About Gillian
Gillian Ashby is an ACA counsellor who supports people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, addictions or big life changes. She speaks plainly and helps clients break down problems into manageable steps. Many come when work, relationships or retirement leave them exhausted or unsure what to do next.
Gillian draws on nine years' experience as a counsellor and educator. She holds a Master of Counselling and a Bachelor of Education, and has Australian Counsellors Association (ACA) Level 4 clinical registration.
Background and approach
Her work is practical and structured. Sessions focus on realistic goals clients can use in daily life. Her core approaches are client-centred work and attachment-based ideas.
That means listening first, then shaping sessions around each person's needs and history. Conversations look at patterns in relationships and how early attachment experiences affect current behaviour. Gillian has a long history supporting people with addiction concerns and those affected by a loved one's substance use.
She also helps with career shifts, separation, communication difficulties, codependency and caring for ageing relatives. She aims to make change sustainable rather than quick fixes. Therapy is collaborative and paced to what the client can manage.
Gillian uses practical exercises, reflective conversation and planning to build coping skills. She encourages small steps that add up to meaningful change.
Attachment and Person-centred Approaches Online
Gillian uses client-centred therapy to place the person's experience at the heart of each session. This approach focuses on listening, reflecting and helping the client find their own solutions. It suits people who want a supportive, non-directive style.She also uses attachment-based ideas to look at how early relationship patterns affect current behaviour. That work can help with anxiety, communication problems, codependency and patterns that show up in close relationships.
Finding the right approach is part of therapy. Gillian works collaboratively to decide which methods suit the client's goals and preferences. She adapts pacing and techniques as trust builds and priorities shift.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging. Video is useful for deeper conversation and visual cues, phone calls can fit into a short break, and text or chat can work for quick check-ins or ongoing support. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, caregiving and travel, and to continue work when in different locations.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Phobias
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 9 years
- Licensed
- Languages
- English
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