I was drawn to counselling by a desire to understand people and offer support during the moments when life feels most difficult. For me, the heart of this work is connection: creating a space where someone can speak openly, feel accepted and begin to make sense of what they are experiencing. That sense of purpose continues to guide my work today.
My professional journey has included corrections, parole assessment and counselling, crisis mental health, and alcohol and other drug services. These experiences have shaped my understanding of the circumstances people navigate and reinforced the importance of looking beyond a presenting concern to understand the whole person. Completing my Master of Counselling was an important milestone, and my learning has continued through clinical practice, supervision and further training, including child-centred play therapy.
In 2011, I founded Thrive Within Counselling & Psychotherapy. Building a practice grounded in compassion, respect and accessible support remains one of my proudest achievements. As Founder and Clinical Director, I have had the opportunity to bring together my interests in counselling, psychotherapy, clinical supervision and Positive Behaviour Support. Across these areas, my approach remains person-centred and trauma-informed, with respect for each person’s experiences, strengths and choices.
Today, my work includes digital counselling with Spectrum.Life, supporting people experiencing anxiety, grief, relationship difficulties, workplace stress and other challenges. I also provide clinical supervision and mentoring to counsellors and behaviour support practitioners. As an Advanced Behaviour Support Practitioner, I bring a strong focus on dignity, autonomy and quality of life to my work.
Supporting other practitioners has become a particularly rewarding part of my career. I enjoy helping supervisees develop confidence, strengthen their clinical reasoning and find their own professional voice. I want supervision to be a place where people can ask honest questions, acknowledge uncertainty and feel supported to grow. We ask our clients to trust the therapeutic relationship, and I believe practitioners also need relationships in which they can reflect openly and receive thoughtful guidance.
I also created the Counselling Blueprint, a resource for new counsellors setting up in private practice. The feedback I have received has been exceptional, making this a particularly rewarding way to share my experience and support colleagues as they establish their own practices.
This year, I also became a board member of the Australian Play Therapists Association. This is an opportunity I am proud to take on, contributing to the play therapy profession and supporting its continued development in Australia.
Being named a finalist for Australian Counsellor of the Year 2026 has been another very special milestone. I am grateful for the recognition and the opportunity to reflect on the learning, relationships and commitment that have shaped my journey. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the contribution counsellors make every day, often through conversations that happen quietly and away from public view.
To my fellow counsellors, whether you are beginning your career or have been practising for many years: keep learning, remain curious and give yourself permission to seek support. Make space for supervision, protect the boundaries that help you work sustainably, and offer yourself some of the compassion you so readily extend to others.
The conversation that feels ordinary to you may be the first time someone has felt truly heard. Your presence, care and willingness to listen matter. Stay connected to what brought you to this profession, and remember that your wellbeing deserves care too.