Areas of practice

John works with individuals and couples (the latter through Aly's Place in Mornington) on a broad range of matters. He works with clients anywhere in Australia via telephone or video conference, visits clients in his catchment area in Melbourne, and works from offices in Clayton and Upper Beaconsfield. He welcomes clients of a range of ages and backgrounds, and as such they are diverse, but he has special interests in the following domains.

Trauma
Trauma refers not only to isolated catastrophic events, but ongoing experiences of having our sense of safety violated ― and it can present in unexpected ways. Having survived trauma himself, John well understands the range of impacts which our past experiences have on our present life. He helps clients to understand their trauma in a safe manner and develop practical skills to manage its effects. He also works with clients with trauma-related problems such as borderline personality disorder.

Relationships
Our relations with others are at the very essence of our functioning. John has an intricate understanding of the ways in which we affect each other via our interactions, communication, gestures, and subtleties — much of which happens unconsciously. He is passionate about helping clients to understand their motives and needs in relational contexts, and helping them to develop effective communication and conflict-resolution skills. He works with people on all types of relationships including romantic, platonic, familial, and professional, and on adjacent issues such as dating and socialising. He works with couples exclusively at Aly's Place.

Mood problems
Depression, anxiety, stress, fears, and anger are not simply fleeting experiences; they have actual effects on how we process information and therefore how we can use our minds to live our lives. John honours the importance of emotional understanding, and helps clients to explore their emotions in a non-judgemental manner, while helping them to develop the skills to shape their emotional experiences.

Habits
Constructive habits are an important basis for a healthy life — and we may be startled by the effects that seemingly insignificant actions which we perform every day may have on how we think, feel, and live. In a range of contexts, John educates his clients about how their thinking and behavioural habits impact their life, and how they can choose and practise the habits more aligned with their goals. This often includes personal values such as self-control, discipline, resilience, and motivation, which are critical psychological tools in achieving other goals.

Personal development
Having a confident sense of our identity, purpose, and self-value is critical to our wellbeing. In fact, it is one of our most basic psychological needs. Regardless of background or belief, John empowers his clients to explore the meaning of their experiences, self-understanding, and identity, and helps them to ask the questions to decide how they wish to express that identity ― ultimately aiming to help them develop self-esteem and confidence.

Life changes
Change can threaten our sense of safety and leave us feeling unable to cope with life's demands. John helps people to understand, at a pace safe for them, how they personally experience these threats and how to best confront them compassionately and constructively. These changes could be in relation to relationships, work and other occupations, changes in life roles, grief, and more.

Life skills
The intricacies of life skills are not discussed often, and many of us develop them by "common sense". As a person passionate about creating, solving problems, and organising, John has a wealth of experience in the psychology of what we assume to be those "common sense" skills, and has much experience implementing these skills in a manner more conscientious and strategic. He educates clients in planning, setting goals, making decisions, budgeting, personal organisation, time-management, decision-making, and overall productivity, helping them to develop attention to detail while streamlining parts of their life so they can devote more focus to their passions.

Men's and seniors' mental health
In years past, mental health was less commonly addressed and often deliberately ignored, and men especially were expected to be infallible. While all people's mental health is equally important, men and seniors are often forgotten in the campaign. A key concern is that we may be taught that any typically masculine or traditional value is inherently toxic and clients should "modernise" to be mentally healthy. This is a harmful ethos as there are a range of values which can integrate in to a healthy lifestyle when practised well, distinct from those which are inherently toxic. Men and seniors are of no exception — they deserve compassion, not being judged as "old-fashioned", "weak", or "too much trouble". John works from a nuanced, critically-thinking perspective in discerning these values, helping each client to use them in the change process.  Notably, he has regularly helped clients integrate their religions despite not being religious himself. He applies this critical thinking to his work with all clients.

 

Contact John to discuss how he can work with you, or if you do not see your particular area of need listed above.