Does somatic mean you’ll touch me?

Touch is rare: I use it only to help you regulate if you become very dysregulated, and always with your consent. Mostly, we work with attention: sensation, breath and posture, with you clothed and in your chair. If contact would help, I ask first every time. It always stays outside your clothing, and you can decline at any point without explaining. Nothing about the work changes if you do. There is no massage and no manipulation of your body at any stage.

What if I can’t feel anything in my body?

If you currently find it difficult to notice or feel bodily sensations, Somatic Counselling may not be the best place to start. You may instead benefit from Somatic Trauma-Informed Psychotherapy, which can support you in gradually developing a safe connection with your body, emotions, and internal experience.

Is this instead of talk therapy, or in addition?

Somatic counselling includes conversation. We also explore bodily sensations and emotional responses alongside what you can put into words.

Can we do this online?

Yes. We can work by video, paying attention to what you notice in your body and discussing it together.

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Somatic Counselling

A body-aware way of working with stress, anxiety, relationships, grief, work and the transitions that don’t fit neatly into words.

Not the world, not what’s outside of us, but what we hold inside traps us. We may not be responsible for the world that created our minds, but we can take responsibility for the mind with which we create our world.

Gabor Maté

Somatic counselling in Brisbane can help you navigate stress, anxiety, grief, relationship difficulties, workplace challenges, decision-making, and major life transitions, while deepening your self-understanding and enabling you to respond in new ways to what life brings.

Who this therapy may suit

You've done years of talk therapy, and you've run out of new things to say about the same problem. You can name what you feel, but you can’t feel what you name.
Stress shows up in your body first: jaw, gut, shoulders, sleep.
You want a therapist who explores bodily experience alongside thoughts and emotions.
You want to enhance self-awareness: Develop a deeper understanding of yourself, your emotions, patterns, and the factors that influence your thoughts and behaviours.
You want to create healthier habits: Replace unhelpful patterns and behaviours with more positive, adaptive ways of responding.
You want to improve relationships: Build stronger, healthier connections through better communication, emotional awareness, and healthy boundaries.
You want to develop effective coping strategies: Learn practical tools to navigate stress, anxiety, emotional challenges, and difficult life transitions.
You want to improve decision-making: Develop greater confidence in your choices by learning to trust yourself, your values, and your inner wisdom.

What to expect in a session

Somatic counselling offers a supportive space for everyday challenges: stress, grief, relationship difficulties, work, and life transitions. Alongside conversation, we notice physical sensations and emotions so you can understand your needs, boundaries, and choices.

We talk the way you’d expect. And every so often I’ll ask what’s happening in your body while you talk, not as a trick, but because the answer is usually information you didn’t know you had.

You stay clothed, you stay in your chair, and nothing happens to your body that you didn’t choose. Touch is rare: I only use it to help you regulate when you become very dysregulated, and always with your consent. If it ever happens, it’s an invitation: I ask first, every time; it stays outside your clothing, and you can say no without explaining.

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What this is not

This is not for those seeking to process trauma. If your symptoms require medical attention, seek a doctor.

This work is not intended for people navigating chronic survival states, significant emotional overwhelm, or unprocessed trauma. It is not suitable if you are currently managing active addictions, self-harm, suicidal ideation, or persistent cycles of relational unsafety. It is also not massage, bodywork, chiropractic treatment, physiotherapy, or hands-on therapy.

Common questions

Does somatic mean you’ll touch me?: Touch is rare: I use it only to help you regulate if you become very dysregulated, and always with your consent. Mostly, we work with attention: sensation, breath and posture, with you clothed and in your chair. If contact would help, I ask first every time. It always stays outside your clothing, and you can decline at any point without explaining. Nothing about the work changes if you do. There is no massage and no manipulation of your body at any stage.
What if I can’t feel anything in my body?: If you currently find it difficult to notice or feel bodily sensations, Somatic Counselling may not be the best place to start. You may instead benefit from Somatic Trauma-Informed Psychotherapy, which can support you in gradually developing a safe connection with your body, emotions, and internal experience.
Is this instead of talk therapy, or in addition?: Somatic counselling includes conversation. We also explore bodily sensations and emotional responses alongside what you can put into words.
Can we do this online?: Yes. We can work by video, paying attention to what you notice in your body and discussing it together.

Before we start, one important thing

This therapy is not a substitute for crisis or safety intervention. It isn't appropriate if you are currently in an unsafe or dangerous situation, or if you are at immediate risk of harming yourself or ending your life. In those circumstances you need crisis, emergency or specialised support first.

Somatic psychotherapy is also unsuitable for people who have recently faced, or are currently facing, legal allegations.

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