About Sabina
Counsellor, Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor
Hello, Welcome
About Me:
Working as a counsellor, psychotherapist, and teacher is both my passion and my life’s work. I love teaching a discipline that is as endlessly fascinating as it is a privilege to practise.
Equally important to my therapeutic work is my own personal journey — one that has given me a deep and lived understanding of what people face when they seek counselling. From a young age I have been drawn to the deeper questions: How do we heal? Can we transform that which creates pain and unhappiness? Can we grow beyond the given and discover greater freedom and contentment? How do we live an authentic life?
These questions have shaped a life that has been, in many ways, a quest — with all the twists and turns, meaningful encounters, and moments of darkness and light that any genuine quest involves. What makes the journey meaningful is this: whatever has been gained, whatever wisdom gathered along the way, is offered out and shared — for the benefit of others.
Professional Memberships
I currently hold professional association memberships with:
- PACFA — Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia
- EAP — European Association of Psychotherapists
- Senior Meditation Teacher accredited with Meditation Australia
I am also a registered clinical supervisor with PACFA, offering clinical supervision to both new and experienced therapists.
Primary Academic Qualifications:
- Doctoral degree anticipated 2027, Middlesex Univerity, London
- Heilpraktiker Licence in Psychotherapy (Germany)
- Master of Counselling
- 2 year Hakomi Embodied and Aware Relationships Training (HEART)
- Graduate of the 2 year Buddhism and Psychotherapy Program
- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Teacher Training
- Accredited Teacher of Gawler Cancer Healing Program
- Diploma of Homoeopathy
- Certificate Nutrition
- Diplomas and Certificates in various Bodywork approaches
Professional Development (an excerpt)
Bessel van der Kolk in Sydney. The Body Keeps the Score: Trauma, Attachment and Neuroscience
Advanced Compassion Focused Therapy
Supervision in Buddhism and Psychotherapy
Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy
Mindfulness and Compassion in Therapy and Society
International Conference on Mindfulness
Introduction to Compassion Focused Therapy
Mindfulness: From the Cushion to the Couch
Symbols and Sandplay Workshop
Achieving Clinical Excellence through Clinical Supervision
Mindfulness-based Cancer Recovery
Certificate IV inWorkplace Training and Assessment
Carers Australia Certified Counsellor
- Current First Aid Certificate
How I Work
Counselling and Psychotherapy - A Holistic Perspective
Healing From the Inside Out: Therapy Rooted in Wholeness
Life’s experiences can leave deep wounds on our psyche — yet no matter how profound the pain, our inherent wholeness and integrity remain intact. Even when it may not feel that way.
At the heart of my therapeutic work lie the principles of holism and healing. I see my role as therapist not as an expert standing apart, but as a compassionate companion and wise counsel — walking alongside you on the path back to your own wholeness.
What Is Healing?
In its broadest sense, healing means restoring health and soundness — to repair, to recover, to become whole again. We see this most clearly on a physical level: when a bone breaks or skin is cut, the body’s innate healing intelligence activates immediately. Given time, the right support, rest and care, the injury heals and the body returns to health.
Emotional, mental and spiritual healing follows a similar process — but with important differences. Unlike a broken bone, which is straightforward to diagnose, internal wounds of a non-physical nature are often harder to identify. This is why effective therapy requires a skilled clinician: one with deep expertise in inquiry and assessment, and the knowledge and experience to guide meaningful healing and growth.
A Personalised Approach to Therapy
Every person who comes to therapy is a complete individual — with a unique history, a distinct context and a story that is entirely their own. When we first meet, my task is to step into the life you’re presenting, find my bearings, and then work with you to explore new possibilities.
The qualities that guide my practice are:
- Respect, care and kindness
- Empathy and compassion
- Expert knowledge and close to 35 years of clinical exprience
Alongside this warmth, my work maintains a firm focus on change and growth — balancing deep reflection with purposeful action, and stillness with forward movement.
How Long Does Therapy Take?
Just as a physical injury can range from a minor cut to a serious illness, the issues people bring to therapy vary enormously — from a current life challenge that resolves relatively quickly, to long-standing, complex distress that calls for deeper engagement and more sustained support.
In our first sessions, we decide together on the number and frequency of meetings, based on your needs, your situation and the outcomes you’re hoping for.
What We Work On: Three Core Components of Healing
Having worked therapeutically with hundreds of people, I’ve come to recognise three key areas that need to be addressed for lasting healing to occur.
1. The Pain of the Present Most people come to therapy in real emotional pain — a relationship breakdown, a loss, an illness, or a profound sense of dissatisfaction or despair. In therapy, that pain is heard, held with kindness and given the time and space it deserves. Together, we explore its origins, understand its depth and examine its impact on your life.
2. The Blockages to Healing If healing were simple, professional help wouldn’t be necessary. Many things can stand in the way — and often we have little conscious awareness of them. These might include unhelpful beliefs, outdated values, unresolved family-of-origin experiences, trauma, or loss. Childhood events, in particular, often shape us deeply yet fade from conscious awareness — and may need to be gently revisited and processed. Current relationship dynamics, work situations or lifestyle choices may also need re-evaluation. An independent yet caring perspective can open up new possibilities.
3. A Vision for a Happier Life Many clients are surprised when I ask them what a happier, more fulfilling life would actually look like. Often, it’s something they’ve never allowed themselves to articulate. Others arrive with a clear sense of direction — it’s the obstacles that need attention. From a holistic perspective, this vision encompasses body, mind, heart and soul, as well as a felt sense of integrity across relationships, health and lifestyle.
Tools & Modalities
My approach draws on a range of therapeutic tools and modalities, thoughtfully integrated to meet each client’s unique needs:
- Trauma-Informed & Trauma-Sensitive Practice – Working sensitively and safely with the impact of trauma, loss and adverse life experience.
- Person-Centred Therapy – Providing a warm, non-judgmental space where you feel genuinely heard and respected.
- Psychodynamic & Depth Psychology – Exploring how past experiences, unconscious patterns and early relationships shape present-day difficulties.
- Somatic Awareness – Recognising the body as a carrier of emotional experience and integrating bodily awareness into the healing process.
- Mindfulness-based Cognitive & Behavioural Approaches – Identifying and shifting unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours that block growth and wellbeing.
- Inner Child & Parts Work – Gently revisiting and healing formative childhood experiences that continue to influence adult life.
- Mindfulness & Reflective Practice – Cultivating present-moment awareness to support emotional regulation and self-understanding.
- Existential & Meaning-Making Work – Exploring questions of purpose, identity and values.
- Vision & Strengths-Based Approaches – Helping you articulate and move toward a clearer and empowered vision for your life.
- Creative Expression – Drawing on writing, imagery, metaphor and other creative modalities as pathways to insight, processing and self-discovery.
All modalities are integrated holistically — the approach is always guided by what you need, not by a fixed method.
'We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself' - L. Alexander
