Borderline personality disorder. What is it?

Petra is a Registered Counsellor and member of the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) with experience in various roles across the healthcare industry. She holds a Diploma from the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors and a Graduate Diploma in Relationship Counselling, as well as advanced accreditations in grief & loss, addiction, abuse and eating disorders.

Petra has worked extensively with a diverse range of individuals across multiple organisations in both the aged care, clinical and charity sectors. Through her time at the Butterfly Foundation, Petra empowered her clients through evidence-based therapy to help them overcome negative eating patterns. Petra also has specific experience treating complex mental health in elderly clients, supporting them through issues such as trauma, grief and cognitive decline. Prior to her commencing a career in counselling, Petra worked in various roles within the corporate space, collaborating and liaising with an assortment of professionals, helping shape the person-centred approach she utlises in therapy today.

In private practice, Petra’s focus is to meet and understand where individuals are at in their lives, and best support them using a variety of therapeutic modalities including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Solutions Focused Therapy, ACT, Strengths Based Therapy and Narrative Therapy. In her sessions, Petra assists her clients in a range of concerns, including anger management, depression, anxiety, relationship concerns, grief & loss, self-esteem issues, workplace stress, as well as more complex mental health including eating disorders and addiction.

Petra is an insightful and altruistic counsellor, who believes everyone is unique in their counselling needs and, as such, aims to personalise each session to the individual. Creating safe, supportive and confidential spaces for people to engage, Petra uses empathy and understanding to support her clients in their mental health journey and onto more fulfilling lives.

Neera is a registered counsellor, psychotherapist, accredited professional coach, facilitator and educator with over 25 years of experience in the wellbeing space. As an experienced personal and professional development practitioner, she has more recently integrated her knowledge and formal qualifications in mindfulness, wellbeing and executive coaching into her role as a professional counsellor. Neera holds a Masters of Counselling & Psychotherapy and a Graduate Diploma in Counselling from Australian College of Applied Professions and a Graduate Certificate in Organisational Coaching & Leadership from Charles Sturt University.

Neera’s experience includes working in private psychiatric hospital settings, corporate settings, and now private practice. Her approach is also informed by a long term meditation practice and Jungian Analysis experience. As such, her approach to her work as a counsellor is trauma sensitive and attachment based, employing mindfulness, dream work and somatic (body based) awareness, where appropriate. Drawing on these skills, Neera is able to assist clients through a range of concerns, including life transition and change, grief and loss, attachment disorders, identity and personality issues, relationship issues and substance abuse, as well as anxiety, depression, stress and work-related concerns.

Neera has a warm, intuitive style and integrative counselling approach, drawing on decades of working with people. Neera works with clients by helping people make sense of their story and by grounding their sense of self in core values and purpose.

David is a Clinical Psychologist and an accredited member of the Australian Clinical Psychology Association. He holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours from the University of New England, and a Masters of Clinical Psychology from Western Sydney University.

Prior to re-training as a psychologist, David worked as a professional musician, a role he credits as endowing him with high-level listening skills. These skills he brings to his work in the mental health space, where he has practiced in both both in hospital settings (in-patient and out-patient) and also in private practice. In these environments, David has gained experience counselling a diverse range of clients of different ages and from a variety of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. He has also provided telephone support for families affected by drug and alcohol concerns in a voluntary capacity. Together, these experiences have helped shape his personalised approach to therapy.

In private practice, David is passionate about supporting individuals through their mental health challenges and life’s challenges. Drawing on a range of modalities, David primarily focuses on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) but also draws on modalities such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and Psychodynamic Theory.

David can support clients with a variety of concerns, including depression, anxiety, grief and loss, OCD, ADHD, relationships, anger, addiction, stress, as well as more complex presentations such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and personality disorders.

David is an authentic, warm and non-judgemental psychologist. Whilst he uses various therapeutic modalities to frame his practice, his focus remains on the therapeutic relationship, ensuring that his client’s unique experiences, feelings, thoughts, and beliefs shape his ultimate approach to their therapy. By listening and accounting for his client’s viewpoints, David helps his clients overcome their problems through positive change.

Wade is a Counsellor and Psychotherapist, registered with PACFA. He holds a Bachelor of Counselling from the Australian College of Applied Psychology and a Graduate Diploma of Mental Health and Neuroscience from the University of the Sunshine Coast, with extensive advanced training in Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy.

Wade’s career began in hospital and community mental health settings, including several years leading a therapeutic program and multidisciplinary team. This gave him broad experience supporting people through a wide range of life challenges before he moved into private practice.

Since moving into private practice, Wade works with individuals, supporting them with a range of concerns including anxiety, stress and burnout, low mood, grief, relationship and attachment difficulties, and past trauma. He has a particular interest in trauma, attachment, men’s health and addiction-related concerns.

Wade’s approach draws primarily on Internal Family Systems, integrating trauma-informed, attachment-based, psychodynamic, EMDR, and polyvagal-informed techniques. He works deeply and relationally with his clients, taking the time to understand what’s beneath the surface and build a genuine sense of trust and connection. He believes lasting change comes through the relationship itself, not just the techniques used within it.

Wade describes his style as clear, honest and human, creating a space paced to each client where they can explore what’s present for them without judgement or pressure.

Di is a Counsellor and Psychotherapist with over a decade of experience in private practice. She holds a Bachelor of Counselling, a Master of Counselling and Psychotherapy, a Diploma of Clinical Hypnotherapy & Strategic Psychotherapy, and is a Clinical Member of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA).

Di is trained in a variety of therapeutic modalities, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, Hypnotherapy, and the Gottman method for relationship counselling.

Throughout her career Di has assisted clients with a range of concerns including anxiety, depression, grief and loss, trauma, drug, alcohol and gambling addictions, among other emotional and psychological concerns. She has extensive experience in relationship counselling.

As well as helping individuals and couples in private practice, Di has worked as a telephone counsellor for the Beyond Blue and 1800 Respect domestic violence help lines and Quitline.

Di takes a person-centred approach and is committed to working collaboratively with her clients to explore possibilities for change.

Rose is a Registered Mental Health Social Worker with over 20 years of experience providing counselling and psychotherapy to individuals and couples. She holds a Clinical Master of Counselling and a Graduate Diploma in Adult Psychotherapy.

Rose has worked in a number of different counselling settings, including private practice, community health setting, private psychiatric hospitals and university counselling services. Working within these settings has allowed Rose to gain experience across a broad range of presentations including anxiety, depression (including post-natal depression), grief and loss, phobias, divorce and separation, relationship issues, past and recent trauma, bullying and harassment, and study difficulties.

Rose has particularly extensive experience assisting clients with trauma. She has worked with veterans experiencing severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), women who have experienced domestic violence, and survivors of child physical, sexual or emotional abuse.

Rose takes a primarily psychodynamic approach to therapy, and has completed specialised Trauma Therapy training using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR). She believes that our emotions and behaviour are affected by our social environment, and aims to work towards the liberation and empowerment of her clients to enhance their wellbeing.

Rose endeavours to develop a close working alliance with her clients, helping them toward achieving their short term or longer term goals.

Daniela is a Registered Psychologist with over 20 years of experience across clinical practice, behavioural support, university teaching, and clinical supervision. She holds a Bachelor of Psychology and a Masters in Clinical Psychology from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, and has trained in a variety of evidence-based modalities including EMDR, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) at the Beck Institute, and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) with renowned US-based psychologist Marsha Linehan.

Daniela has extensive experience supporting clients from diverse cultures, professions and psychosocial backgrounds from her work in private practice, at universities and with the NDIS. She works with a wide range of presentations including but not limited to anxiety, depression, OCD, complex post-traumatic disorder, relationship and sexual challenges, career challenges, psychological disorders, mildlife transition and life purpose.

Daniela’s main therapeutic approaches are humanistic, existential, psychodynamic and systemic. She also utilises the tenets of positive psychology to promote and provide unconditional empathy and positive acceptance in her work with clients. In addition to her training in CBT and DBT, Daniela is also skilled in Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), schema therapy, and psychodynamic approaches.

Daniela is a welcoming, empathetic and inspirational practitioner. Her work is characterised by her warmth, her critical thinking and a humanist perspective. She is passionate about offering a space where her clients can feel heard, be respectfully challenged, and supported to create meaningful change.

Daniela is also an experienced careers psychologist and a member of the Career Development Association of Australia. In this capacity, she enjoys working with adolescents and adults to navigate career transitions, rediscover purpose, and align their work with their values.