Hi, I'm Allan.
I'm a counsellor based in Cairns, and I believe everyone deserves somewhere they can talk openly without feeling judged.
I help people make sense of what's going on in their lives and discover their own strategies to move forward.
Sometimes that means exploring difficult emotions or understanding why certain situations affect us the way they do.
Other times, it's about working through a problem, looking at things differently or figuring out what might help.
I don't believe counselling should be about someone sitting across from you with all the answers. I see it as a conversation where we work together to understand what's happening and what matters to you.
Counselling isn't about telling you how to live your life. It's about helping you understand what's happening and discover your own way forward.
There's More to Me Than My Work.
I'm a husband, a father, someone who lives with disability, and someone with a life beyond the counselling room.
Different experiences throughout my life have influenced how I understand pressure, expectations, responsibility and change.
Sport and Personal Achievement
Earlier in my life, I represented Australia in swimming and held world records. I've also been involved in competitive target shooting.
Sport has been an important part of my life and has influenced my understanding of preparation, expectations, setbacks and identity.
Family and Everyday Life
Being a husband and father is another important part of who I am. Like anyone, I have responsibilities, relationships and competing demands outside my professional work.
Living With Disability
I also live with disability. That experience has shaped how I think about independence, identity and the practical challenges that can be part of everyday life.
These experiences don't define my counselling practice, but they are part of the person I bring to it.
Lived Experience Matters to Me.
I don't just know disability through my work. I live with disability myself.
That experience has given me a personal perspective on some of the challenges people can face when circumstances affect their independence, confidence, identity or plans for the future.
Life Changes
Recognising that circumstances can affect what everyday life looks and feels like.
Independence and Identity
Understanding that independence, personal choice and identity can hold different meanings for different people.
Confidence and Direction
Recognising how experiences can influence confidence, expectations and decisions about the future.
Your Own Way Forward
Respecting each person's circumstances, priorities and decisions about what comes next.
What This Means for My Counselling
Some challenges aren't always visible to the people around us. There can be practical difficulties, emotional pressure, changing expectations and times when things don't turn out the way we imagined.
Through my work in disability and community services since 2018, I've also seen how systems, services and everyday barriers can affect people differently.
I believe personal experience and professional knowledge can each offer something valuable to the counselling relationship.
But having lived experience doesn't mean I automatically understand what someone else is going through.
Your experience is your own. My role is to listen, remain curious and understand what your circumstances mean to you, rather than make assumptions based on my own life.
My lived experience informs my perspective, while my counselling training guides the professional work we do together.
Lived experience informs my perspective. Professional training guides how I practise counselling.
What's Important to Me as a Counsellor
I value conversations where people can speak honestly, explore what's troubling them and have a say in where the conversation goes.
Being Heard Without Judgement
You deserve space to talk about what's happening without feeling criticised, dismissed or told how you should feel.
Respecting Your Decisions
I'm not here to decide how you should live your life. We can explore options and perspectives while recognising that your decisions are yours.
Making It Practical
Understanding how you're feeling matters. So does exploring how that understanding could help with the situations you're facing in everyday life.
My Approach to Counselling
I don't believe one counselling approach works for everyone.
My counselling approach is practical, collaborative and trauma-informed. I draw on different counselling theories and techniques depending on what we're exploring and what you would like to work towards.
Sometimes that might mean exploring the connection between your thoughts, emotions and behaviours.
Other times, we might look at emotional experiences, patterns in relationships or practical ways of approaching a difficulty.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Exploring the connections between thoughts, feelings and behaviours. CBT can help identify unhelpful patterns and consider alternative ways of responding to situations.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
Exploring what you would like to be different, recognising existing strengths and identifying small, achievable steps towards the changes that matter to you.
Gestalt Therapy
Developing awareness of what you're experiencing in the present moment, including feelings, needs and patterns in how you relate to yourself and other people.
Emotionally Focused Therapy
Exploring emotional experiences, underlying needs and patterns of connection that can influence how we understand ourselves and relate to others.
For me, counselling isn't about applying a technique to someone. It's about understanding the person I'm sitting with and using my training to explore what might be useful.
What You Can Expect From Me
When we talk, you can expect a genuine conversation where we focus on what's important to you.
Start Where You Are
You don't need to arrive knowing exactly what to say or have everything worked out.
Explore What's Happening
We can talk through emotions, thoughts, experiences and the situations you're facing.
Work Towards What Matters
Together, we can explore strategies and possible steps that feel relevant to your circumstances.
You don't need to have everything figured out before we start talking.
My Professional Background
I'm a qualified counsellor with a Diploma of Counselling and a member of the Certified Practising Counsellors Association (CPCA).
I'm also completing my Bachelor of Counselling through Torrens University Australia.
Since 2018, I've worked in disability and community services, including support coordination.
That professional background, alongside my personal experiences, contributes to my perspective as a counsellor.
I also recognise that every person has a different story and deserves to be understood as an individual.
Qualifications & Membership
Current Studies
Wondering If I'm the Right Counsellor for You?
Finding a counsellor isn't just about qualifications or experience. It's also about finding someone you feel comfortable talking to.
You're welcome to arrange a free 15-minute introductory conversation to ask questions, tell me a little about what you're looking for and decide whether working together feels right.
Face-to-Face Counselling
129A Lake Street
Cairns City QLD 4870
Tuesdays and Wednesdays
By appointment
Telehealth Counselling
Phone and video appointments available across Australia.
Australia-wide
Subject to availability
Prefer to call or text? 0423 763 712