Deborah graduated from the Master of Guidance and Counselling program at James Cook University. She completed her internship at the university’s counselling centre and has worked extensively with young adults facing anxiety, depression, childhood trauma, and difficulties with relationships and academics.

Prior to becoming a counsellor, Deborah volunteered on the Helpline at AWARE (Association of Women for Action and Research), where she provided a listening ear to women experiencing difficult life situations, such as sexual assault and harassment and domestic/intimate partner violence.

Deborah holds a Master of Guidance and Counselling with Distinction from James Cook University. She is a Certified Clinical Trauma Specialist (Individual) with the Arizona Trauma Institute, and has completed Levels 1 and 2 of Gottman Method Couples Therapy.

She also has a Master’s in Social Research from the University of Leeds and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Sociology from Nanyang Technological University.

Currently, she is seeking additional qualifications in schema therapy (parts work), attachment-focused EMDR, and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).

Deborah is able to help clients with:

• Depression and anxiety

• Interpersonal relationships

• Surviving abuse

• Complex trauma (especially adults who endured childhood emotional/physical/sexual abuse and neglect)

• LGBTQ+ issues

Deborah is familiar with a variety of counselling approaches, including choice theory (CT), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT), and psychodynamic approaches. Her personal counselling approach is integrative, building on a foundation of person-centred therapy (PCT). She is empathetic, non-judgemental, and seeks first to understand the client’s viewpoint. Instead of pathologising clients, she focuses on their strengths and innate abilities, believing that these are the keys to unlocking a happier, more fulfilling future of the client’s choosing.