Counsellor profile
Chacko (James) Vadayil Varkey, PACFA
Australia
PACFA clinical psychotherapist - relationships and trauma
Continue with ChackoWhere Chacko stands
- Credentials
- PACFA
- Registration
- PACFA, Australia / 23563
- Experience
- 12 years
- Languages
- English, Hindi, Malayalam
- Location
- Australia
About
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Attachment-based work
- Family dispute mediation
About Chacko
Chacko (James) Vadayil Varkey is a PACFA clinical psychotherapist in Australia with 12 years of professional experience. He works with people facing stress, anxiety, relationship and family concerns, trauma and abuse, and depression. He has a background across theology, criminology, psychology and family law and uses that range when talking with clients.
James has provided therapy for individuals, and he has worked therapeutically with couples and families, including post-separation mediation. He is also an accredited family dispute resolution practitioner with the Attorney General's Office in Australia. His practice has included people from many cultural, religious and linguistic backgrounds.
In sessions he uses approaches drawn from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, attachment-focused work, client-centred methods, cognitive behavioural techniques and skills from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy. He often combines these to help people manage intense emotions, improve communication and build clearer boundaries with others.
James describes work that addresses identity questions, complex trauma, attachment difficulties, personality-related issues and relationship strain. He also has experience with adoption and foster care matters, codependency patterns, body image concerns and neurodiversity-related challenges such as autism and Asperger syndrome.
Sessions are conducted in English, Hindi and Malayalam. Costs vary with location and use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time. To start, clients complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session via the online booking flow.
How sessions work
How therapeutic approaches translate to online sessions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting ruled by them, then commit to actions that matter. It is often used for anxiety, stress and patterns like people-pleasing. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on relationship patterns formed early in life and how they show up now. It helps with connection problems, trust issues and codependency-type behaviours.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with the client to choose which methods suit their goals, needs and preferences. That may mean combining ACT skills for emotional regulation with attachment work on relationship patterns, or using client-centred conversation to clarify values first.
The practical aim of online work is to fit therapy into everyday life. Confirm the current session options before booking as formats are not listed here. Online sessions can make it easier to fit a short check-in into a lunch break, remove the need to travel, or avoid being on camera if that feels difficult. Appropriately qualified therapists use these options to help people practise skills and try new ways of relating within ordinary routines.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
12+ years
Listed in
Australia
Languages
English, Hindi, Malayalam
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does he work with?
He works with stress, anxiety, relationship and family issues, trauma and abuse, and depression. Additional areas include codependency, attachment difficulties and adoption-related matters.
What is his therapeutic style like?
He uses ACT, attachment-focused approaches, client-centred principles, CBT and DBT skills. Those methods are used to manage emotions, improve communication and set boundaries.
How much experience does he have?
He has 12 years of professional experience working across psychotherapy, counselling and family dispute resolution.
What credential does he hold and where is he based?
He is a PACFA clinical psychotherapist based in Australia and is an accredited family dispute resolution practitioner with the Attorney General's Office.
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English, Hindi and Malayalam.
Can international clients work with him?
He does not accept international clients at this time.
How are sessions arranged and what do they cost?
Costs vary with location and use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time. Exact pricing is provided during the booking process.
How do I start a first session?
Choose the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session through the booking flow.
Details come from information the counsellor supplied to BetterHelp. A registration can be checked with the body that issued it.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe at home, use the crisis and helpline numbers.