New Perspectives Counselling

We might ask family or friends for advice. Or keep it to ourselves and try to sort it out alone.
Lie awake at night, reliving the situation and exploring our options. Store the problem in an imaginary box with a tight lid and hope that it will go away. Or in extreme cases, seek medical help for our anxiety or depression.

Each of us has a unique way of seeing our world and the role we play within it. Our world view has been shaped by diverse factors over the course of our life, and strongly influences the perspective we bring to every situation we encounter. Most of the time our way of seeing things works for us, enabling us to live productive lives that bring us joy. But in troubled times, our usual approach might not be the most effective. It might even be contributing to the problem.

Counselling can help you see your situation in a different way. Through the unique experience of being fully listened to without judgement, and being encouraged to explore your situation in constructive and meaningful ways, a new perspective can emerge. And with it, an approach to resolving the current challenge, and a deeper level of awareness and understanding, to enhance the life you are living now.

---

Face-to-face Counselling

Counselling is usually a short-term treatment for a particular issue or concern that you might have. In counselling, we work together to clarify the issues, explore your options, develop strategies and increase your self-awareness towards resolving the situation that is concerning you.

Psychotherapy is usually a longer-term process for more complex issues, with the aim of bringing about more fundamental change. It is more intensive and leads towards a deeper understanding of how you came to be the person you are, what attitudes and beliefs are preventing you from achieving what you want, and creating change in the areas of your life that will bring you the greatest benefit.


Online Counselling

We live in a global village, but we still often struggle to find people to talk to. In our increasingly busy world where texting and email are often preferable to telephoning, and staying in touch through Facebook and Twitter can be easier than finding the time to see our friends in person, online counselling can offer an effective alternative to face-to-face counselling.

---

About Ramona

Because each client and the situation they bring to counselling is so different, I tailor my approach to best meet their needs. I apply a range of therapeutic modalities, including existential, narrative, solution-focused and family systems approaches. I work with individuals and people in relationships, face-to-face and online, to offer my clients a choice of environments and communication methods. My goal is always to create an atmosphere of safety and trust, and to remove the barriers that block each person’s pathway to achieving what is most important for them.

My qualifications include a Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy from the Jansen Newman Institute (JNI) and a Bachelor of Adult Education from the University of Technology, Sydney. I am a member of the Counsellors' and Psychotherapists' Association (CAPA) of NSW and the International Society for Mental Health Online (ISMHO). I was raised in Australia by my Dutch mother and Indian father. I speak Dutch, conversational French, and have a basic understanding of German.

Being a counsellor and psychotherapist is a great privilege. When people entrust their very personal stories to me, I feel deeply honoured. I am always moved by the courage and resilience that people demonstrate in dealing with life’s problems and, when the time is right, taking the step to seek professional help.