Psychotherapists and Counsellors Answer your Questions
Conversations with Therapists
-
What led you to choose psychotherapy or counselling as a profession?
-
Which philosophical approaches have influenced your professional development?
-
Which particular aspects of health or the human journey are you interested in?
-
What methods do you use?
-
When do you think the client will start to feel that progress is being made?
-
How has therapy made a difference in your life?
-
What do you like most about being a therapist?
-
Do you ever have 'bad hair' days?
-
What do you think is the most significant problem we face, in the world today?
-
Can you share the name of a book, film, song, event or work of art that inspires you?
Deb Gavan
I LOVE my work with children, young people, adults and families. I became a counsellor and social worker in order to assist people with issues that are overwhelming or hard to make sense of. I deeply...
Jamie Rickcord
I spent ten years in general practice before moving my work entirely into psychotherapy — I'm still a GP, but this is now all I do — and the honest answer is that general practice showed me what...
Michael Elwan
I came to this work through lived and living experience long before I had language for it. From a young age, I was a carer for family members with disability and complex mental health challenges,...
Delaney Chow
My path to choosing counselling as a profession started early - growing up around family experience of mental health, and a genuine fascination with why people behave the way they do (a curiosity...
Vivian Salim
I have a life-long interest in Psychotherapy, starting from Carl Jung in my uni days. After reading a book by Gabor Mate, I decided to enrol in a Master of Counselling degree at Monash University...
Sonja Keller
I was drawn to psychotherapy and counselling because of a deep desire to help people navigate life’s difficulties and find healing. Early in my personal and professional experiences, I witnessed how...
Bianca Esteves
Curiosity about what makes us human, I suppose. I took a rather scenic route through the corporate world before finding my way to psychology. Somewhere along the way, I realised that what interested...
Safari Lee
I’ve always been drawn to helping roles, and after more than twenty years in healthcare and social education, supporting people through life’s challenges felt like a natural fit. I have also...
Phena Buhrich
I was drawn to counselling after many years as a social worker, including time in Brixton (UK) supporting people facing significant social and systemic barriers. Social justice and environmental...
Dillon Bensted
Psychotherapy has felt more like a vocation than a deliberate career choice. By vocation, I mean a sense of being drawn towards something that lay outside my plans and imagination. The careers I...
Ernst Meyer
After a crisis in my private life I was looking for different ways to live my life. I enrolled in a training program for psychotherapy, and over time I transitioned from being helped to being the...
Veronik Verkest
After a difficult period in my work life, I physically became unwell and was eventually diagnosed with a chronic illness. My habitual way of pushing through difficulties and ignoring my body signals...
Natalie Meijer
I chose this profession at the age of 23 after spending two years travelling in Asia particularly India and felt I wanted to make a difference in the world. I had finished a bachelors degree just...
Helen Basili
Social justice has always been very important to me and social work was a way of enacting these values.
Claire Sydney
I have always been fascinated by relationships and the profound impact they have on our wellbeing. What drew me to counselling was the opportunity to help people strengthen their connections with...
Xanthe Katsouras
Initially I believe I chose this field because I wanted to understand myself deeply, that psychology bend was there from a young age. Yet, it would be over 30years after starting my degree before I...
Lissette Endacott
Having personally experienced healing through engaging in creative arts therapy and seeing its impact on other peoples' lives I knew that this was the right field for me.
Sebastian Kinne
I came to psychotherapy after many years working in business and consulting, alongside a longstanding interest in how people make sense of themselves, relate to others, and navigate change. Over time,...
Alison Turner
Going back to when I was a kid I loved listening to people and hearing their stories which later led to wanting to help. Also, my own life experiences led me to becoming a therapist.
Sanaz Bassiri
During a 25-year corporate career in tech transformation leadership alongside 20 years as a psychologist, I watched the modern world fracture people’s sense of self. I saw that workplace burnout or...
Katia Erokhina
My path to psychotherapy wasn’t a straight one. After immigrating to Australia, I studied accounting and worked as an accountant, but I was always far more curious about people than numbers. My own...
Morag Paterson
I have always been a deep thinker and observer of life around me. In my 20's, I had my own internal struggles and found myself reading self help and personal growth books which were validating,...
Henry Ferrier
I was drawn to psychotherapy because I’ve always been interested in how people make sense of themselves, their relationships and the experiences that shape them. Through my earlier work in child...
Amanda Dounis
As a young girl still in high school I was always reading books surrounding mental wellness and anything motivational. As it turned out, as an adult all the education and training that I did...
Stephen Moore
I’ve always been curious about people and what shapes who we become. My own life experiences also taught me that understanding what happened to us can be very different from actually healing from...
Kelsey Hendrickson
A lifelong interest in people and what makes us humans tick is what first drew me to study psychology as a Bachelor's Degree in the U.S. I've always been keen to understand why people act the way they...
Matt Garrett
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...
Kathleen Goossens
My training and experience in health started from a medical paradigm which over time felt limiting. I was drawn to individual holistic work which led me to training in naturopathy and body work. After...
Jennifer Nurick
I grew up in housing commission in a “rough” area of town, witnessing coercive control and codependency within my family of origin. Later, I recognised how these early experiences had shaped my...
Ashley Thomson
Seeing a psychotherapist changed my life, and not just once. Having had such a profound experience, I found I wanted to understand how it worked. I felt that I had found a missing piece in...
Linda Bartolone
I was drawn to counselling through both professional and lived experience. Working in corporate and advocacy roles, I saw how much capable, high-functioning people carry beneath the surface, often...
Marie Mooney
* A deep passion and desire to support people to live the life they want for themselves.
* Being able to sit with a therapist when I have experienced my own emotional pain, trauma, grief and loss and...
Sarah Bergman
I have always been interested in talking with and getting to know people. I am very curious about myself and others. What makes us unhappy and happy? How do our relationships with ourselves and others...
Uri Bookman
My interest in healing and personal development began in the 1990s, though my career initially led me into business. After founding and running an IT company, I found myself increasingly drawn back to...
Geraldine Devas
I have always been interested in the human make up and how we relate to self and people and the world around us. Counselling provides pathways to explore this and support for others to create change.
Carolin Skipka
My path here wasn't direct — I originally trained and worked as a pharmacist in Germany. Over the years, through my own life experiences and the support I received from other women while navigating...
Kylie Long
I came to this work through my own journey. In my late thirties, I was dealing with chronic pain, disconnection from my body, and the impact of past trauma on my sexuality and relationships. I'd spent...
Ash Rehn
I have always been interested in people and their stories. I think our identity - who we are - is not produced privately and individually but through interaction with others. We benefit from the...
Martina Palombi
During a therapy session in my early twenties it dawned on me that if I trained as a therapist I could support others through the same process I was experiencing myself. A process I was deeply...
Jennifer Fox
A spiritual experience I had when I was 12 years old, following that inner thread led me to this profession - an inner and professional life journey.
Miranda Fagan
For me personally I have always been drawn to pursuits that involve curiosity, contemplating the human condition, self-reflection, and personal growth. Counselling as a profession allows me to engage...
Sonya Thompson
My decision to become a counsellor came from my own experience of struggling to find someone who could truly support and understand me. I realised I wanted to be that safe, caring person for others...
Laura Wilson
I would say that what made me choose psychotherapy as a profession was a fascination for the mind and imagination, as well as deep compassion for suffering.
Tara King
I’ve been on my own journey of counselling, healing, and empowerment, and those experiences deeply shape the way I work today. Having walked through my own challenges, I’m able to understand and...
Lisa Milne
I started my career in academia because of a deep interest in societies and why they are structured as they are. My work in trying to reduce social inequalities and volunteering at non-profit...
Tessa Ipp
I was going through some issues of my own in my 20's. A good friend suggested I see a wise and insightful Clinical Social Worker, Bev. She had such a profound impact on my life that I decided to...
Nick Batty
I have always had a strong interest in human behaviour, and in 2013 I followed my passion and commenced the pathway to become a Psychologist.
Toni Leemen
I wanted to be the person I needed at 17, when I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
Gabriele (Gabe) Marranci
I transitioned to psychotherapy from a background in cognitive psychology, anthropology, and applied neuroscience due to my profound passion for helping individuals overcome psychological suffering....
Geoff Heard
I first studied massage, and was intrigued at the way people would, week after week, re-create in their bodies the tensions I had massaged away the week before. This led me to investigate the...
Teresa Wilkinson
Growing up in a complex family system and then experiencing how life-changing therapy can be.
Tony Monaghan
How people function has been a lifelong curiosity. I started in Youth Work, but wanted to see how the 'other half' lived. I went corporate for 20+ years, and have gradually swung back to this work,...
Kerry Kostinsky Verlingieri
I felt deeply saddened by how many hurting people kept crossing my path. The more I spoke to people the more I found that everyone was hurting, even the people who looked like they had everything...
Megan Drummond
My path to psychotherapy was deeply influenced by both personal and professional experiences. I saw firsthand how transformative the healing process could be. This ignited a passion to help others on...
Geraldine McKay
The values of the profession align with my own so I am able to approach my work with a sense of ease. I appreciate the unique position I am in and it is a privilege to work closely with others in...
Robyn Price
Psychotherapy eventually found me. The seed was planted many years ago as I recovered from a bout of depression in my university days. The catalyst for recovery was a creative dance class run by a...
Louise Kanjee
Self-growth and learning about the self and supporting others in this has been a passion of mine since I was young. Creating a space where people feel heard, held and supported is something that...
Carlyn Chen
Counselling and psychotherapy are able to assist people to heal the root causes of trauma as well as empower people with skills to thrive in the here and now. Through the therapeutic process, we can...
Steven Segal
My passion for psychotherapy emerged out of my own experience of being a client in therapy in my mid 20's. Going to psychotherapy made a big difference to myself. I then began studying psychology and...
Gidon Weinstein
I struggled to find genuine joy or meaning in my customer service roles, feeling stifled by the conglomerate of industries. Transitioning to human services filled me with confidence and purpose, as I...
Kellie Nichol-Smith
Having benefited from counselling myself I understand the amazing support this service can offer.
Gaye Mallinson
As part of my own life journey I was significantly injured whilst working as a nurse in a secure mental health hospital ward & I was faced with not being able to continue the work I felt passionate...
Natalie Wise
I struggled through trauma as a child, developing complex trauma as a result. I went into the arts and realised I needed a lot of deep work, so I spent fifteen years in weekly therapy. During that...
Samantha Goldrick
I have constantly been interested in what makes people think and feel the way they do and why we do the things we do. The experiences that often plague people I was always seeking to understand and...
Paula Yanis
I was drawn to counselling through a longstanding interest in understanding people, relationships, and what helps individuals navigate life's challenges and grow. Throughout my work in community...
Carolyn Choy
For me, there is no greater privilege than being trusted with someone’s story and complete vulnerability. I was drawn to psychotherapy by a deep respect for the resilience of the human spirit and...
Tania Djipalo
I believe we all have a unique gift to offer the world. It was in my own pursuit of peace and purpose I became interested in therapy. Firstly I received it and then I became interested in becoming a...
Stefan Durlach
For as long as I can remember I've been interested in how life works, its meaning and purpose, the why's and how's of existence. Philosophy, psychology, and spirituality deal with these issues, and...
Rowan Druce
I was drawn to psychotherapy as I have an interest and care for people's inner worlds. I have benefited from others having held my experience of being an individual person with support and...
Brenda Rowlandson
My own experience of psychotherapy when I found myself in a crisis situation. I became more and more intrigued as I explored my unconscious process, my dreams and 'what lies beneath' and how my...
Rima Alkadamani
From a young age, I found myself drawn to people’s stories their struggles, their resilience, and their desire to be heard and understood. I have always been deeply empathetic and sensitive to the...
Micaella Gogoski
I was drawn to psychotherapy through a deep interest in people’s inner worlds and how we make sense of suffering, change, and connection. Over time, both personally and professionally, I have...
Caitlin Hall
My path into this work has been shaped by a long-standing fascination with the symbolic, the unseen, and the ways meaning arises from within. Before becoming a psychotherapist, I worked for many years...
Jade Fisher
I came to this work through lived experience. After navigating my own complex trauma and bereavement recovery, I witnessed, in myself, that transformation is real: that mercy, relief and renewal...
Debby Heath
I want to be of service and know that counselling and psychotherapy can support profound growth and healing that has a 'ripple effect' in the world. I believe this work is a 'calling' more than a job...
Jaclyn Cunningham
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...
Lisa Moore
I am drawn to counselling by a genuine desire to make a positive impact on people's lives. I care deeply about the well-being of others and find immense satisfaction in providing support during...
Kristy-Lee Ferry
Honestly… it came from doing the work on myself.
It was years of trying to understand myself, moving through things that didn’t make sense, and sitting in places that felt really hard to...
Joanna Penty
Having experienced low mood and anxiety, through psychotherapy, I developed a deeper understanding of myself and became increasingly curious about what drives human behaviour — why we think, feel,...
Jennifer Fernandez
I came to this work from a previous career in teaching. I've always had a deep care and curiosity about people, and a natural pull toward conversations that go beneath the surface. It was through my...
Matthew White
I chose psychology as a profession because I’m deeply interested in how our experiences shape who we are, and how change is possible through understanding and connection. I’m continually inspired...
Karen Rose
I have a background in community work that allowed me the immense privilege of being with people during vulnerable moments of their lives. This lead me to choose a social work degree, which then lead...
Julie Catt
I was first drawn to psychology at university, where I discovered both a strong aptitude for the subject and a deep interest in how people make sense of their lives. More than two decades later, what...
Fiona Giles
Since my student days I've been interested in psychotherapy, particularly in relation to literature and art, which I studied at university. After a rewarding academic, writing and publishing career, I...
Nicole Kinnaird
My choice to study Social Work initially was due to a strong interest in working with children and the idea of having fun in my job was very important and appealing. Out of rebellion I decided I...
Clara Luxford
I have always had a deep interest in who we are as human beings and how we live our lives, how we see ourselves in each of our worlds and how we present ourselves to others. This fascination led me to...
Adrian Workman
I chose to pursue a career in psychotherapy and counselling largely due to the transformative effect my own therapy had on me during mid-life. After experiencing significant challenges, I sought...
Philipa Thornton
Having worked for many years to become a licensed psychologist my values inspire me to be of service to others in a meaningful way.
It's important to keep growing and learning.. This leads me to...
Erin Galt
I have always had a keen interest in understanding people and how their minds work. I find practicing psychology and conducting assessments very rewarding, particularly observing client's reaching...
Careena Cook
I have always been naturally drawn to the helping professions, in particular in regard to mental health. Over the years it has become a vocation and a passion. I also find both the individual mind and...
Priscilla Schwartzman
I’ve always been drawn to people’s stories. The moments that shape us, challenge us, and gently call us back to who we are. Over time, I found myself naturally listening, mentoring, and holding...
Kate McMaugh
I originally chose to study psychology as an 18 year old who was interested in brains and behaviour but I did not come from an academic family at all (I am the first person in my family to finish...
Alice Suttie
My passion for counselling began when, as a student nurse in the ’80s, I realised how little time was given attending to the emotional needs of long-term or terminally ill patients in a busy public...
Daisy Dollisson-Oatley
Before being a psychotherapist I was a farmer. Whilst working with people on my farm I found myself inadvertently holding therapeutic spaces for people and also others for me. The dropping into...
Crawf Weir
Becoming a psychotherapist felt like a natural progression in my work with people. I began by teaching yoga, where I saw how much emotional material lives in the body and how deeply people long to...
Ann Edvall
I’ve always been drawn to understanding people and what helps us through life’s ups and downs. After more than 15 years working as a manager, I decided to re-train as a counsellor. As a mature...
Michael Grunwald
I studied General Psychology in my undergraduate degree, specialising later in Work & Organisational Psychology during my time abroad, with a real focus on Cross-Cultural Psychology. However, my...
Fiona Akal
I’ve always been drawn to the quiet spaces where people feel safe enough to be real. After years in OT, I wanted to offer care that goes deeper than checklists — care that listens, adapts, and...
Dominique Smajstr
My path into psychotherapy began with my own experience as a client. That work deeply impacted me and affirmed my values of curiosity, empathy, and emotional depth. I’ve always been drawn to the...
Sally Walsh
We all deserve to give ourselves more choice and to live a fulfilling life and I did the same for myself and completed many personal hours of work too.
Michelle Tadros
I studied an Arts degree with majors in Anthropology, Theatre Studies, and Psychology—each focused on understanding people and their stories. Psychology, in particular, felt like the perfect path...
Giulia Fiore
I recently graduated from University with a degree in Marketing and Public Relations when I realised that I wasn't fulfilled and needed a change. Travelling I came across coaching and found my...
Lisa Barrett
I think the biggest factor that has always drawn me back to counselling, regardless of what other paths I have taken along the way, is my never-ending sense of wonder about human beings - what drives...
Lu Migliore
I originally dreamt of being a journalist but ended up in education. Education was a great forum for understanding child development and family systems. I have increasingly been interested in...
Eric Rangel Oliveira
My passion for working within the mental health and addiction field has been ignited by my journey of self-development and inspired by the recovery journeys of other people.
This passion and...
Robyn Bowman
A complicated family of origin and experiences of my own child-raising years led me to see the value of someone external to talk to. I benefitted enormously from the kindness and empathy of a...
Jim Filshie
A combination of things have led me here: my deep interest in engaging with and getting to know others, my increasing understanding of how the world and society impacts positively and adversely on...
Megan McGrath
I've always been drawn to people’s stories—what shapes them, what helps them heal, and how they move through challenge. After years in health and wellness coaching, I wanted to go deeper....
Lesley Turnbull
I have always been a seeker, in search of knowledge about spirituality and the journey of self. I have worn many hats and have experienced a lot of life's slings and arrows, but have also been very...
Ron Dowd
I feel it has chosen me. Although I worked for many years as a software engineer, I was reading Jung in my 20s and was fascinated, though I didn't understand a lot of it. I guess I was on the common...
Gregory Poll
The Gestalt philosophy and principles that informed me on how to be a better human being. I was invited to find out for myself how I respond/react to different situations and what is like to be...
Nathan Dick
As a manager, leader, parent, uncle and partner over the last 20 years I have found people often seeking me out for advice and support with the challenges of life. After many suggesting that I take up...
Hadass Segal
I have always been interested in the human condition and in relationships and how to enhance them.
Carol Marando
My own serious mental health issues (a result of early trauma) drove me to find a way to change and heal myself. After trying around 10 different therapists I finally found the right one for me at...
Alexandra Page
I grew up with a vision impairment and received support for a number of helping professionals, this I think inspired in me an appreciation for the benefit of helping others.
Debbie O'Connor
Since I was a child I have always been interested and curious about people, what makes them the unique individuals they are, and have always had a keen desire to help people in distress. I began my...
Steve Bonanno
I have always marveled at the resilience of the human spirit... and I have wondered what conditions must be present to allow someone to overcome adversity.
Having experienced good therapy as a...
Carla Van Der Poel
I was drawn to psychotherapy by a deep interest in attachment theory and the ways our early experiences shape our present lives and relationships. I find it inspiring that, while we cannot always...
Tamara Pallos
I originally trained and worked as a lawyer but didn't enjoy it. I had found therapy really valuable in my own life (I have a complex trauma background) and wanted to be able to support others in a...
Karen Druce
My family of origin experiences growing up formed the bedrock of my desire to understand individual differences, personal temperament, human suffering and resilience, in the face of life's storms and...
Petra Lansdown
I started my career in Counselling later in life, I have always had a strong interest in psychology and curious about the mind and body and how they both connect.
I am passionate about providing...
Mairead Cleary
I have been working with people in various capacities for 15 years. But 12 years ago I participated in a therapeutic process that caused a dramatic and life changing shift for me. That was it. I had...
George Turnure
I have always been curious about human behaviour, what makes people the way they are, the things they do. I have always been interested in others' experiences, what they liked and disliked, why they...
Robyn Mansfield
A deep curiosity and interest in people and the human condition.
David Anthony
Life offered me a chance to teach music in a maximum security gaol. This opened my eyes to the power of music to heal and connect. So, I studied for my post-grad qualifications and started working...
Natasha Lawrence
I have always loved listening to people and understanding what motivates them. This love led me to do my own therapeutic work to gain a deeper insight into myself. While depression, anxiety,...
Lauren Reiners
I saw a counsellor as a child and found the process to be so helpful, and insightful. It allowed me space to be able to express whatever it was that I was feeling, without judgement. Since I was a...
Rosa Oyta
When I was young, I had a natural tendency to help my friends with their problems. I felt fulfilled when I could offer them guidance and support. This led me to develop a strong interest in counseling...
Marzena Diard
My own experience of transformation through Gestalt Therapy.
Rina Taub
I was always attracted to the idea of working with people and had a belief that expressing yourself and exploring problems was useful (I suspect my mother's kitchen table conversations with my friends...
Rebecca Anderson
I want to help people to understand why they feel and behave the way they do. When people understand *why* they do something, they have the awareness and power to change things and move from just...
Michelle Lam
I grew up in a family dedicated to assisting others through the provision of medical and health services to the community so it is hardly surprising that I developed a strong interest in helping...
Amber Rules
I have family experience with addiction and mental illness, and as a young adult, I received support and care from some wonderful therapists who helped me make sense of it all. I was always so...
Jacqueline Nevin
Lived experience of grief and loss, family mental health issues and trauma gave me a personal desire to support people through different life experiences.
Jessica McMillan
I have always had a drive to help people. I have studied body therapies and Traditional Chinese Medicine and eventually decided that my passion was in psychotherapy. This led to a Bachelors degree,...
Karin McLennan
As a former United Nations staff member working in international humanitarian operations for around 20 years, I spent many years living and working in areas of protracted conflict, or responding to...
Conny Davis
I have always had an interest in how people harness the strength to overcome adversity and how life experiences affect people differently. I have been inspired by working as a volunteer for young...
Amy Datyner
I have always been interested in understanding the 'why' behind behaviour. This led me to study psychology at University. After my undergraduate studies I worked in disability employment services,...
Howard Colin-Thome
I initially become interested in psychology after reading self-help books in my late 20s. I found that I understood and enjoyed reading about human behaviour and psychology and it started from there....
Kerstin Buccoliero
Being born legally blind and only learning to see at the age of 5, had me set off to a diverse start. Back in the 70s bullying was very common which led to a lot of trauma. Additionally, I developed...
Janelle Wright
I became interested in counselling and psychotherapy as a young adult when I realised that the skills and coping strategies I had learned in childhood needed refining. Learning self reflective skills...
Michael Vaccaro
I first received therapy as a teenager as I suffered from insomnia, depression and anxiety. I experienced panic attacks and had no support or practical tools to deal with the massive emotions. I began...
Graeme James
I didn't want to be a counsellor or therapist. Initially I worked in marketing. After years of encouragement from a friend I finally became a volunteer Lifeline counsellor way back in 1987. Very...
Mia Kennedy
I have always been interested in human behaviour and as I grew older the amount of suffering we can go through as humans became more evident. I am very strength-based by nature and so learning about...
Martin Hemsley
I have always had a caring attitude and curiosity about people.
I have a close family member with Schizophrenia and wanted to know how to be useful for people experiencing extreme states of...
