Safe Place Counselling is a new practice providing a safe, non-judgmental space for clients to be heard and understood, whenever it is difficult to reach out to family and friends, or deal with things by themselves.
Professionally qualified and accredited counsellor Jodie Fincham has recently launched her new practice and is now working from a central location in Seymour, at the Northern Centre of Natural Healing in Station St.
Individual counselling is offered to clients experiencing anxiety, depression, and trauma or facing any challenges associated with a life event.
Jodie is a provisional member of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA), the peak body for counsellors and psychotherapists in Australia responsible for setting standards for training and ethical practice in counselling.
Jodie said no issue was too big or too small to seek support.
‘‘You may have a long-term problem, be facing a new challenge, or simply feel that something is not quite right in your life,’’ she said.
‘‘Counselling can help by offering a different perspective and using evidence-based psychological interventions to improve your coping skills.’’
Jodie spent the first two decades of her career working in communications and later in project management, however she has always had a strong interest in psychology.
She retrained as a counsellor and has experience working with clients encountering depression, relationship breakdowns, addictions, compulsions, anxiety, stress, grief and loss, trauma and sexual, physical and emotional abuse.
‘‘I have always been genuinely curious about what makes people tick; plus connecting and communicating with others seems to come naturally to me, so combining these as a profession made perfect sense,’’ she said.
Jodie works as a counsellor in private practice at Healesville, but recently decided to commence practising at Seymour as she could see a need for the service.
‘‘I’m grateful to be part of a local solution that means rural people no longer need to suffer alone or travel significant distances to access professional and respectful care,’’ Jodie said.
Safe Place Counselling services are available every Tuesday, at The Northern Centre for Natural Healing, 92 Station St, Seymour.
For more information or to make an appointment, contact Jodie on 0473517534 or email jodie@safeplacecounselling.com.au