Heart Life Counselling

“Life is like a symphony of many experiences whereby some parts have unexpected tones when issues emerge”

Contact me today!

Heart Life Counselling is a counselling service for individual adults, and couples with a special interest in supporting the recovery from difficult & abusive relationships.

Debra Battersby

We are here to support you

As an Allied Health Service, Heart Life Counselling is here to support people during this very challenging time with emotional and psychological support.

We are here to support our community and are operating as normal with COVID-19 protocols in place for infection control before and after sessions.

Everyone I have seen in the past weeks, the first thing people are talking about is how the COVID-19 and the economy is impacting them personally.

The whole of Australia is doing their best to manage and navigate the COVID-19 and the economic crisis we are facing. This brings with it so many emotions – fear, anxiety, anger, depression, insecurity & grief to name but a few.

Are you struggling?

Don’t struggle alone. If you are struggling, feeling overwhelmed or just need to talk to someone about how this is impacting on you, then we are open and have appointments available to help you.
We have daytime and after hour appointments available.

  • If you are in self-isolation or quarantine we have Skype, Zoom or phone services available.
  • If you are at low risk, not showing any symptoms, not recently returned from overseas or been in contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19, then we have face to face appointments available in line with ‘social distancing’ requirements.
  • If you would benefit from professional support, unemployed and experiencing financial hardship we have concession rates available. Please talk to us about your situation.
  • If you have suddenly found yourself unemployed and struggling emotionally, reach out to someone. Many tell me they are not speaking to loved ones about how they feel because they want to protect them from worrying further or cause them to be feeling more anxious.
  • You might just want or need one session so you can be given some strategies for coping with your circumstances.

If you could benefit with some support, please don’t let lack of funds stop you during this unprecedented time.

Are you seeking some counselling for yourself, your relationship or your family?
It can be difficult taking that first step.If you are reading this maybe this is your first step. Well done!

Seeing a counsellor or a psychotherapist for the first time can feel like a massive step. It can accompany feelings of hopefulness or nervous anticipation, and even anxiety, but know that we work hard to make this process as easy and comfortable as possible for you.

You can checkout what other have said about Debra

What are the benefits of psychotherapy?

The goal of counselling is to help individuals overcome their immediate problems and also to equip them to meet future problems. Counselling needs to be meaningful and specific for each client since it involves their unique problems and expectations.

The 6 most common goals of counselling include:

  1. Exploring your feelings, thoughts and behaviours that are distressing you and to work towards changing these.
  2. Increase your self-awareness of how distressing thoughts and feelings came to be.
  3. Help improve te your ability to both establish and maintain relationships.
  4. Learning how to deal with stressful and challenging situations using healthy coping skills.
  5. Improving your decision-making process
  6. Personal Development.

Undertaking adult counselling and therapy offers a range of positive benefits that can improve and enhance your life and your relationships. Speaking with a trained counsellor can assist you to express yourself without being judged in a confidential, unbiased setting. You will be provided a supportive and safe place to explore and understand your thoughts and feelings and how they affect your behaviour and relationships, providing an opportunity for you to learn new insights about yourself and relevant others while developing new productive ways to manage aspects of your life and relationships.

Psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy will not stop stressful events from occurring. What it can do is help you understand yourself better and give you tools that empower you to cope in a healthy way…

How can you get the most out of psychotherapy?

  • ZBe honest with your therapist. You need to share your thoughts, feelings and experiences honestly.
  • ZBe an active participant in the therapy. Therapy works best as a partnership: you need to do the work.
  • ZPut in the time. If you have homework, make this part of your daily routine. It may be difficult in the beginning, but a new habit takes up to three months to feel routine.
  • ZIf it's not working, consider a different approach. Talk to your therapist about whether a different psychotherapy approach may be more beneficial for you.

Types of therapies available

  • ZPsychotherapy
  • ZCouples Therapy
  • ZFamily Systems
  • ZEmotion Focused Therapy
  • ZEMDR
  • ZPerson-centred Therapy

Psychotherapy can be used to treat:

  • ZRelationship Issues
  • ZCommunication
  • ZConflict resolution
  • ZRecognising Relationship needs – yours, mine and our needs
  • ZSeparation & Divorce
  • ZAnxiety
  • ZDepression
  • ZGrief and Loss
  • ZPast and current Abuse
  • ZPost-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • ZPrepare Enrich Relationship Inventory - Pre-Marriage & Marriage Enrichment
  • ZLife Transitions & Adjustment Issues
  • ZEMDR