Bernadette works with clients across the lifespan including families and couples, helping them find ways to deal with personal and social difficulties that affect mental health and wellbeing, with a focus on each person’s unique situation and strengths. She believes in the importance of creating a caring, supportive and non-judgemental environment when assisting clients to create change.
Bernadette particularly enjoys child counselling; She provides a whole-family approach working in partnership with client families. She has a strong professional background through many years of working in Child and Family Services. She utilises a child focused and creative counselling model that is centred on optimising children’s abilities to express, explore and resolve upsetting thoughts, feelings, experiences, in developmentally appropriate ways.
Her collaborative approach may include working with clients and their family, doctor, teachers and others, to develop treatment plans and strategies to best meet client’s needs. She can also help people identify and connect with appropriate services they may not have known about.
She has a particular interest in working with people who have experienced trauma, adjustment issues, work related stressors, and mood disorders.
Bernadette has experience in helping client utilises a wide array of tools in her work to help people find better solutions to current concerns, including strengthening relationships, develop and practise new skills, while gaining confidence in themselves and their recovery