When I was a child, I always wanted to be a scientist. I was fascinated by trying to understand how things work through experiments and studies. Growing up, I was also really into mystery novels, endlessly curious about how detectives and investigators solved puzzles and worked out people’s motives. I started to get a stronger sense of the interconnectedness of the world. As an adolescent, this became directed more towards helping friends around me with family difficulties, relationship concerns, and the general struggles of being a teenager. Little wonder then that this led me into studying social work after school, then postgraduate studies in family therapy and ultimately a Masters of Counselling. It only seemed natural that it was where I was meant to go.

Fast forward a touch, and I’ve now been working in a counselling role for over 15 years across a number of areas such as couple and family therapy, post-separation and family law, grief and loss, mental health – really, helping people with change in one form or another, whether creating change or responding to it. Along the way I discovered a parallel passion for teaching and training, including delivering workshops around parenting and communication, as well as lecturing and tutoring within the University of Queensland’s Masters of Counselling program.

I’ve also been fortunate to have had the opportunity to supervise, support and develop a range of incredible clinical professionals over the years, from students to experienced practitioners. I find I am able to constantly reflect on my own work and continue to grow through supporting others to grow.

If asked how to describe my work, I would say I aim to help people find hope, to see the possibilities for themselves and for change, and to implement strategies for accessing these in their lives.

Qualifications: Masters of Counselling; Graduate Diploma of Social Work; Bachelor of Social Work

Professional Memberships: Australian Association of Social Workers; Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (Clinical)