My Background as a Gay Counsellor working with Gay, Queer and Bisexual Men.
I grew up in Brisbane on Australia’s east coast. During my childhood and teens, homosexual sex was illegal in my state and these laws supported much prejudice and misinformation. Looking back, I can say that my experience of being outside the ‘norm’ shaped my purpose and direction. After a couple of years studying architecture, my professional career began in 1989 when I established ‘Outcomes’, a support group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender young people. Over 27 years later, I’m still working with bisexual and gay men, now as a gay counsellor and psychotherapist in private practice.
Qualifications and Experience.
I initially qualified with a 4 year Bachelor of Social Work degree through the University of Queensland, graduating in 1995. Since then I have completed specialist narrative psychotherapy training through the Dulwich Centre in Adelaide as well as various professional courses in:
- Relaxation Strategies
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
- Psycho-Education & Motivational Interviewing
- Communication Skills
- Stress and Anger Management
- Gambling Counselling
- Telephone Counselling
- Mindfulness
- Problem Solving.
I hold a Master of Science degree in Social Work from Stockholm University in Sweden and have also completed a Master of Arts degree through the University of Technology Sydney.
As an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, I’m registered as Medicare Provider by the Australian Government, which means that those who are eligible and referred to me by a GP can claim back a rebate from Medicare on the cost of their consultations.
My Approach as a Therapist and Gay Counsellor.
The approach I take to working in psychology, counselling and therapy practice does not appear as a technique in a manual or textbook but is a product of my own experience, professional education and ongoing practice. I work collaboratively with people, which means I try to see, hear and acknowledge the skills and experiences of every person who walks through my door (or appears on my screen). We make sense of our lives through stories – both the stories we privately tell ourselves as well as the stories we tell others. So hearing your story and how you have made meaning out of your experiences so far is very important to me. I’m naturally curious and interested in the things that people tell me and will ask questions to draw out my understanding, and yours.
Narrative and Dialogical Therapies look beyond scientific or biological ways of thinking about ourselves and our actions. Often, when people first come to speak with me, they arrive with very recent or familiar experiences of being judged. As a gay counsellor working with queer, bisexual and gay men, I’m interested in helping people recover a sense of influence and power in their own lives. Hearing such stories of recovery is very rewarding to me. I use Mindfulness and Self-Compassion approaches extensively in my work. To change our relationship to the world we often have to start by changing our relationship to ourselves.
I’m also a writer of fiction and short stories and the lives of LGBT people figure prominently in my work. You can read some of my stories at www.ashrehn.com
If you have a specific question or would like to know my availability or fees, please contact me.