Hi I am Ting, your local counsellor at Almond Wellness Centre, registered member of Australian Counselling Association (ACA). I hold a bachelor degree of counselling and have a certificate of Working With Children(WWC).
Having many years working in a clinic supporting patients with fertility issues, I also worked in a secondary school wellbeing team supporting parent groups, and volunteered in Lifeline helping crisis clients.
Counselling style
I believe Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is very helpful for clients who are facing challenges in their life journey.
What types of clients do you work with?
I am interested in supporting clients with anxiety, depression, insomnia, midlife crisis, suicidal thoughts, fertility family issues, relationship and parenting issues.
Many problems put your life in chaos because needs are not being met. When this happens multiple times, stress build up and they could get out of control. Helping identify your needs and address them can really relax your mind and resolve the issues.
I am particularly interested in helping clients who are dealing with fertility issues. Apart from physical issues, there are many factors that can affect your fertility, such as anxiety, stress, nervousness, worries, etc. Issues from the past that has never been resolved may potentially cause fertility issues unconsciously. And sometimes just feeling understood can lower the level of stress and anxiety. This in turn, may increase the possibility of getting pregnant.
I also have experience in working with many parents supporting secondary school students. I may help parents communicate with their teenage children.
Should I see a counsellor?
Almost everyone in life have experienced some issues. You may feel stressed, anxious, sometime hopeless or helpless. Most time we feel better on our own eventually. If not you may be suggested by someone to see a counsellor. However, you may not sure if you need or not. To know if you need see a counsellor, I have listed a few examples of the feeling you may have:
- “I feel so depressed that I just failed again, I really need to talk to someone; but I am so nervous to talk to someone I have never met.”
- “My dad passed away a few years ago; I am still feeling so sad about it. Does that mean I am weak? I feel so anxious. No one knows how I feel.”
- “I am so tired about my study; I can’t keep up with the due dates for my papers. I don’t have any motivation to do anything. Who can I talk to?”
- “I feel hopeless in my relationship. I can’t do anything to change it. Am I a failure?”
- “l feel I am losing myself, lack of motivation, feeling trapped, feeling so alone that no one understand what I have been through or don’t know what the meaning of life is.”
If you’ve ever had the above feelings, you may need to talk to a counsellor.
How many sessions do I need?
There is no simple answer to this question. It depends on a few factors such as:
- your motivation to solve the issue;
- the willingness of your cooperation;
- frequency of your visit;
- the level of problem difficulty, and
- the level of honest presenting in the session, etc.
It would be fair to say that the self-exploring process does take a while, however, it might benefit you for the rest of your life.
It is normal to feel anxious before counselling
Before engaging with a counsellor, it is normal to feel uneasy, anxious, fearful, helpless or hopeless, and various mixed feelings. It is a very new experience to talk to someone about your feelings or pain. Open yourself may make you feel vulnerable. You may not sure about how a counsellor will react to what you say – Will they understand, or will they judge you? It is natural to feel anxious whether you will have a better future, or whether you can stop your painful thoughts.
Beginning of a session
You might feel very nervous about your first session. However, don’t worry too much. Here is normally how’s like at your first counselling session:
Firstly, We will discuss issues such as privacy policy, ethical and professional conduct. I will get your consent to report to third party should any potential harm happen to others or yourself. Then, you will be able to discuss with me anything you wish.
Before the session finishes, we may discuss the goal to achieve, how many sessions you need and when to re-assess or re-evaluate the sessions.
A journey together
As a counsellor, my job it to listen to you and understand the difficulty you are facing from your perspective. Judging a client is not my job, as it does not help me support you. Every single person faces life challenges at various levels. Sometimes we can quickly get over obstacles, but sometimes it can simply become too hard to flip the page.
A relationship between a client and a counsellor is like climbing two mountains at the same time. As you climb your mountain, I climb mine. From my mountain, I can see your obstacles and guide you through a smoother course upwards.
I work at both Coburg and Ringwood clinics, drop me a line should you need any help.
I look forward to working with you and support you through your life journey.
Available on:
Wednesday: 10am-6pm
Saturday: 3:30pm ~6pm
Sunday: 9am-5pm
By appointment only
Fees
Initial (60mins): $120
follow up (50mins): $100