My 20+ years development as a practitioner
Many, if not most, of us contend with recurring patterns of challenging emotions and behaviours throughout our lives. Utilising therapy and personal development to transcend these patterns, can help you regain a sense of peace, resolution and balance to your life. I discovered this throughout my own journey to becoming a psychological therapist.
My own history began with meditation and personal development. I have had 25 years’ experience in meditation, initially exploring a few different styles such as TM, Buddhist and my own bits and bobs. Nevertheless, for the past 25 years, I have dedicated myself to the meditation style taught by the Clairvision Meditation School.
I also embarked on personal development courses, as far back as 1998, with various organisations, along with engaging in psychotherapy. These experiences helped me to begin seeing life beyond a veil of delusion. I was fortunate because not only did Clairvision Meditation School teach me meditation but it also gave me a path of transformation where I could continue my personal development through Inner Space Techniques (IST). Therefore, through the various personal development courses, receiving counselling and immersing myself in IST, I made huge changes in my attitudes, beliefs and challenges that kept me feeling deeply unhappy and dissatisfied with life. The deep inner transformational work I’ve undertaken has resulted in gaining a reconnection to my true Self. And more importantly, it has led me to a life that is exceptionally happy, successful and profoundly fulfilling.
I became very passionate about IST as I saw how powerful it was, seeing the changes in myself and others. I had also broken through a lingering bout of depression which to me was a great success and testament to its benefits. This inspiration propelled me. Therefore, after several years of practicing IST and facilitating IST courses, in 2006 I was approved by the Clairivision School of Meditation to become a practitioner. To be a practitioner required at least 700 hours of receiving, and 700 hours of giving IST which by that time, I had more than exceeded. In my early days of learning this therapy style (back in1998), I provided it to countless people both in private sessions and in courses. Then, to substantiate my practice further, I undertook a counselling degree while actively seeing clients. During this time I also co-facilitated running personal development retreats and courses in the United States and Australia.
Following the completion of a Counselling degree in 2009, I earned a Master of Social Work in 2015, while running my private practice, and holding positions as Trauma Specialist Counsellor and Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Counsellor for several renowned treatment centres across Sydney - see my Linked-in profile for more details.
Having provided counselling in various settings, including trauma, mental health, family, and adolescent facilities, I was committed to staying up-to-date with the most advanced treatments for mental health conditions. Therefore, to better serve my clients and offer the most effective care, I have actively pursued further expertise in therapeutic treatment. This drive led me to study under renowned therapy luminaries, such as Bessel van Der Kolk, Janina Fisher, and Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing), whom I regard as leaders in the field of trauma and therapy.
I have worked and counselled men, women and adolescents experiencing alcohol and other drugs concerns, including their families and carers. However, I also found myself addressing complex trauma (e.g. sexual and domestic violence abuse) and mental health problems (e.g. depression, anxiety, personality disorders, bipolar). In addition to individual counselling I facilitated therapy groups on managing depression and anxiety, communication skills, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) (emotion regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness and interpersonal effectiveness), anger management, domestic/family violence, relationships and relapse prevention (substance-related).
From working in a mix of private practice; child and family early intervention; and several drug and alcohol detox and rehabilitation centres, coupled with undergoing many years of training; professional development, and not to mention with my own extensive meditation and personal development, I have gained invaluable insights into a diverse range of concerns and individuals from different backgrounds, experiences, cultures and religions. This experience has fostered a deep respect and admiration for the diversity of people.
In your treatment, you can rely on my rich background and extensive experience to provide you with a solid, knowledgeable, and dependable source of support.