Counsellor profile
Vanessa Thomas, AASW
Australia
AASW social worker - trauma and codependency support
Continue with VanessaWhere Vanessa stands
- Credentials
- AASW
- Registration
- AASW, Australia / 485484
- Experience
- 3 years
- Languages
- English
- Location
- Australia
About
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Mindfulness techniques
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy
About Vanessa
Vanessa Thomas is an AASW social worker with three years' experience based in Australia. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, grief, low self-esteem, depression, compassion fatigue and relationship or family strain. She also supports those coping with trauma and abuse, sleep problems, parenting strain, career shifts and codependency concerns.
Vanessa takes a person-centred approach and brings a trauma-informed lens to sessions. She listens for what matters to each person and uses that to shape goals. Sessions focus on practical skills, values work and ways to manage difficult feelings day to day.
Her practice draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Emotionally-Focused Therapy and Mindfulness techniques. Vanessa also uses parts work, motivational interviewing and somatic ideas when these suit a person’s needs. She explains tools clearly and helps people try them in simple steps.
Vanessa works with people living with complex mental health concerns as well as those dealing with everyday stresses. She helps people notice unhelpful patterns, practise boundary-setting and build routines that support better sleep and steadier moods. Conversations include real-life examples and small experiments to try between sessions.
People in different parts of Australia may find scheduling more difficult across some time zones. Before booking, the site questionnaire helps match a suitable time and clarify session arrangements. Vanessa asks new clients to outline current concerns and goals so the first session can focus on what matters most.
How sessions work
How Vanessa uses therapeutic approaches online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take small steps in that direction. It focuses on noticing thoughts and choosing actions that line up with personal values, which can help with anxiety, low mood and codependency patterns.Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at thoughts, feelings and behaviour in a practical way. It teaches techniques for spotting unhelpful thinking, testing those thoughts and trying new behaviours to change how someone feels day to day.
Vanessa treats finding the right approach as a collaborative process. She will talk with each person about goals, preferences and what has worked before, then suggest approaches to try. Decisions about methods and pace are made together and can change over time.
Confirm the exact online session formats through the booking questionnaire before you schedule. The therapist will explain options and help pick what fits your life and routine. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into busy days, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time so people can practise tools between meetings. Vanessa will also consider practical needs like timing and session length when arranging appointments.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
3+ years
Listed in
Australia
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she work with?
She supports people with stress, anxiety, grief, depression, relationship and family concerns, trauma and codependency issues.
How would she describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is person-centred and trauma-informed, focusing on practical skills, values work and clear tools to try between sessions.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has three years of experience working with people, including those living with complex mental health concerns.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is an AASW social worker and practises in Australia.
Can sessions be held in other languages or for international clients?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not taking international clients.
Which session formats are offered?
If you need to know current session formats, confirm them through the booking questionnaire before scheduling.
How does payment work?
Costs vary with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the 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.