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Frequently Asked Questions

I work with clients over Zoom, by phone, and also in person in Coffs Harbour, NSW, and local clients find it convenient to use a hybrid of these. Bookings and payments are made online through the Calendly platform, and clients may reschedule online if they need to. If you require an invoice to be sent to a third party please email me or give me a call.

Yes, you can work things out on your own. The clients I work with have often bought online courses and books, but feel they reap much more when they have an accountability partner to help them implement the changes they’ve learned about, and stay on track when they feel wobbly. 

 Although there are overlaps between psychotherapy and coaching and I use a blend of psychotherapeutic modalities; although most of my colleagues are psychologists and I am trained in Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy; although I have an undergraduate degree in Psychology with an MSc assessed by my university’s School of Psychology; and although coaching can be therapeutic, it is not a psychological therapy, and I am not a psychologist.

I do have clients who are also in psychotherapy.  This can work well, particularly if there are specific skills the client would like to learn from me, e.g. how to meditate, breathe more optimally, relax more easily, or embed mindful self-compassion strategies into their working day.

On the other hand, I have also had clients who’ve been struggling deep depression which has been impairing their ability to manage on a day-to-day basis.  In these cases I have recommended that they seek psychological therapy, and have welcomed them back to coaching when they feel more able to engage.

You do not need a referral, no. 

You are welcome to book one session at a time, though best results tend to come from a series of regularly-spaced sessions focused on a particular area at a time.  (By regularly spaced, I mean weekly or fortnightly sessions.)  Whilst some clients are happy to touch base with me every month or so, for those looking to attain specific outcomes, it is better that they attend regularly and take a gap for a while if they choose before returning for another series of sessions, than attend the same number of sessions at ad hoc intervals over a year.

If you would like to go through a structured program, I have a number of options available depending on the outcomes you are looking for and the time you have to put into the program between sessions. 

At the end of each session I ask clients what they would like to remember from the session and how they might integrate what they’ve found useful into their daily life.  I usually email the action steps my clients have suggested for themselves to my clients, along with useful resources and links.  Feedback I receive is that this helps them consolidate their understandings, put the concepts and skills we’ve covered into practice, and keep their momentum up. 

Yes. 

I work with adult NDIS participants with strategies (such as emotional regulation and communication skills) that are related to specific NDIS goals.

I also work with parents and carers of NDIS participants under the Capacity Building:  Training for Parents and Carers.  In our sessions we explore strategies for both them and those they care for in the area of distress tolerance, emotional regulation and the importance of co-regulation, burnout and compassion fatigue, and self-care.

I was certified as a mindfulness instructor in 2005 by the Center for Mindfulness (Massachusetts Medical School) and the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice (Bangor University). I have an MSc in Mindfulness-based Approaches to Healthcare, a teacher qualification and degree in Education, and a degree in Psychology. I’m also a Credentialed Practitioner of Advanced Coaching.

Since 1989, I’ve taught adults in a variety of settings, and in 2006 began using Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy and running classes and professional trainings in prisons and mental health units, and workshops for businesses, carers, nurses, psychologists and non-governmental organisations.

If you have any more questions or have any issue booking online, you can also contact me or book a free call.