About Me
Hello, I’m Deborah.
My work is rooted in lived experience: I know what it means to grieve, to feel lost, to carry longing, and to rebuild. I’ve walked through the deep pain of childhood abandonment, the heartbreak of disconnection in relationships, the complexities of parenting, addiction, perfectionism, and caring for aging parents. These chapters of my life haven’t broken me – they’ve shaped me into someone who can hold space with gentleness, depth, and genuine understanding.
My Journey into Counselling
I was handed my first self-help book at twenty-one. It cracked open a lifelong curiosity about the human psyche – but it wasn’t until many years later, after raising three children and preparing to become a grandmother, that counselling found me.
A friend I had supported through her divorce told me, “You’d make a wonderful counsellor.” And something clicked.
I had loved my career as a graphic designer, but this calling felt aligned with where I was in life and what truly mattered to me. It felt natural.
Since then, I’ve studied formally and continued to grow through many healing modalities. I feel deeply and intuitively. I meet people where they are, without judgment. And I offer the kind of support I once wished I’d had.
My Workshops Story
My journey into delivering workshops began when Rin Kim from Rin Kim Law invited me to present a session for her legal team on stress and trauma in the workplace. Following the positive response from staff, I was asked to return and create a second workshop focused on stress management for health and wellbeing.
For more than 35 years, I have been deeply interested in health, wellbeing and the effects of stress on the body and mind — both through professional learning and lived experience. I genuinely love helping people understand themselves better and sharing practical, evidence-based strategies that support calm, resilience and long-term wellbeing.
My workshops are designed to be engaging, practical and compassionate — creating space for education, reflection and meaningful change within both individuals and workplace cultures.
Me as a person
I’m a mother of three adult children and a proud grandmother of two. Family is one of my greatest joys – nothing lights me up more than having everyone together, laughing around the dinner table (and nothing weighs on me more than seeing them struggle – the bittersweet paradox of motherhood!)
I am an animal lover – all living creatures. Animals are valuable, loving souls that deserve our respect and care. My dream is to start an animal sanctuary rescuing all creatures great and small – a place where I can share a slice of heaven with people who need a break from modern life to reconnect with themselves and nature.
Looking after my body has always been a priority for me so I exercise regularly and love healthy eating – talk to a child of mine and they will soon roll their eyes and regale stories of being made to eat healthy (as a result they are all on a healthy food rebellion).
One of my favourite places on earth is India. It is an incredible place where chaos and calm go hand in hand. It is life in your face. We lived there as a family for two years in 2007 and I visit often to support a Dalit school in India’s impoverished state of Bihar.
Alongside India, a favourite place of mine is our very own Australian bush. I just love escaping the city and getting way out into our vast red country, enjoying a campfire and snuggling under a blanket to marvel at the night sky.
My Counselling Special Interests
Youth, Teenagers, and Parents
I have a special interest in helping youths and parents.
Our world is busy and complex, and sometimes we need help navigating the many challenges that come our way. Teenagers and young adults are going through a period in their lives where they are facing scary changes and uncertain futures. They want to be independent and make their own choices but feel overwhelmed by both the pressure of peers and that of society. Busy parents are maxed out with their responsibilities and too stressed for calm problem solving and communication.
Counselling offers a supportive space where individuals and families can be seen and heard; a place to reflect, reconnect, and build more compassionate ways of communicating.
Stress and Trauma
My lived experience and deep empathy have given me a strong passion for understanding stress and trauma, and for helping people navigate both their own challenges and the challenges faced by others. Trauma is deeply personal and complex, but compassion, understanding and safe support can play a powerful role in the healing process.
Stress affects every one of us, particularly within the pressures of modern life, and I believe we all have the capacity to improve our wellbeing and develop healthier ways of coping. I find great fulfilment in helping people better understand themselves and build practical skills for emotional wellbeing, cultivating compassion for both themselves and others.
Pet Bereavement
Losing a beloved animal is utterly heart-breaking. For many of us, pets are family – loyal companions who offer unconditional love. And yet, grief for a pet is often misunderstood or dismissed.
I offer pet bereavement counselling because I recognise how profound this kind of grief can be. I also guide people through anticipatory grief, preparing for a pet’s passing in ways that preserve memories and nurture both pet and human in those final days. Grief isn’t meant to be experienced alone.
Midlife Crisis Intervention
Midlife is a season of profound change. For some, it brings freedom and self-assurance. For others, it stirs grief, regret, or anxiety with the sense that life is passing too quickly, dreams are fading, and bodies are beginning to age.
It doesn’t have to be a crisis, midlife can be a stage of life where change is possible and meaning can be reimagined.