Let’s work together

Stressed out?

Life is stressful, but stress is possibly the biggest threat to our long term health, due to the release of stress hormones from our autonomic stress response system.

At CounsellingCo, we can help you to recognise your own stress response, and regulate your nervous system. When you are able to achieve internal balance, we can also help you to prioritise your own needs, so that you can be available for the other demands in your life.

Struggling with Addiction?

There are many forms of addiction. Substance use disorder generally refers to alcohol or drug addiction. In Australia, nicotine, alcohol, cannabis, methylamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, MDA, ketamine, fentanyl, heroin and oxycodone are the main drugs of abuse and can cause significant harm both to the user and their loved ones.

But there are many other behavioural addictions which can cause real harm. These can include behavioural addictions such as sex or masturbation, gambling, gaming, exercise, and food. Many are facilitated online including social media addiction, online shopping, online gambling, online gaming, and online pornography etc.

At CounsellingCo we understand the neuroscience of addiction such as the role of dopamine in the reward pathways and the impingement of inhibitory circuits in the brain, and we can provide understanding and strategies to reclaim your life.

Depressed or Anxious?

If you are depressed, you are not alone. One in seven Australians suffer depression in their lifetime. Depression has been likened to being in mud, where it feels impossible get traction or move forward. At CounsellingCo we will work with you to gently help your neurological circuits reactivate, and get you ‘moving’ again, one step at a time. We also use schema therapy (ST) to reduce the chance of relapse. There is hope.

Similarly if you are anxious, we can help to curb the rumination, the sleepless nights and the nervous exhaustion. We can help you calm your nervous system so that you can cope, before we take a deeper look at any underlying issues.

Frustrated, Angry, or dealing with an AVO?

Frustration and anger are the most maligned of the emotions, but they are necessary. At CounsellingCo, we don’t judge anger, we prefer to embrace it. Anger tells us when something is wrong, or when somebody has crossed a boundary, or violated our values.

At CounsellingCo, we believe the problem is in our inability to regulate anger in a way that is appropriate for us and those around us. We will work with you to identify where your anger comes from and help you to regulate emotions and express them in a healthy way.

We are unique at CounsellingCo in that we understand both toxic femininity and toxic masculinity and we prefer not to discriminate or stigmatise. If you have been issued with an AVO, we are here to support you. If you are critical or controlling, we can work on that too.

Trouble at Work or Workaholic?

Are you working in a toxic environment? Has a recent change of management set relationships on edge? Are you being overlooked and underpaid, or are you working all the hours without any acknowledgement? The workplace is one of the key areas where our human experience is put to the test, where fears, insecurities, phobias and childhood traumas are played out in full view.

At CounsellingCo, we are experienced in working with your experience of toxic bosses, perfectionism, controlling behaviour, grandiosity, competition, spite – all of the human maladaptive behaviours which drive us. Whether you are on the receiving end, or you are a manager having trouble with your team, we can help.

Drinking too Frequently, or Drinking to Excess?

No one ever sets out to become an alcoholic. One glass of wine a night might creep up to half a bottle and before you know it, you’re hiding how much you drink from those around you.

Or you might be a problem drinker who is the life and soul of the party, until you’re not.

If this is you, then CounsellingCo could help to adjust your trajectory, before you reach the dreaded “rock bottom”.

Relationship Issues?

Everyone has relationship issues from time to time. However if you are in the midst of a toxic relationship, or if you find yourself calling your partner narcissistic or controlling, it’s time to take a bird’s eye view. Only an objective third party can look at things from a distance and provide clarity on both your’s and your partner’s role in the dynamic.

We are unique at CounsellingCo in that we consider both female toxicity and male toxicity concurrently and we look for causal factors in intergenerational trauma.

Or, if it’s appropriate, you might opt for couples counselling. At CounsellingCo we use family systems and relational dynamics to dive into what’s happening.

Support in Early Recovery?

If you have managed to get through detox, that’s a massive effort to be highly congratulated. However, as you know, your recovery journey is still at a perilous stage. Early recovery is difficult because even without the drug or behaviour, your brain still responds to any external stimuli which was associated with the use or behaviour and sends your body into a ‘B process’, triggering the opposite effect of the drug or behaviour you have so painfully managed to stop.

That is why it is essential to get some support when you are in early recovery. CounsellingCo provides non-judgemental support and relapse prevention strategies to help you to manage cravings and get you through this tough time.

Moreover, CounsellingCo helps you to unpack the mechanisms which drove your addiction in the first place, giving you a much greater chance of lasting positive change.

Supporting Someone in Addiction?

Caring for someone in addiction is excruciatingly hard, and your loved one is usually completely oblivious to the pain you are going through.

At CounsellingCo, we “get it”. We understand the chronic and constant fear of not knowing if someone close to us is dead or alive. And we understand how hard you have tried and how much you have done to help your loved one kick the habit. We also know how difficult it is to go through the pain, anger and frustration they have caused, as well as the financial burden they may have inflicted on you.

Reaching out to CounsellingCo is a positive step in your own healing journey. We can help you to manage the guilt and provide the care you need when you are depleted.

Trauma or C-PTSD?

Developmental trauma or relational trauma in early childhood can be subtle or even sub-conscious, yet it can drive our maladaptive behaviours into adulthood.

Complex trauma or C-PTSD is the result of sustained, prolonged or repeated trauma, which can cause significant impairment in our lives including difficulty with trust and forming relationships, or the inability to control our emotions, or even zoning out completely.

Therapy at CounsellingCo is trauma-informed, which means that we work to stabilise you and instil a sense of safety before we undertake any work to unpack a traumatic past. Therapy is compassionate and follows the client’s lead in pace and direction.

Comfort Eating?

If you are eating for comfort, it’s highly likely you “beat yourself up” daily, struggling with the guilt, shame and demands of today’s society. Apart from the consequences on your physical health, comfort eating usually comes with various forms of anxiety, body dysmorphia and self-esteem issues.

At CounsellingCo, you can take a breath. We understand why you do it, and we can help you to fill the emotional void, so you can embrace your gorgeous self, and if you want, make different choices.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?

Shock trauma, or being involved in, or witness to, a life-threatening event leaves an indelible mark on our nervous system, and in some cases can cause a disruption in how memories are stored, resulting in flashbacks or the constant feeling that the threat is still present. CounsellingCo is a trauma-informed practice which uses the process of memory reconsolidation to help to re-contextualise the trauma, and somatic techniques to provide safety signals to the autonomic nervous system.

CounsellingCo is PACFA accredited, and recognised by the DVA to work with veterans. We honour the sacrifice of our veterans and we are here to help.

Struggling with Grief?

Everyone grieves in their own way. You may have heard of stages of grieving, or the tasks of grieving, but the truth is, there is no ‘proper’ way to grieve or deal with loss.

We are here to sit beside you and gently orientate you to what’s occurring, and to provide some much-needed respite from overwhelming emotional pain. By reaching out to CounsellingCo, you will not be alone in the process.

Personality Disorder?

If you have a diagnosed personality disorder and you need some extra support, we are here to help. We understand personality disorders through the lens of relational, childhood or even intergenerational trauma and we can provide you with strategies to sooth your nervous system and help you to self-regulate.

With ongoing work, can dive more deeply into your psyche and help you to restore connection with a renewed sense of self, with a stronger identity and sense of purpose and hope.

“Tamara is the first counsellor I have really felt comfortable with”

— FEMALE CLIENT

We’re here to help