, pleasure, escape or another benefit even while creating longer-term consequences. Habit, cravings, emotional factors, physical dependence and the circumstances around the behaviour can also make change difficult.
No.
You can come to counselling and psychotherapy while you are still trying to understand what is happening, considering whether you want to change or already working towards change.
Therapy can be an important part of treatment. It may help you understand triggers, patterns, coping strategies and the role the substance or behaviour plays in your life.
For some addictions, counselling and psychotherapy may be most appropriate as part of a broader treatment approach involving medical or specialist alcohol and other drug services.
Not always.
Withdrawal from some substances can be medically dangerous. If you use alcohol, drugs or some medications regularly and think you may be physically dependent, speak with a GP or alcohol and other drug service before significantly reducing or stopping.
This can be particularly important with substances including alcohol and benzodiazepines.
That does not mean change is impossible.
Changing an established behaviour can take time, and setbacks can occur. It can be useful to understand what happened, what triggered the return to the behaviour and what additional support or strategies may be needed.
A setback does not necessarily mean you are back where you started. It can provide useful information about what made change difficult and what may need to be approached differently next time.
No.
You do not need to adopt a particular label in order to acknowledge that something is causing problems or to ask for help.
The focus can be on what is happening, how it is affecting you and what you would like to change.
Self-esteem relates to how you see and value yourself. Confidence usually relates to how capable you feel in a particular situation or task. You can have confidence in some areas while having low self-esteem more generally.
Confidence is often situational. Experience and competence in one area do not automatically create confidence in relationships, social situations or other areas.
If compliments don’t fit with the way you see yourself, they can feel difficult to believe or accept. You may automatically dismiss them rather than allowing them to challenge an established view of yourself.
Therapy can help you understand beliefs and experiences that influence how you see yourself, recognise self-critical patterns and develop a more balanced relationship with yourself.
Low self-esteem is not itself a mental health diagnosis, although it can occur alongside difficulties such as anxiety and depression.
Confidence often develops through experience. Taking manageable steps, tolerating some uncertainty and recognising what you learn can gradually build confidence.
No. Healthy self-esteem does not require constant positivity. It can involve recognising both strengths and limitations without allowing mistakes, weaknesses or setbacks to define your overall worth.
There may be many reasons. Motivation can be affected by stress, exhaustion, depression, anxiety, uncertainty, fear, loss of confidence and whether a goal still feels meaningful to you.
Calling yourself lazy does not necessarily explain why you’re having difficulty taking action. It can be more useful to understand what is making it difficult to begin, continue or care about something.
There can be many reasons for procrastination. Anxiety, perfectionism, uncertainty, feeling overwhelmed or not knowing where to begin can all play a part.
No. Not knowing what you want or where you want to go can itself be something worth exploring.
Therapy can help identify what may be contributing to feeling stuck and explore patterns, values, fears, expectations and practical ways of moving forward.
Loss of motivation or interest can occur with depression, but experiencing low motivation does not by itself mean you have depression. If it is persistent or accompanied by other changes in mood, sleep, thinking or everyday functioning, talking with a GP or mental health professional can help you understand what may be happening.
Most meaningful decisions involve some uncertainty. Therapy can provide space to consider your options, what matters to you and what may be influencing your decision without requiring absolute certainty before you move forward.
No. Ordinary tiredness will often improve with adequate rest and recovery. Burnout is associated with prolonged work-related stress and can involve exhaustion, increasing distance or cynicism towards work and reduced professional effectiveness.
Burnout is not classified as a medical condition in the World Health Organization’s ICD-11. It is described as an occupational phenomenon associated with chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.
People commonly use the term burnout to describe exhaustion associated with caring, parenting or other prolonged demands. The formal WHO description of burnout, however, specifically relates to the occupational context.
There can be overlapping experiences, including exhaustion, low motivation and difficulty concentrating. Depression is a mental health condition that can affect many areas of life, whereas the formal concept of burnout is work-related. If you’re unsure, particularly if symptoms are persistent or widespread, speak with a GP or mental health professional.
Counselling and psychotherapy can help you understand the pressures and patterns contributing to exhaustion, develop boundaries, explore expectations and consider what changes may be needed.
No. Individual boundaries can matter, but workplace factors such as high job demands, low control, poor support, role problems and workplace relationships can also contribute to prolonged stress.
Not necessarily. Personal coping strategies can be useful, but they do not remove excessive workloads, poor support or other workplace problems. Sometimes the demands or environment need to change.
Consider seeing your GP if exhaustion is persistent, significant, worsening or accompanied by changes in sleep, mood, concentration, physical health or everyday functioning. Fatigue can have many possible causes and should not automatically be assumed to be burnout.
If work is persistently affecting your sleep, mood, physical wellbeing, relationships or ability to switch off, it may be worth taking seriously rather than waiting until you can no longer cope.
No. Work-related stress can also involve low control, poor support, unclear roles, organisational change, workplace conflict, bullying, harassment and other aspects of how work is organised and experienced.
Counselling cannot change an organisation on your behalf, but it can help you understand what is happening, manage the impact, clarify boundaries and consider your options.
Yes. Counselling can provide space to explore what matters to you, what is keeping you in your current situation and what the consequences of different choices might be without telling you which decision to make.
Career success and career satisfaction are not necessarily the same thing. It can be useful to explore what has changed and what you want from work at this stage of your life.
High responsibility, workload, unresolved problems, workplace conflict and habits around availability can all make psychological detachment from work difficult. Understanding what keeps work mentally present can help identify what may need to change.
Not necessarily. Sometimes changes in boundaries, workload, communication or support can help. In other circumstances, you may decide that a larger change is needed. Therapy can help you consider your situation and options rather than making that decision for you.
Yes. Questions about identity can arise during periods of growth, transition, loss or change and do not necessarily indicate a mental health problem.
Most people adjust aspects of themselves depending on the situation. It may be worth exploring if you feel you’re constantly changing yourself to gain approval or rarely feel able to be yourself.
Yes. Experiences, relationships, responsibilities and priorities can change throughout life, and our understanding of ourselves can change with them.
Sometimes an important role can gradually occupy so much of our attention and identity that other parts of ourselves receive less space. Recognising this can be the beginning of reconnecting with those parts.
No. Exploring that uncertainty can itself be part of counselling and psychotherapy.
Counselling and psychotherapy can provide space to explore your experiences, roles, values, relationships and expectations and better understand how they influence the way you see yourself.
No. They can influence each other, but identity is more broadly about how you understand who you are, while self-esteem relates to how you evaluate and value yourself.
Yes. Questions about meaning, identity and direction can arise throughout life, particularly during periods of change or when circumstances that once provided a sense of purpose begin to shift.
Not necessarily. Questions about direction, identity and purpose can be part of normal life. However, if you’re also experiencing persistent low mood, hopelessness, loss of interest or difficulty functioning, it may be worth speaking with a GP or mental health professional.
What life looks like externally does not necessarily tell us whether it feels meaningful to the person living it. It can be useful to explore the difference between what you have achieved and what currently matters to you.
There may not be one single purpose to discover. Meaning can develop through relationships, values, contribution, experiences, work, interests and the way you choose to live.
Counselling and psychotherapy can provide space to clarify values, explore what has changed, understand what may be keeping you stuck and consider possible directions without telling you what your direction should be.
You don’t need to know before coming to therapy. Understanding what you want, what matters and what may no longer fit can be part of the work.
Not necessarily. Sometimes greater meaning comes through changes in how you spend your time, relationships you invest in, boundaries you establish or activities you reconnect with rather than completely changing your life.
Values are the principles, qualities and areas of life that matter to you and can help guide how you want to live and behave.
A goal is usually something you can work towards or achieve. A value is more about the way you want to live or the qualities you want to bring to your life. For example, completing a qualification might be a goal, while learning or personal growth might be values.
That’s okay. Many people have never deliberately thought about them. Exploring what matters to you, what you respect, what gives you satisfaction and what feels important can help clarify them.
Yes. Some values may remain important throughout life, while priorities can also change through experience, relationships, age and changing circumstances.
Values can compete. You might value both career and family, independence and connection, or achievement and balance. Therapy can provide space to consider competing priorities rather than assuming there is always one correct answer.
No. Everyone sometimes behaves in ways that don’t reflect what matters to them. Awareness gives you an opportunity to recognise this and decide what you want to do next.
Yes. Counselling and psychotherapy can provide space to explore your values, priorities, relationships and choices without telling you what your values should be.
There can be many reasons. Some people had little opportunity to talk about emotions growing up, learned to push them aside or became accustomed to focusing on what needed to be done rather than what they were feeling.
Emotions themselves are not morally good or bad. Some are uncomfortable, and what we do while experiencing them can have consequences. Feeling angry, for example, is different from behaving aggressively.
Emotional and physical responses can occur quickly. Developing awareness of your early signs and patterns can help create more opportunity to pause before responding.
Not in the sense of preventing yourself from feeling them. Emotional regulation involves recognising and responding to emotions in ways that are appropriate and manageable.
People can become overwhelmed, withdraw or shut down for different reasons. Understanding what happens for you during those moments can help identify different ways of responding.
Yes. Counselling and psychotherapy can provide space to recognise, name and understand emotions, explore patterns and develop ways of responding to difficult emotional experiences.
No. Counselling and psychotherapy can involve emotions, thoughts, behaviour, relationships, experiences, decisions and practical strategies. The balance depends on what is relevant to you.
That’s okay. You do not need to apologise for becoming emotional, and you also won’t be forced to talk about something before you’re ready.
Resilience generally refers to our capacity to adapt and respond when faced with stress, adversity or significant change. It does not mean that difficult experiences don’t affect us.
People differ in temperament, experiences, circumstances and resources, but resilience is not simply a fixed trait. Skills, relationships, resources and experience can all influence how we respond to adversity.
No. Seeking support, using available resources and recognising when you need help can all be part of responding effectively to difficulty.
Your circumstances may have changed, the demands may be greater or a strategy that helped in the past may no longer fit what you’re facing now.
Not necessarily. Context matters. A strategy may be useful in one situation but become unhelpful when it is overused or creates additional problems.
Counselling and psychotherapy can help you understand coping patterns, develop practical and emotional resources, strengthen self-awareness and consider different ways of responding to difficult situations.
No. Sometimes adaptation involves accepting something you cannot change. In other situations, the appropriate response may involve setting a boundary, seeking support or changing the circumstances themselves.
Comparing your response with how you think you should be coping can add another layer of pressure. It can be more useful to consider what you’re dealing with, what resources you have available and what support you may need.
No. People seek counselling and psychotherapy for many reasons, including greater self-understanding, relationships, decisions, life direction, personal development and wanting to change patterns that are no longer working for them.
Self-awareness involves recognising and understanding aspects of your thoughts, emotions, behaviour, needs, values and patterns, including how they can affect both you and other people.
Constantly analysing yourself is not necessarily the same as useful self-awareness. Reflection is most helpful when it increases understanding and choice rather than becoming another form of rumination or self-criticism.
Knowing intellectually that something is unhelpful does not necessarily mean it is easy to change. Patterns can become familiar and automatic, particularly when they once served an important purpose.
Not necessarily. Sometimes growth involves change. At other times, it involves understanding and accepting parts of yourself more clearly or reconnecting with things that already matter to you
Yes. counselling and psychotherapy can provide a structured, reflective space to explore experiences, emotions, relationships, values and patterns and consider how they influence your life.
Not always. Awareness can create an opportunity for change, but changing established patterns may also require practice, different choices, new skills and time.
That’s okay. You don’t need to arrive with a clearly defined problem or goal. Understanding what feels important, what is working and what isn’t can be part of the counselling and psychotherapy process.
You do not need to know exactly what program or service you require before making contact.
The starting point is a conversation about your organisation, your people, the support you already have in place and what you are trying to achieve.
From there, we can consider whether a targeted session, initial pilot, progressive workplace program, employee counselling and psychotherapy, manager consultation or a combination of services is the most appropriate starting point.
There is no requirement to begin with a large or ongoing commitment.
It can be either, depending on what is required.
Manager consultation focuses on helping managers navigate situations involving employees, including how to approach conversations about mental health, respond appropriately, maintain professional boundaries and connect people with suitable support.
Where a manager needs support for their own mental health or circumstances, individual counselling and psychotherapy can be provided separately. Keeping these functions clear helps protect both the manager and the therapeutic relationship.
Managers are not expected to diagnose mental health conditions or become counsellors.
Support can help a manager prepare for a conversation, consider how to raise a concern appropriately, listen and respond to what the employee says, understand the limits of their role and identify appropriate pathways for further support.
Sometimes knowing what not to take responsibility for is just as important as knowing how to help.
Supporting an employee and managing performance are not necessarily opposing responsibilities.
Managers may need to show understanding and respond appropriately to an employee experiencing difficulties while still maintaining role clarity, appropriate boundaries and legitimate organisational expectations.
Having spent more than 20 years in management roles with responsibility for people, teams, business performance, operational and financial outcomes and KPIs, I understand the practical tension managers can experience between supporting people and delivering results. That experience now sits alongside my work as a counsellor and psychotherapist and informs the way I support managers.
Managers can spend considerable time looking after the needs of their teams while carrying their own workload, accountability, organisational pressures and responsibilities outside work.
Supporting managers therefore includes recognising the impact the role can have on the person performing it.
Where appropriate, managers can access individual counselling and psychotherapy for their own mental health and wellbeing, providing a confidential space separate from their responsibility for supporting employees.
The ‘Your Life’ Work
Therapy can provide the space to better understand yourself, recognise patterns and consider what may need to change. The work is collaborative, practical and focused on what matters to you. Therapy can help with:
Greater Self Awareness
Develop a better understanding of your thoughts, emotions, behaviours and patterns.
Clarity and Perspective
Step back from what is happening and consider situations, relationships and choices from different perspectives.
Choice and Change
Greater awareness can create greater choice in how you respond, rather than simply repeating familiar patterns.
Coping and Resilience
Develop practical ways of responding to challenges, managing difficult experiences and looking after your mental health and wellbeing.
Connection and Relationships
Better understand how you relate to yourself and others, communicate your needs and build healthier, more meaningful relationships.
Direction and Alignment
Explore what matters to you and whether the way you are living remains aligned with your values, relationships and the person you want to be.
