1:1 Counselling & Coaching
When was the last time that someone really listened to you,
without interrupting, or comparing, or telling their own story?
Or to recommend an astrologer/diet/breathing technique ~ a solution, or suggestion that you didn't necessarily want, and most definitely didn't ask for?
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It's rare right?
Being seen & heard, with empathy, curiosity, & kindness, by a perceptive listener skilled in the art of good questions, is game changing. We see things we simply couldn't have seen by ourselves, that then activate our innate capacity for self-determination, self-compassion, and positive change.
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I've been supporting people on the path of personal growth for over two decades, as a Yoga Teacher & Trainer, mentor, coach & counsellor. At the heart of that work is the remembrance of Self ~ the beauty and wholeness that each of us is at our core, whilst navigating gently and wisely our humanness - the challenges and complexity, messiness and nuance of life in a body, in relationship.
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My work is client-centred & trauma-informed, incorporating the therapeutic modalities of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), and Gestalt, in combination with Yoga philosophy & the timeless Eastern teachings on the nature of mind and heart.
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Areas of special interest include:
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Times of change or transition
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Grief & loss
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Doubt, self-sabotage, self-criticism, & perfectionism
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Anxiety &/or depression
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Pre & post natal support
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Infertility, miscarriage, birth, & menopause
"Listening like that, with compassion, you help him or her to empty their heart... to suffer less.
One hour like that can bring transformation and healing".
Thich Nhat Hahn
So how does it work?
Our sessions are online, using Zoom
(I send you a link with your confirmation email).
I recommend we speak weekly to begin with, and then fortnightly or more as our sessions progress.
Sessions are AUD $150/hr, or commit to a package for tons of additional support.
Payments made easily using credit or debit card,
or Paypal.
Inquire using the form,
and I'll be in touch right away, or go ahead and book yourself in below.
Common Questions...
What's the difference between counselling & coaching?
The quick answer is that counselling allows for lots of time & space for you to talk through what you're experiencing, and to feel what needs feeling, supported by a highly skilled listener and therapeutic methods that bring profound insight & healing. Some coaches might also do this, if they are sufficiently skilled, but generally speaking coaching is more action-oriented, and focuses on the actual steps and pathways for change. Being trained in both, I personally think it's a formidable combo, allowing us first & foremost to establish safety and trust, from where I can both challenge and cheer you on as required.
Will counselling give me the answers?
It might, but I won't. My job is never to tell you what to do, but rather provide good process, and ask good questions so that clarity arrives in its own sweet time. And then I walk with you, keep you accountable (if you want that), and support you to make changes towards the better outcomes that you've decided you want for yourself.
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We pray for the fragile ecology of the heart and the mind. The sense of meaning.
So finely assembled and balanced and so easily overturned.
The careful, ongoing construction of love. As painful and exhausting as the struggle for truth and as easily abandoned.
Hard fought and won are the shifting sands of this sacred ground, this ecology.
Easy to desecrate and difficult to defend, this vulnerable joy, this exposed faith, this precious order. This sanity.
We shall be careful. With others and with ourselves.
Amen.
Michael Leunig