Reasonable questions.

A counsellor focuses on therapeutic conversation — sitting with what's happening, noticing patterns, finding language for things that don't have words yet. A psychologist's training also includes the ability to diagnose mental health conditions and deliver treatments that come with Medicare rebates. The work often overlaps. If you don't know which you need, the simplest thing is to start with a conversation, and we can figure it out together.

I'm an ACA Registered Counsellor (Member #2243). I hold a Diploma of Counselling through the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors (AIPC), and I'm currently completing my Master of Counselling. I've also trained in bereavement support with Red Nose — Australia's leading organisation for stillbirth, miscarriage, and infant loss support — providing online and in-person support to families. My private practice draws on all of that.

Yes. I came to this work in part through my own experience of loss in early motherhood. I don't lead with it, and I won't make it the centre of our work — but I want you to know it, so you understand I'm not arriving at this from outside it. If you'd like to ask me about it directly, you can. If you'd rather not, we don't need to talk about my story at all. The work is about yours.

Mostly, we'll just talk. I won't ask for your whole life story. I'll ask what's on top of mind, and we'll follow it from there. You don't have to come prepared, and you don't have to know what you want from this. By the end, we'll have a sense together of whether continuing makes sense, and what kind of rhythm might suit you.

Most women I see start weekly, then ease to fortnightly once we've found a rhythm. Some stay weekly for months. Some come once a fortnight from the start. There's no fixed minimum, and you don't have to commit to anything after our first session. The shape of the work is yours to lead.

You don't have to know. Most people don't, especially in the first few sessions. I'll ask gentle questions, and we'll follow whatever comes up. Silence is fine too. The work isn't about saying the right thing — it's about giving the questions somewhere safe to land, long enough to actually look at them.

It works. I've spent years supporting families both online and in person through Red Nose, and online isn't a lesser version of the work — it's its own thing, and it can be its own kind of close. You'll need a private room and a steady connection. Headphones help. A cup of tea, a tissue box, somewhere comfortable to sit. You don't need to perform composure. The Google Meet link comes through in your calendar invitation; there's nothing to download.

Yes, and I think about it often. I'm originally from Salento, in southern Italy, and I've lived in Australia long enough to know that home can sit in the gap between two places. I'm used to noticing when something somebody is carrying makes more sense inside their culture than mine — and when I need to ask rather than assume. If your experience involves migration, more than one language, or a family shape that doesn't always translate cleanly, we can work with that here.

No — Medicare doesn't currently cover counselling sessions with ACA-registered counsellors. Counselling fees in Australia are GST-free under ATO health service guidelines, and some private health insurers — including Bupa, Medibank, HCF, and others — offer rebates for counselling under their extras cover. It's worth checking yours.

Please give at least 24 hours' notice if you need to reschedule. Sessions cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice are charged at the full rate. Life happens — if something urgent comes up, get in touch and we'll work it out.

Yes, with a few specific exceptions you'd want to know about: if I have reason to believe you or someone else is at serious risk of harm, if a court compels disclosure, or if your case is part of professional supervision (in which case it's de-identified — your name and details aren't shared). Beyond that, what we talk about stays between us. Notes are kept securely and only for as long as professional and legal obligations require.

Currently I'm only able to take clients located in Australia, due to ACA registration and professional indemnity insurance constraints. If you're an Australian temporarily abroad, that can sometimes work — please write to me directly and we can talk through it.