- Murray Bowen
Matt Garrett
Social Worker, Relationship Therapist
Parramatta, NSW 2050
In Person + Online Therapy Australia-wide
Philosophy & Vision
As a relationship counsellor I aim to provide a space where the issues and challenges facing a couple or family or an individual can be worked through safely and with dignity. My job is to help you be better at managing your struggle with either with yourself or with another or others. I believe relationships are our lifeblood. So that's what I focus on, the relationship that you are building with another or others.
I see couples and families in all their diversity. I also work with men challenged by masculine stereotypes and strong emotions. People, partners and families experiencing mental illness (and any other psychosocial challenge) should be able to access support for their relationship without judgment and labels.
Neurodiversity brings its own relationship challenges that can benefit from support.
Relationships that also intersect with gender and sexuality diversity should be valued and nurtured.
Background
Starting out as a social worker in mental health. Working as an educator with TAFE before retraining as a couple and family counsellor. I worked with Relationships Australia NSW as a clinician, supervisor and branch manager for 15 years. I had also been employed as a family worker with Hunter New England Mental Health. A commitment for working relationally with consumers of mental health services and their families commenced here.
I was at a crossroads professionally before embarking on private practice. I had the opportunity to build on my systemic couple and family foundations when I was introduced to psychoanalytically informed Object Relations.
I have been fortunate to work both within mental health and a private practice setting.
Services
Couple and family psychotherapy with a commitment to working relationally with individuals, couples and families where mental illness, autism and other neurodiverse attributes are present.
I work with couples experiencing affairs and betrayals, embedded conflict and animosity, reduced intimacy, struggles with sexual expression and loneliness within an intimate relationship or marriage
I aim to affirm gender and sexual diversity, ethical non monogamy and polyamory, believing all are worthy of acceptance and support.
Emotional and physical respect are vital for any relationship to survive safely. So working where there is substance use, pornography and other intrusions (incl other family members) can be of help to some..
Quality Provision
I receive a minimum of fortnightly supervision. I adhere to the ethical standards of the Australian Association of Social Work and the National Mental Health Standards.
I research areas of practice widely and undertake professional education relevant to my areas of practice.
Areas of Special Interest
Accreditations
- Bachelor of Social Work - 1986 - University of New South Wales
- Graduate Diploma Couple & Family Therapy - 1999 - Charles Sturt University
- Masters in Social Science - 2002 - University of Newcastle
- Masters in Psychoanalytic Studies - 2008 - Deakin University
Modalities
Attachment Theory - Compassion-Focused Therapy - DBT - Emotional Freedom Techniques - Emotionally Focused Therapy - Freudian - Interpersonal - Marriage and Family - Motivational Interviewing - Person Centred - Psychoanalytic - Psychodynamic - Short-term Psychodynamic - Systems Theory - Trauma-Informed
Therapy Approach
I began as a post Milan systemic couple and family counsellor. This allowed me to develop a nonjudgmental attitude with the dictum of the problem is the problem and not the person.
While this approach works well within a short-term strength-based environment it fell short in some areas where deeper more entrenched issues were present. A psychodynamic approach informed by Freudian and Object Relations has allowed me to work deeply and for long periods with people. Meeting with them where they are at and not enforcing a modality or prescription for change.
Professional Associations
- Australian Association of Social Workers
Practice Locations
Shop 3, 29 Hunter St
Parramatta NSW 2050
Fees & Insurance
I am unable to offer Medicare rebates.
Some private health insurers/third party providers will subsidize our work.
I offer a 15-minute free initial consult to work out if I am the right person to help you.
Payment Options
Cash, card or invoicing.
Contact Matt
Please contact me to book a 15 minute free initial consult
A conversation with Matt Garrett
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Ironically counselling firstly, then psychotherapy found me. I knew early in my career I need to formalize my interpersonal skills. I signed up to an external course as I was living remotely. It turned out to be a graduate diploma in couple and family counselling.
I was a sceptic of psychoanalysis; the new brief therapies were all in vogue at the time.
That is until I wanted more in the area of couple and family therapy and came across the Couple and Family Psychoanalytic Association of Australasia. The rest as they say is history. Never say never! -
Post-modernism initially, then psychiatric philosophy in the form of Object Relations Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Madeline Klein, Donal Winnicott and Douglas Fairburn and more recently the Schaff's and Mary Morgan to name a few.
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I am especially interested in understanding how people can build strong deep relationships under the most challenging of circumstances. People are fallible and when they struggle and experience the shame associated with a sense of failure calls for more support, help and affirming, not less.
Working along side people at the darkest, hardest and bleakest journey's is the most important aspect of this work -
A combination of post Milan systemic counselling, emotionally focused looking aqt interactional sequencing and family of origin information. Understanding projective identifications. Allowing couples (and families) to speak out and express deeper innermost thinkings in a safe and affirming environment.
Mostly the comments I receive about the benefits of my approach is that people can say or talk in a way they are not able to with each other, at the moment or yet. -
At the moment they feel like giving up
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My own therapy has been life changing; dare I say lifesaving. Therapies with others reaffirms my faith in the healing potential within all of us.
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Being able to hold the intensity of the emotional struggle within an individual, between couples and members of a family who are at the brink of losing themselves in the context of an intimate relationship. Helping individuals, couples and members of a family realize that being reliant or dependent on another is not a weakness necessarily. Helping people find themselves in a relationship is rewarding.
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Everyone has bad hair days!
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Rating a problem as the most significant can be subjective and set up a comparison about whose woe is worse. In terms of what's lacking? Perhaps it's a lack of shared sense of humanity that can ultimately unite us and make us stronger in the will to survive
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Catcher in the Rye (book) Cabaret (film) Love at first sight (Song) mob dancing (event) anything Brett Whitley (work of art)