A 60-minute session is $260. This is payable on the day of your session. You are currently eligible for a total of 10 sessions via a mental health care plan and need to return to your GP for a review after the 6th session. The Medicare rebate for a session with a mental health social worker is $87.25.

I'll provide you with an invoice on the day of your session, which you can use to seek a rebate from Medicare.

It's your responsibility to monitor how many sessions you have remaining on your Mental Health Care Plan and to review it with your GP to keep accessing the rebate. I add session pack notes to invoices to help track this.

Without a current MHCP with sessions remaining, the full fee is due. I don't offer bulk billing or sliding-scale fees.

There is no cancellation window. When you book a session, that time is reserved exclusively for you, and the full $260 session fee applies whether you attend or not, regardless of notice given or reason. If you're unwell, you're welcome to join by phone or video instead of cancelling.

Sessions can't be rescheduled to a different time or day, so please check your availability carefully before booking. If you have a preplanned holiday, let me know in advance so we can arrange your sessions around it. Medicare rebates are only available for attended sessions.

I don't accept private health insurance directly, but you're welcome to take my invoices to your insurer to seek reimbursement.

On Medicare: I am a registered provider, which means that with a current Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP, you can claim a partial rebate ($87.25) yourself after each session. I don't process or bulk-bill claims on your behalf, you submit them directly to Medicare using the invoice I provide.

I use outcome measure tools at every session to track whether you're reaching your goals, alongside honest conversation about what is and isn't working for you. Clients often tell me the first sign is noticing they've responded differently to something that used to trigger a shame spiral, a moment of pause where they are able to get some space from their inner critic. Beyond that, my clients typically notice increased inner well-being, greater self-compassion, being less influenced by the past, and more mindful interactions in relationships.

My clients have told me they've experienced:

• Being better able to take care of their vulnerabilities.

• Can calm self-critical thoughts and access self-compassion.

• Increased self-awareness of their emotions and how to mindfully respond to them.

• Been able to locate and heal parts of the self that feel stuck in the past and are holding trauma.

• An increased capacity to notice patterns in relationships.

• Increased confidence in regulating their distress.

• Showing up in their relationships as the best version of themselves.

• Less influenced by dominant negative beliefs that have been shaping how they view themselves, others and the world.

• Being able to put trauma memories in the past and no longer being distressed by them

I draw on Gestalt therapy, IFS (parts work) and EMDR to get there. EMDR has a strong evidence base for trauma processing, and I use it alongside Gestalt & Parts work when a client's history includes specific traumatic events, particularly minority stress, identity-based trauma, or family rejection, which is where much of my clinical work sits.

Generally, I'll initiate a conversation about this, but I encourage you to raise it with me directly at any point. I'll respond to what you need and adjust how I work with you, whether that means shifting focus within our work or trying something different. If I believe I'm not the right fit for your needs, I'll discuss referrals and support you to connect with other services.

Over five years of practice in Melbourne, the majority of my clients have been LGBTQ+ adults navigating shame, identity, and trauma. That sustained focus shapes how I work. I'm interested in how better understanding our shame can give us greater freedom from it, and how that helps us move away from destructive shame-based behaviours toward relating to ourselves and others in more loving ways.

As a queer person, I've experienced firsthand the impact shame can have on our lives, and I've seen the growth that's possible in myself and in clients when we go toward the dark places within us and find our way back to self-love. I'm passionate about supporting LGBTQ+ folk in processing shame and trauma, while celebrating the beauty of an LGBTQ+ life.

I've discussed this approach to trauma and the counselling process publicly in Source Therapy and How Therapy Actually Heals Trauma.

In general, we'll spend the first session getting to know each other and getting clear on your goals for counselling. In the second session, I'll ask about your history to contextualise the difficulties you're having.

In sessions, you can expect a caring, warm, and present-focused approach. Working from a Gestalt lens means I'm paying close attention to what's happening between us in the room right now, not just what happened in the past, because the therapeutic relationship itself is often where healing actually happens. I'll at times ask what's happening in your body to bring you into present awareness and help you notice feeling states you might not be aware of. We'll also explore your current relationships and how these have been shaped by past ones.

We may do some Internal Family Systems work, which helps us get to know the various parts of your psyche. Identifying which parts are holding past trauma and which parts are protecting against those vulnerabilities. Clients often find this gives them greater self-compassion, turns down the volume on their inner critic, and helps process past unprocessed pain.

I trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) in 2022, a technique for processing emotional distress attached to past memories, and may suggest EMDR sessions depending on your goals. I'll also give you strategies to manage emotional triggers so you can start to feel safer in your body and more in control of your feelings.

This depends on a range of factors, including external life circumstances and how the therapeutic relationship is developing. I measure outcomes at every session to review progress and identify problem areas, and we'll have regular conversations about how the work is going for you.

On average, I see clients for 8 sessions during their first episode of care. With some clients returning for sessions at a later date. I also see some clients long term.

The intake session is an opportunity for us to get to know each other and figure out if I'm the right fit for you.

Research shows that the relationship between client and therapist is the foundation of progress in therapy, so alongside gathering information about what's troubling you and getting clarity on your goals, I'll also share more about how I like to work, including my Gestalt, Parts work & EMDR, so you can get a feel for whether it's right for you.

Yes, though usually just one piece per session, specific to your concerns.

Research indicates that 60% of what drives change in therapy is the changes clients make in their external circumstances. Therefore, we will discuss how you can work toward your goals daily. These changes don’t always look significant, but over time can have a big impact. Homework I often suggest includes:

• Increasing your time to be in quiet contemplation to get more tuned into your feelings.

• Asking your partner for longer hugs than usual when you reunite to strengthen attachment bonds.

• Trying 1-minute tantrums to process buried frustration and anger.

• Nominating someone close to you to be a shame spiral friend who can provide you with empathy when shame is triggered.

Clients tend to make more progress when they do the homework and reflect on it between sessions.

Yes. I offer online sessions through Zoom and phone sessions, and I'll help you find a space that's private and comfortable to talk. These are also a great option if an in-person session isn't possible. Research indicates therapeutic outcomes for phone and online sessions are comparable to in-person sessions.

Thanks for taking the time to learn about my practice. I offer a free 30-minute check-in so we can explore whether I'm the right fit for you as a trauma therapist or LGBTQ+ counsellor in Melbourne. You can book this on the contact page.

Privacy

Everything you share with me is confidential. There are a small number of legal exceptions, and I'm happy to explain these in our first session.

I look forward to chatting with you.