About Janet
I started my career as a teacher working in the UK, Canada and Australia in preschools, primary schools and integrated Child Protection and Special Education programs. In 2001 I moved to healthcare and have worked as a Play/Child Life Therapist supporting children, young people and their families with their healthcare journeys for over two decades. For the first ten years I worked in a children's hospice, establishing the first Play Therapist role in Palliative Care in Australia. For the last 13 years I have had the honour of managing the Play and Music Therapy team at Sydney Children's Hospital Randwick.
I LOVE working with children and young people, as well as supporting anyone wanting to be in touch with their inner child. I'm passionate about working with parents and carers to help them find ways to identify their triggers and to cultivate their capacity to centre and ground themselves in the franticness of modern living to be able to lend their nervous system to their kids.
I've come to counselling through my own journey with life's challenges. I have experienced a series of immune conditions, secondary infertility, IVF and the heartbreak of recurrent pregnancy losses as well as relationship infidelity. Through each of these experiences I found counselling an invaluable support which led me to want to qualify as a counsellor. I was very fortunate to do my prac for my Masters at Red Nose which reconnected me with grief work, a passionate I developed while working in palliative care.
My Approach
I use a trauma informed approach and am passionate about supporting and empowering people on their journey of connection to their inner- selves.
As humans we are designed for connection and when we experience grief and trauma, we need support to come back to presence – to feel seen and heard.
I believe the counselling process is a powerful way to help people reconnect with themselves and access their intuitive wisdom. I believe that you hold everything you need to heal within yourself, you simply require space, time and connection.
I want to work with you to create a relationship where you feel safe, heard and understood. Acknowledging that suffering is an inherent part of life’s journey I hope to assist you to accept this often harsh reality while moving forward with an authentic life of purpose.
I have a passion for neuroscience and bring this to my counselling practice. I enjoy helping people to understand how their brains work and using evidence-based interventions to support their integration, healing and growth. I ground my practice in a client centred approach - knowing each client and the issues they bring to counselling are unique and individual and take an integrative approach drawing on therapeutic approaches including:
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Compassionate Enquiry
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Polyvagal Theory
Somatic interventions
I aim to create a friendly and warm counselling space in which you feel comfortable to take the lead. I am here to hold space for a breadth of emotions and hope to guide you to find your innate wisdom, reconnect with your intuition and discover your way forward.
I am registered with the Australian Counselling Association.
