Philosophy & Vision
I see therapy as an opportunity for you to receive the support you need for meaningful change. I maintain a deep awareness that the therapeutic relationship - the human connection between us - is the most important factor in whether this is possible. I prioritise a collaborative partnership where goals are set together and the development of a shared belief in a different future is possible. This means a paced, connective experience built on transparency and trust.
Sessions are tailored to what you need. While I can offer clinical suggestions, I work from the perspective that you are the expert of your life. You already possess strengths, skills, and knowledges you have developed in the face of life’s challenges. My role is to help you draw on and strengthen these existing foundations, so you can move away from the influence of the problems you're facing and towards the future you are hoping for.
Background
My background is rooted in a deep commitment to social justice and systemic change. Before entering private practice, I spent years working within the complexities of youth homelessness, mental health, and education. My career has been shaped by a passion for working with youth and families and a belief that healing happens in community and connection. I've led Rites of Passage programs for girls and worked in leading Adventure Therapy organisations.
With a multidisciplinary academic background and my own lived journey through complex trauma, I bring a grounded, multifaceted perspective to my clinical work. I love working with people 1-1 in therapy and believe that good therapy includes a social, cultural, and environmental lens.
Services
I offer a free 15-minute initial phone consultation to ensure we are a good fit before beginning our work together. My physical consulting rooms at Byron Bay (Habitat) are light filled with large windows and natural surrounds. There is also easy, free parking and accessible entry.
For those who prefer or require remote sessions, I provide secure Telehealth via video or phone. I aim to respond to all new enquiries within 2 business days. Once we begin, we work at a pace that respects your capacity, with clear communication around scheduling and session frequency. If you have specific requirements regarding physical accessibility or sensory needs in the room, please let me know so I can accommodate you.
Quality Provision
I am an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (AMHSW) and a member of the AASW, practicing under their strict Code of Ethics. I am also a Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician with ANZAED meeting high standards for safe, evidence-informed care. To support my work, I engage in regular clinical supervision and specialist professional development. My practice utilises secure, encrypted systems to ensure the highest standards of privacy and clinical record keeping.
Areas of Interest
Accreditations
- Graduate Certificate Counselling - 2022 - SCU
- Masters of Social Work (Professional Qualifying) - 2017 - JCU
Modalities
Attachment Theory - Narrative Therapy - Neuroscience - Strengths-Based - Systems Theory - Trauma-Informed
Therapy Approach
My approach is deeply collaborative and rooted in Narrative Therapy. I work from the perspective that you are the expert of your own life. Together, we work to disentangle your identity from the stories of trauma or struggle that have sought to define you. In this way you are supported to re-author your life and future stories.
I don’t use a one-size-fits-all clinical lens; instead, I am interested in the unique skills and "knowledges" you’ve used to survive. Our work is paced and transparent, focusing on reclaiming your agency and strengthening your "preferred identity" or the values, hopes, skills, and commitment you would like to hold onto as you move forward in your life.
Professional Associations
- Australian Association of Social Workers
Practice Locations
23/5 Easy St
Byron Bay NSW 2481
Appointments
In person sessions in Byron Bay on Saturdays only.
Telehealth sessions available Weds - Fri.
Fees & Insurance
Standard sessions $180.
With a Mental Health Care Plan, the Medicare rebate is $87.25.
I also see people under Victims Services (NSW), WorkCover (SIRA), NDIS (self/plan managed), and private health.
I offer a free 15-minute initial phone consul
Payment Options
Credit card. Medicare rebates processed automatically if eligible.
Contact Jaclyn
Please contact me to make an appointment
A conversation with Jaclyn Cunningham
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I chose to study social work as I'm passionate about social justice and systems change. I believe that even in 1-1 therapy it's possible to support people to dismantle the internalised impacts of harmful systems.
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I've worked in rites of passage and adventure therapy programs and I personally operate from an animist philosophy and a belief that remembering and tending to our relationships with the other-than-human world is essential for our wellbeing.
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I'm particularly interested in times of transition - e.g. adolescents, mid-life, death and dying. And I'm also particularly interested in healing our relationships with food, body, and by extension the land environment.
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I primarily use narrative therapy approaches. My work is also grounded in an understanding of the phased approach to complex trauma treatment. This approach outlines how safety and stabilisation is essential before trauma processing can occur. Moving towards safety and stabilisation means going at your own pace, learning techniques to stay grounded and resourced, and building trust over time. Trauma processing can include narrative therapy techniques of re-authoring stories to focus on strengths, skills, and values or "telling our stories in ways that make us stronger". The final phase of this approach is integration, which means moving forward while holding onto these strengths. This is what some people call "post traumatic growth".
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That really depends on the client. For some people it's the first session. For others it can take longer to build trust and safety, and this is also completely ok and still counts as "making progress". There's no time lines or expectations or pressure in the way that I work.
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I've benefited from therapy in really challenging times in my life. I've found it helpful to have support to understand dynamics and to simply have space to focus on particular issues and get perspective. I've also often found therapy challenging to access due to barriers like some psychologists wanting to jump straight into assessments and personal history before trust has been built - that really doesn't work for me so it's not how I work in my practice. I've also benefited a lot myself from alternative practices like kinesiology and yoga and I understand an holistic approach is often needed.
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It's an absolute honour to be such an intimate part of other people's journeys. To hear their challenges and also their hopes, values, dreams, and commitments. It's always a joy to see something "click" for people and witness them start live their lives differently than when we met.
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I think our fundamental belief in separation and the sickness that is extreme individualism is at the core of most of our challenges. Separation not just from other humans but from our fundamental relationships with the all the other beings and the land etc. I think this individualism and separation breeds hierachical systems which are also such a cause of harm and inequality. I do think psychology can often perpetuate individualism and supremacy and am careful to work against this in my practice.
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I recently read a book called "There are Rivers in the Sky" by Elif Shafak. It weaves together the stories of multiple different characters in different times in history who all had a relationship or experience with the same single drop of water. I love historical fiction generally and this book in a masterpiece of storytelling.