Counsellor profile
Derrel Drinnan, AASW
Australia
AASW social worker - stress and grief
Continue with DerrelWhere Derrel stands
- Credentials
- AASW
- Registration
- AASW, Australia / 694993
- Experience
- 20 years
- Languages
- English
- Location
- Australia
About
About Derrel
Derrel Drinnan is an AASW social worker with over 20 years of professional experience. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, grief, low self-esteem and major life changes, and lists codependency among her focus areas.
Derrel integrates years of lived experience with professional practice. She often uses strengths-based and person-centred ways of working that help people notice what already helps them cope. Sessions are practical and conversational. Clients can expect straightforward tools and chances to practise new responses to old problems.
She also draws on motivational interviewing to help people find their own reasons for change. Solution-focused techniques are used to set small, achievable goals rather than trying to change everything at once. Emotional regulation strategies are introduced when anxiety or strong feelings make thinking clearly hard.
Derrel is informed by trauma-aware practice and pays attention to how past hurt shapes present behaviour. She identifies areas such as abandonment, emptiness, guilt and shame, and compassion fatigue as topics she commonly addresses. End-of-life and hospice counselling are also part of her experience.
She names a Christian worldview as part of her outlook and brings that into sessions when it is helpful to the person she is working with. Practical matters such as money worries, life purpose and midlife questions are discussed in everyday language, with no jargon. If someone is looking for steady, experienced guidance on codependency patterns or coping with change, Derrel offers a clear, experience-based approach.
How sessions work
How therapeutic approaches shape online sessions
Derrel commonly uses motivational interviewing, which helps people clarify what they want to change and find practical reasons to act. This approach suits people who feel stuck or unsure how to begin making changes in relationships or habits.She also draws on solution-focused techniques that concentrate on small, concrete goals and what is already working. Those techniques are helpful for dealing with overwhelming problems by breaking them into manageable steps. Emotional regulation strategies are offered to help manage anxiety or strong feelings so that thinking and decision-making become easier.
Finding the right mix of approaches is a collaborative process. She will discuss what feels useful and adjust techniques based on the client's needs, goals and preferences rather than using a fixed method for everyone.
The therapist's biography does not list specific online session formats, so please confirm available options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins on difficult days, or remove travel time. If camera use or length of session matters, mention that when you arrange your first meeting so the format can be matched to everyday life and practical routines.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Additional focus areas
Experience
20+ years
Listed in
Australia
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she work with?
She works with stress, anxiety, grief, self-esteem issues and coping with life changes, and lists codependency among her focus areas.
What is her style in sessions?
She uses strengths-based and person-centred ways of working, focusing on practical conversation and small, achievable steps.
How long has she worked in this field?
Derrel has over 20 years of professional experience in social work and counselling-related roles.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is an AASW social worker based in Australia.
Does she provide sessions in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are used?
Formats are not specified in the biography; please confirm current session options before booking.
How much do sessions cost?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I start working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
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.