Welcome; I’m Julie, the Director and therapist at Beyond the Surface Counselling. I have worked in Coffs Harbour with families and children for over 20 years. I consider it a privilege to support adults and children when life becomes challenging and when they feel at their most vulnerable. I believe we all have an inner strength; however, sometimes, we need support when we start to doubt our beliefs about ourselves. Working with me will enable you to gain new understandings about yourself, your partner, and your child’s relationships. I aim for you to experience a resolution of the problem and improve your sense of wholeness and wellbeing.
I have a Master of Counselling, Bachelor of Psychological Science, and Bachelor of Teaching (ECH) degrees. I have extensive training in Child Counselling, Family Therapy and Counselling, Grief and Loss Counselling, LGBTQIA+ Counselling, Anxiety Counselling, Stress Management, Social and Emotional Learning, Positive Behaviour Support, Depression Counselling, and Parenting Counselling.
My focus is to provide you with a safe, caring, compassionate, non-judgmental, inclusive, and welcoming environment. An environment that fosters a feeling of belonging and safety is essential to our therapeutic relationship. I understand that counselling may invoke feelings of worry and uncertainty about what a counselling session may look like. My purpose is to be a catalyst for change. I understand the dynamics of power that can bring challenges to families. I am skilled in listening to the problem, the family’s resources, strengths, and values, and collaborating on the next steps.
Counselling sessions are individualised for every person. My therapeutic approaches are through a trauma-informed lens, ensuring your physical and emotional safety. I work with methods and practices that are through creative therapeutic interventions that can bring people renewed hope, understanding, and fresh ideas about how they want to live in the world; these include Narrative Therapy, Mindfulness, Play Therapy, Sand Therapy, Creative Expressive Arts, Compassion Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and Emotion-Focused Therapy.
Sometimes you need someone to listen.
Julie offers brief therapeutic support for parents and families using online or phone counselling. Julie is available for a 15-minute consultation to gain an understanding of the problem before a 50-minute intake with parent(s) before Julie meets the children and young people.