My name is Shareen Birges & I am a social worker who specialises in online counselling. I have been practicing for over 15 years & as a result, have a broad range of experience. I have worked with adolescents & their families, adults & couples. I specialise in the care of people with cancer and chronic illness, mental health, dual diagnosis/comorbidity, trauma background (including sexual abuse/assault & childhood abuse and trauma) & people with offending behaviour & people living with BPD. Due to my extensive experience working with adolescents and young people, I have developed an ability to work closely with families & other professionals, whilst keeping the boundary of privacy & confidentiality. I believe I am approachable & create a good balance between challenging clients & allowing their therapy to flow at a pace that feel comfortable to them.
Specialising in trauma recovery particularly after workplace situations that have prompted workers compensation claims, I also provide investigation services using forensic psychology knowledge and skills. My background in training and workplace cultural change assists individual support services.
Counsellor/Therapist, BA (Counselling), PACFA & CCAA Clinical Registered
Kate is a registered clinical counsellor and has a particular interest in trauma recovery. She prioritises establishing a sense of safety within the therapeutic relationship and works with individuals experiencing a range of challenges including anxiety, depression, grief and loss, trauma, emotional dysregulation, stress, etc. She has a particular interest in helping clients resolve childhood trauma to improve present-day functioning and relationships.
PLEASE NOTE : I AM NOT A SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THE MEDICARE BENEFITS SCHEME, otherwise known as the Mental Health Care Plan.
I am a member of the LGBTIQA+ community and welcome working with people from the community for any issue, but particularly with suicidality and gender dysphoria. I also very much welcome working with non-LGBTIQA+ men and women for any of the difficulties listed on my Specialities page and other issues beyond that list.
I work with people’s understanding of their mental states and knowledge of their body, utilising somatic principles in conjunction with the specialist modalities listed above.
The areas I specialise in are as follows: attachment disorders, complex trauma histories, those diagnosed with personality disorders, specialising in Borderline Personality Disorder. More recently I have been working with a lot of clients who have ADHD and ASD. I offer ASD assessments and hope to offer ADHD assessment screeners soon. I have had some success with those diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and BiPolar Affective Disorder.
I am open to working with adults from the age of 16 through to the end of life.
The focus of my practice is to facilitate the client's self-concept and self-esteem. Issues include anger management; addictions; depression; sexual assault/domestic violence; PTSD; career counseling; and multicultural and diverse populations, among others.