My way of working as a therapist has developed through personal and professional experiences. Over many years I have learnt from and value working with children, teenagers, and adults at all stages of life. I also enjoy working with couples and families.
Clinical & Counselling Psychologist
BBSc Grad DipEd Psych MPsych (Counselling) MAPS
My experience includes working with people surviving trauma in different forms often out of abusive personal relationships, both in their early years and as adults.
I find helping couples communicate and connect better has become a passion of mine as well as joining with young adults as they explore who they are and where they want to be in the world, witnessing them identify and tap into their personal strengths and potential in order to become effective agents of their own life.
I have been fortunate to learn from and work with people who have endured almost unimaginable pain who are survivors but are living with the fallout of such suffering which might include chronic pain, auto-immune conditions, severe psychological struggles that make even the simple tasks in life a challenge. These people are an inspiration and an example of the strength and capacity for human beings to live well despite what life has handed them.
Having survived the loss of close family members early in my own life, grief, loss, and depression has been familiar territory that informs my work with those who identify with this type of pain. Loss through change of all kinds can be painful and I am able to act as a companion and guide through this kind of experience.
I also enjoy being able to provide a role as a sounding board for those who feel conflicted about important life decisions, or where life has become a scary mess and a person needs a place to get things straight in their mind to better guide their actions.
I’ve had a good deal of experience, and have a special fondness, for working with individuals with vulnerable personalities, where negative emotions can sweep them into a deep hole or a sea of unbearable emotions. Part of the work here is to find ways to calm and regulate emotions when they become overwhelming.
Helping those paralysed with anxiety of any kind is also work close to my heart that I have contended with over many years. Joining with my clients to face ‘that dragon’ that can take almost any form is also a valued part of working with my clients.
After completing my undergraduate degree in 1987 and working as a counsellor in the rehabilitation sector, I went on to complete my fourth year and then Masters in Psychology (Counselling) by 2004. I have trained at Relationships Australia as a Couple Therapist and have training in the use of Clinical Hypnosis and as part of my registration engage in ongoing Professional Development.
How Carol approaches work with her clients
I am very attentive to each persons particular reason for coming to see me and we work from there. I want to understand what is their main concern. What is important and valuable to them as individuals, what do they feel they need and want for their lives, what is stopping them from taking the steps needed to achieve what they want for themselves. And often what has happened in the past that is somehow blocking their capacity to act. Through this process we discover the best way to work together.
There are many different approaches that can be used in therapy, approaches can involve not only talking but using experiential techniques which help to tune into the wisdom of the body and what it can tell us about our past hurts that also help resolve the pain inside. There are skills and practices to learn that help us to manage our unhelpful thought patterns, challenge our beliefs that bring us down, help us to recognise and regulate unruly emotions or ways to calm the mind. I will be interested to get an understanding of your strengths and potentials and can also offer suggestions that may help you develop yourself and heal.