OUR THERAPISTS

Chanel Worsteling, Practice Director

My work is grounded in the science of attachment and a deep understanding of how early relationships and experiences shape the way we connect, cope, and protect ourselves. I practice from a trauma-informed lens, recognizing that many of the patterns we struggle with in the present began as strategies to keep us safe.

At the heart of therapy is the relationship we build together. Research consistently shows that healing happens not just through insight, but through safe, supportive connections where new emotional experiences can be felt and integrated. In our work, we pay close attention to emotions—not as problems to be fixed, but as signals guiding us toward unmet needs, longings, and possibilities for growth.

I believe real change comes when we can safely experience something new in the context of therapy: moments of being understood, of staying connected in conflict, of finding compassion for parts of ourselves we’ve long pushed aside. These experiences open the door to different ways of relating—to ourselves, to others, and to the challenges of life.

Before training as a counsellor, I worked in the aid and development sector, leading child protection, community development, and education projects across diverse cultural settings, including living Cambodia, New Zealand, and Kenya. These experiences deepened my awareness of how culture, context, and community shape people’s lives and relationships.

This background informs my counselling practice today, where I approach each client with cultural sensitivity, openness, and respect for the unique contexts that shape their experiences. Alongside my clinical work, I continue to support international schools in strengthening their child protection and well-being programs, ensuring that care is both responsive and inclusive.

Areas of Special Interest

• Relationship therapy - fostering connection and intimacy

• Repairing from infidelity or other significant relationship distress

• Neurodiversity & relationships

• Globally mobile families, ex-pats, people on the move

• Cross-cultural couples

• LGBTQ+ welcoming

• Women’s issues

• Grief & loss

• Life transitions

• Spiritual issues

Qualifications & Training

• Masters in Counselling, University of Queensland

• Masters in Community & International Development, Deakin University

• Emotionally Focused Therapy: EFT for Couples - Externship, Core Skills A & Core Skills B, EFIT with Trauma, EFT with Neurodiversity & Repairing Attachment Injuries in Close Relationships

• Schema Therapy Level 1

Location & Availability

Milton & Online: Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday