Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (AASW)
My name is Annabel (she/her) and I'm an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (BSW, MSW), psychotherapist and yoga teacher of Irish descent who lives and practices on Gadigal land. I bring over ten years of professional experience working with people from a diverse range of backgrounds and circumstances. I'm proud to offer a comfortable healing space for anyone experiencing challenges with managing their mental health, mood/emotions, relationships, grief, memories, drug/alcohol use, finding direction or belonging in life and more. I endeavour to gently guide people to find and move towards whatever intentions they might have for their life in any realm including identity, mental, emotional, social, career, and/or spiritual.
I have a Masters degree in counselling and draw from my education in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), internal family systems therapy (IFS), narrative therapy and polyvagal theory/nervous system-informed therapy. My work is also inspired by 17 years of personal yoga and meditation practice. I believe that somatic (body-based) practices are a powerful and important component of healing.
I have worked in culturally and linguistically diverse communities both in Australia and in South Asia. I specialise in working with people experiencing the impacts of trauma and/or navigating the complexities of an unpredictable world. I also enjoy working with people interested in well-rounded personal development. I work from a healing-focussed, client-centred perspective, honouring at all times the wisdom people have about their own lives and what is of value to them. I'm committed to ongoing learning and evolving as a therapist and as a human.
Some things that I consider important in therapy are:
- having a safe, private, non-threatening space where change happens at your own pace;
- feeling heard and understood by the therapist;
- understanding how the body and mind responds to stress and learning to apply that wisdom in daily life;
- approaching thoughts, feelings and behaviours with curiosity and compassion;
- setting flexible and realistic goals, while making time to dream big too;
- creating space to deeply reflect and look for knowledge within yourself;
- gently opening up to new ways of being in the world.
EXPERIENCE
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Private psychotherapy practice
Counsellor/caseworker with Speak Out Dual Diagnosis team at Weave Youth and Community Services, Waterloo
Social Work Officer at Nepal School of Social Work, Kathmandu, Nepal
Caseworker with Australian Red Cross' Asylum Seeker Assistance Scheme
Yoga and meditation teacher
areas of interest
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Inviting people to create a space for themselves to reflect, learn, explore, grow and heal. My areas of specialisation include LGBTQIA+, identity, relationships, grief and loss, career and workplace, post-traumatic healing and growth, depression and anxiety, spirituality, personal development, addiction, self harm and suicidal ideation, teens and young adults.
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qualifications
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Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (AMHSW)
Bachelor in Social Work (UNSW, 2012)
Master in Social Work Counselling (UNSW, 2018)
Accredited Yoga Teacher (200 hours, Power Living Australia, 2010)
availability
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Mondays & Wednesday 11am-7pm
Video sessions on Tuesdays