Do you long to get off the anxiety rollercoaster and feel centred and calm? Are you yearning to assert yourself but are afraid of the conflict it may create? Do you feel overwhelmed by all you “should” be doing but don’t have the energy or motivation to do it? Are you stuck in shame as you lean into unhealthy habits and the cycle is holding you back?
You’re not alone.
I know that rollercoaster that life can offer us and have spent decades trying to untangle my own story so I can climb off that rollercoaster, find my calm centre and keep returning to it. In that time, I have built up an archive of knowledge and tools that I hope to share with you. Whether it’s a temporary transition or a lifelong issue you’re facing, you don’t have to do it on your own.
"Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathic witness".
Counselling is a space that is totally about you, where you are witnessed and reflected in a compassionate, open-minded way. It’s about supporting you, as the expert in your own life, to get curious about yourself and to learn to accept all parts of yourself. Where you can gather the information and tools to navigate whatever challenging waters you find yourself in, so you can grow and evolve into the person you want to be.
Perhaps this sounds intense and serious and I won’t lie, that is one side of therapy. Yet there’s also relief, humour and joy in this space too, and I consciously bring that in as you move towards building lightness and calm within yourself.
Sessions can be held online via a secure Zoom link, or in person on the Sunshine Coast hinterland. I work with clients all over the world and adjust my timings to suit time zones in Europe, Asia and the Americas.
The cost is AUD110 for 55 minutes, and rebates will soon be available for Australian clients through some health insurance funds.
Book a Session
-
Quick ViewAstrology ConsultsStellar Counselling
-
Quick ViewCounsellingCounselling consult
-
Quick ViewCounsellingChoosing your Canyon – Breaking Patterns Course
-
Quick ViewAstrology ConsultsSpiritual development consult
About Me
As a child, I was sensitive to pain in the world, always bringing home birds with broken wings. As an adolescent, I was the confidante of others and loved deep and meaningful conversations with friends as we explored our evolving identities. Now, as an adult, I weave my compassionate nature with my curiosity about the human condition and love of science to create a safe, warm space for others to meet themselves, understand themselves better and grow into their potential.
About Therapy
What you can expect
I use a trauma-informed approach in the structuring of our sessions together. In our first few sessions, you and I will be getting to know each other as I listen to your story and learn more about what you’re facing at the moment. Initially, my aim is to provide you with knowledge and practical tools that help you understand your body, brain and nervous system better and learn to manage it so you can soothe and regulate yourself when needed.
After that, we’re ready to dive deeper and work on specific issues as you explore and process blocks, challenges and past hurts that are holding you back or keeping you stuck. I offer education, tools and guidance to help you integrate these experiences and lessen their hold on you, as well as building your menu of calming and regulating techniques.
This part can last from anything from a few sessions to many, depending on your history and the weight of what you are holding. It is all guided by you, every step of the way. I won’t push you into something you’re not comfortable with, though I will encourage you to test your self-limiting beliefs.
You can see me weekly or fortnightly to start, as regularity is important to the healing process. I do offer monthly or casual sessions to clients who have been seeing me for a while and wish to have regular support as they navigate life.
When you are ready to finish counselling, I do ask that you let me know a session or two in advance so we can process together and end things on a good note, which can be a new experience for many people. When challenging feelings or emotions come up, we often pull away to avoid pain. That is valid, however it is also rich ground for change and growth to happen in. Talking with me about this can help you decide if you wish to pause, or continue on.
My Tools
Person-centred counselling is my foundation, trusting that each person has the drive towards and the capacity for growth and authenticity, but can face challenges to accessing it. I provide a safe and non-judgemental space for honest exploration of self to be able to unlock that door.
This is the more traditional talk therapy approach, but I have since trained in other modalities that help lift the lid on your unconscious and create more effective change.
Somatic therapy is the approach I use most frequently alongside talk therapy, focusing on the mind-body connection as a route for healing. The aim is to form a clearer relationship with your bodies and use this awareness to address psychological and emotional issues. When you integrate your bodily experiences with your mind and emotions, research shows change is deeper and more permanent. And the gift of working this way is we don’t have to talk about everything, just feeling and releasing is often enough.
Another modality I work with is Polyvagal Theory, known as the Science of Safety. Your brain and nervous system are constantly sending you signals about your environment and relationships. These signals are usually passed through old filters, built up in childhood or times of extreme stress, that make you feel unsafe when you really aren’t. I have found understanding your nervous system, it’s activations and building a menu of resources that can help you stay in the safety zone is a game changer for many clients with anxiety, panic attacks, trauma and addiction. Creating an easily regulated nervous system is one of the best resources you can have in the uncertainty of today’s world.
Nature is a deep source of healing for every human, and Ecotherapy offers calming and grounding as you align yourself with the majesty of the natural world. Whether it is to manage symptoms of stress, anxiety or depression or cope with climate grief, I offer tools you can implement in any natural space available to you. From calming gazing at natural fractal patterns in the forest to slow time with the micro life in your garden or precious work of caring for plants in your home.
Blending these three is very effective for clients wanting to change their relationship with work, others and themselves. I offer a range of tools including breathwork, mindfulness, visualisations and movement exercises, as well as EFT tapping, to shift old patterns or outdated beliefs. I have seen the impact these have had on hundreds of clients and hope to help you find peace, calmness and safety in your own world.
And yes, for those interested, I can mindfully use astrology as a unique tool of self-exploration in the therapy space. You can find out more about that here.
Free Resources
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
Articles
Unleash Your Inner Warrior with Mars
Caring for yourself as a Practitioner in Uncertain Times
Testimonials
Subscribe
Contact me
I am based on the Sunshine Coast, Australia and see clients face-to-face, over Zoom and even the old faithful telephone. You can book directly for a consult via this link – offerings.
You may be interested in subscribing to my email list to receive regular updates on what is happening out there in the stars and how it may affect you here on the planet. If you just want to send me a message, please fill in the form on this page.
Address
Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
Phone
+61 403 078 525
alicia@aliciayusuf.com