About
Gabrielle takes a person-centred therapeutic approach where clients are seen as people rather than as a problem or a list of symptoms. In creating a non-judgmental, safe, and confidential space, Gabrielle aims to help clients openly discuss their deepest concerns and worries. Clients can discover different ways of thinking about a problem, develop better ways to cope, identify tangible strategies to try, or simply be heard and understood.
No issue is too big or too small, whether it involves feelings of anxiety, depression, or uncertainty. Gabrielle can sit with clients experiencing grief and a deep sense of loneliness that comes with bereavement or other loss in a compassionate and peaceful way.
During many years working with cancer patients, survivors, and carers, Gabrielle has helped clients understand the personal effects and emotions accompanying a cancer diagnosis. People may find it difficult to cope with the shock of a diagnosis and can experience a loss of control and look towards regaining safety and hope. Carers and those with a diagnosis have different experiences and emotional needs. Gabrielle specialises in helping people in such circumstances to negotiate and normalise their thoughts and feelings.
Gabrielle takes a holistic view of people and their place in the world. She views the emotional, social, and environmental surroundings as strong influencers for a person’s overall wellbeing.
Education
Bachelor of Counselling and Human Change – Jansen Newman Institute, 2012
End of Life Doula – Preparing the Way, 2019
Accredited Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ally – Evolve Communities 2021 (in progress)
Special interests
Grief and loss, facing end of life, bereavement, anxiety, depression, uncertainty, difficulty with relationships, attachment, trauma, and impact of cancer on patients and carers.
Style
Gabrielle’s therapeutic style is to adapt to the client’s needs in the here and now. She spends time listening deeply to the client to understand their experience. Gabrielle draws on a range of different techniques and therapies which include deep listening, psychodynamic, attachment theory, and mindfulness.
Modality & Approach
Person-centred, psycho-dynamic, attachment, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), mindfulness, trauma informed.
PERSONAL INSIGHT
What book have you read more than once?
‘The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia’ by Graham Pizzey & Frank Knight. I cannot do without this book, alongside my binoculars and camera. Bird watching and bird photography keep me in touch with the natural surroundings and are never-ending sources of delight and learning.