I like the ACT model for skills practice in psychological flexibility, due to its high adaptability to a client’s needs from and goals for counselling. I believe that models of therapy need to be well-grounded in a robust scientific evidence base and provide practitioners with a framework in which to directly meet clients’ foremost needs for compassion and to be “safely witnessed”. The ACT model is that model for my practice. Solutions-focused, strengths-based approaches and systems theory from Social Work’s theory base, and developmental, psycho-dynamic and some post-modern approaches from Psychology and Counselling’s theory base, further inform my practice.
My special interest areas are:
- Adults in high-stress / high-risk professions living with acute/chronic feelings of emptiness, symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.
- Pregnant or recently pregnant women, their partners, and/or their immediate support network in dealing with pregnancy/birth-related trauma, loss and grief, or adjusting to first or second time parenthood.
Qualifications and Associations
- Bachelor of Arts (Psych & Eng Lit) – University of Pretoria, RSA, 1994
- Bachelor of Arts (Honores) Psych – University of Pretoria, RSA, 1995
- Master of Social Work Studies – University of Queensland, 2015
- Member of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)
- AASW Accredited Social Worker
- Certified ACT* Therapist
Continued Professional Development
- *Acceptance & Commitment Therapy – Certification – ACTMindfully
- ACT and Mindfulness for Trauma – Advanced Certification – ACTMindfully
- ACT for Depression & Anxiety – Advanced Certification – ACTMindfully
- Perinatal Non-Directive Counselling V2– Australian Psychological Society Institute
- QC9 Critical Components of Suicide Risk Assessment and Management (Level 1) – Qld Centre for Mental Health Learning
- Mental Health First Aider (including Suicide Prevention) – MHFA Australia
For everyone I work with, my wish is this:
“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears” – Nelson Mandela
Please click any of the green booking buttons on my website and follow the prompts on the booking page. If you are a bit worried about that first appointment, please read Your First Appointment, and then book through the link or message me to give you a call.
Hope to get to know you soon!
Hester
