F.A.Q

Mental Health Coaching is a collaborative approach that equips you with the skills and strategies needed to navigate difficult situations, thoughts, and feelings. 

It’s all about empowering you to build a life that’s fulfilling and meaningful, figuring out what really matters to you and what kind of person you want to be and what kind of life you want, all while managing your challenges effectively.

Mental Health Coaching is active, practical, and focused on the present and future. We use evidence-based methods to help you develop a flexible mind (known as Psychological Flexibility) so you can respond effectively to any of your difficult thoughts and emotions.

Mental Health Coaching is a collaborative approach that equips you with the skills and strategies needed to navigate difficult situations, thoughts, and feelings. 

It’s all about empowering you to build a life that’s fulfilling and meaningful, figuring out what really matters to you and what kind of person you want to be and what kind of life you want, all while managing your challenges effectively.

Mental Health Coaching is active, practical, and focused on the present and future. We use evidence-based methods to help you develop a flexible mind (known as Psychological Flexibility) so you can respond effectively to any of your difficult thoughts and emotions.

Mental Health Coaching (MHC) and therapy both rely on proven methods and purposeful conversations, but they are different in key ways. MHC aims to “build” by helping with planning, self-reflection, building skills, and becoming more aware, while therapy is more about “fixing” problems through identifying medical conditions, prescribing medicine, and providing treatment. 

MHC assists in organising priorities, setting objectives, and figuring out why someone is feeling unhappy or dissatisfied. Therapy, on the other hand, seeks to relieve medical problems like anxiety, depression, or trauma. 

MHC will certainly help with depression and anxiety, and it does this by using evidence-based methods to help people suffering from these conditions to identify how to get moving again and develop skills and strategies to handle the difficult thoughts and feelings that are present.

MHC also primarily deals with mild to moderate mental health issues and only supports people with severe mental health issues (such as schizophrenia) as part of a larger team such as under the guidance of a primary health care provider.

It can be hard seeking assistance and many people can feel a bit nervous or have anxiety. This is completely normal and natural. 

When we have a free 15 minute chat, we talk and see how we can work together as a team. I’m right there with you the whole time, and I’m always aware of the difficulty of taking that first step, so I always do everything I can to make this as easy as possible. 

The first step is the hardest, and it’s always in hindsight that we realise that first step was the best thing we ever did.

Regular sessions are 60 minutes long. If you want something different you can always contact me and discuss what you would like. We can do custom lengths if required.

This is different for everyone so there is no definitive answer unfortunately. My aim is to work with you to get the outcome you desire in the most efficient way possible, while making sure the results are long lasting and to your satisfaction. 

Most common issues and challenges people have require around 2-6 sessions, but this can be more or less depending on many variables. I always aim to keep you fully informed in the process and timeline.

The first session involves a discussion about what you would like to get out of our work together, and I would like to find out more about what has been going on. We will also go through the formalities of working together. From there we make a plan of how we will work as a team together, and if we have time leftover I always try to help you learn something practical like a skill that you can use for your issue.

This will be discussed in our 15 minute chat or in our first session and is adjusted as you progress. For urgent issues, we may do weekly sessions. Once we have made progress, fortnightly or monthly may be applicable. Some issues can be resolved quickly and others take time. I will always aim to work with you and your needs as best as I can and keep you fully informed.

You can view the current fees on the home page.

I do not take ACC claims and there are no subsidies for my services at this time.

Absolutely. All client records, whether physical or digital, are secured. I follow strict ethical practices of NCANZA for privacy and confidentiality. Online video sessions are done via Google Meet, and I use a one time unique link just for our session. As long as you do not share this link with anyone, there should be no reason our meeting is not digitally confidential. No face to face or online sessions are ever recorded unless explicit permission has been obtained from you, and likewise, you are not allowed to record any session without prior agreement.

Yes, you can cancel a session up to 24 hours from the session date and time. Within 24 hours you will forfeit any refund of the session fee. If you choose to reschedule instead of cancelling, the forfeit still applies if it is within 24 hours of the session time.

Yes, outside of 24 hours of the booked session you can reschedule. If you choose to reschedule within 24 hours of the session time you will forfeit your session fee you have paid and it will not be refunded.

That is completely OK! I always work to get the best possible outcome for you, and if you want to see another coach or therapist, I would be more than happy to help you make that transition. 

I always aim for full transparency and honesty, so if you feel you are not happy with any area of our sessions or relationship, please feel free to bring this up with me to see what I can do to help. 

There is no commitment to continue sessions and you are free to stop at any time.

You can find out more about some of the main methods and ideas I use on the about page.

No, you should get any medical diagnosis from a medical health professional. My approach is one of a psychological and philosophical nature in the form of coaching, and you should always consult your doctor in anything regarding a medical diagnosis or assesment. You can view the ABOUT PAGE for more information on Mental Health Coaching and what is involved, or book a free 15 minute chat to discuss it in more detail.

No, you should consult the doctor who prescribed your medication, or one you prefer, about any changes to medication dosage or withdrawal. Many medications given for mental health conditions have side effects and withdrawal effects, so stopping or managing these drugs should be done with your doctor’s guidance and supervision. 

Coaching and therapy can be complementary to any medication you take.