Individual Counselling Gold Coast
Filling up Your Cup
In this modern age, it is easy to neglect self care like you are pouring from an empty cup. If you are constantly juggling work, kids, family, finances, and more, you’ll quickly end up burnt out – with less in your emotional cup. An empty cup means your ability to care for others will be non-existent when you don’t even have the time or energy to care for yourself. Sound familiar?
In fact, everyday men, women turn to counselling and coaching when they need support, or are at a crossroads in their lives. People who come to Ghita Therapy are often ready to change and grow, and just need a little help. There are many happy stories on our Testimonials page..
Top 10 Reasons Why People Seek Individual Counselling on the Gold Coast:
In this modern age, it is easy to neglect self care like you are pouring from an empty cup. If you are constantly juggling work, kids, family, finances, and more, you’ll quickly end up burnt out – with less in your emotional cup. An empty cup means your ability to care for others will be non-existent when you don’t even have the time or energy to care for yourself. Sound familiar?
In fact, everyday men, women turn to counselling and coaching when they need support, or are at a crossroads in their lives. People who come to Ghita Therapy are often ready to change and grow, and just need a little help. There are many happy stories on our Testimonials page..
Top 10 Reasons Why People Seek Individual Counselling on the Gold Coast:
- Treatment for Anxiety
- Couples Counselling
- Anger Management
- Treatment for Depression
- Relationship Issues: Break-ups, Separation and Divorce
- Grief and Loss Healing
- Unforgiveness/ Grievances
- Major Life and Job Changes
- Low Self-Esteem or Confidence
- Childhood Trauma/ Abuse
★★★★★ Google Review 2024: Individual Counselling: Ghita is such a wealth of knowledge. She provides a safe and nurturing space for counselling & support to her clients. Ghita is always consistent and authentic in her approach. Highly recommend. 5 Star. - Lisa Carse (Elanora)
1. Anxiety
Anxiety is a responses that is triggered by an event. It can also be accumulative stress. Anxiety is your body's way of telling you that it is not safe, is ready for the fight or flight response and that it would like you to relieve that fear or tension and return to normal (homeostasis). Stress and anxiety are not always bad. In the short term, they can help you overcome a challenge or dangerous situation. Examples of everyday stress and anxiety include worrying about finding a job, feeling nervous before a big test, or being embarrassed in certain social situations.
Chronic Stress
Chronic stress causes frustration, agitated nerves, anger and muddled thinking. When the nervous system is constantly on edge, the adrenals produce cortisol with very few triggers. Our ability to handle stress can reduce over time. In fact, high cortisol will deplete serotonin - which helps with concentration and the ability to cope with stress. On a long term basis, low serotonin can lead to both anxiety and depression.
Consequently, frequent anxiety is designed to tell you that it wants you to change something about your life. If you know what is causing it, you can adjust your lifestyle to reduce your anxiety. Together we can work out what it is that triggers your anxiety and make a plan with strategies to reduce the discomfort.
2. Couples Counselling/ Relationship Counselling
Even if you have trouble getting a partner to couples therapy, we highly recommend that you come on your own anyway. If you can bring home some strategies that will help your situation, your partner may be encouraged to also join you in the sessions at a future date. Even if that doesn’t happen, there are many insights and strategies we can show you that will help you with your issues. One person changing can and does change the dynamic in the relationship. You still have power in your relationship by making changes yourself.
3. Anger Management
Why do we get angry? Anger is often associated with frustration – things don’t always happen the way we want and people don’t always behave the way we think they should. Anger is the by-product of not feeling in control and not have our needs met. You may be feeling protective, frightened, disappointed, worried, embarrassed or frustrated, but may express these feelings as anger. Anger releases tension but only gives relief in the short-term.
In fact, men and women often express anger in different ways. With men, anger may be the primary emotion, as many men believe that anger is a more legitimate emotion to express in a situation. Often men find it harder to express or understand the feelings underneath the anger, like hurt, fear, sadness or grief. For women the reverse may often be true – the anger gets buried through internalisation, emotional eating, ruminating, or other coping methods of expression.
4. Depression and Feeling Stuck
While we all feel sad, moody or low from time to time, some people experience these feelings intensely, for long periods of time (weeks, months or even years) and sometimes without any apparent reason. Depression is more than just a low mood – it's a serious condition that affects your mental and physical health. Depression affects how you feel about yourself and makes life more difficult to manage from day to day. It is like living with a negative nagging person who only sees your faults. This internal critic is very destructive and easily triggered once the brain routes thoughts down the same neurons that are lacking in the right levels of dopamine and serotonin. Talking with a counsellor and learning new methods can help you to take control over the inner-critic.
5. Separation and Divorce
6. Grief and Loss Counselling
7. Unforgiveness
It is not uncommon for clients to come to me with conflicts regarding infidelity, problems getting over separations/ divorce, not being able to forgive ex-partners etcetera. This is because there is trauma attached to feeling betrayed or disappointed. This can cause stuck thinking or ruminating when we wish we had done things differently. The result of this is not being able to let go, to forgive and to have our Internal critic constantly telling us things that make us unhappy.
Most of us struggle with beliefs that fate, or someone, has wronged us in some way. Moreover, when we water and nurture these beliefs over time, it causes massive suffering. At Ghita Therapy, it is your therapist's job to help you to break down these beliefs one at a time, so that you can happily move on with your life.
8. Major Life Changes
Life can be fantastic one minute, and devastating the next. A major life change may not seem so bad to others, but it will be, for whatever reason, enormously significant to you. Society also teaches us that it is undesirable to be unhappy. Sometimes we just need to sit with the feeling and process it, or to be validated in our feelings - even if no one else can understand our fear and insecurity.
Not only that, but when we become depressed our ability to logically process information becomes impaired. We are more likely to see things in negative light, when normally we might not. This creates a depressive cycle - because once depressed, our ability to see the positive side is diminished and we create a skewed reality about our circumstances. But you do not have to go through it alone. We are social creatures and we all need that 'Rock of Gibraltar' strength from others from time to time. Talking things over with a non-judgemental third party such as a counsellor will help.
Major Life Changes Include:
9. Low Self Esteem
Self-esteem is everything. It is the natural vibe around you that promotes your identity. It says, I am worthy, I can do this, I deserve what I want, I can have this. Indeed, the view you have of yourself skews your world to being either positive or negative. In psychology we call this thinking 'attribution theory.' An example of this is how some people are always broke or sick. You can bet that their external and internal narrative is negative, and that they literally push away many avenues for getting support, love, abundance or wellness. By talking about something, you reinforce it. The same goes for thinking about something over, and over. A basic idea becomes concreted into the mind and then the automatic pilot (attribution) takes these thoughts as short cuts and runs with them without any effort at all.
But, you can weed out a good percentage of of this automatic control system; and when you do feel that you have more control over the outcome of events in your life, there is less frustration, less doubt, and fewer people can take away your power.
10. Childhood Issues Leading to Negative Behaviours
The relationship between childhood trauma and susceptibility to compulsions can be best understood when one knows how a chronic lack of safety influences a child's brain’s development. Many associate childhood trauma with child abuse, but other stress-inducing and traumatic experiences are linked to an elevated vulnerability to addictive behaviours. These include neglect, the loss of a parent, witnessing domestic, or other physical violence, and having a family member who suffers from a mental illness.
Those who had experienced such things such as neglect, loss of a parent, unhealthy attachments to a parent, or sexual, emotional and verbal abuse during childhood have shown an increased tendency to become dependent on stimulants or maintaining compulsive behaviours. These effects carry into adolescence and adulthood, leaving the victims of neglect and abuse struggling in relationships, abusing substances, and/or engaging in other compulsions.
Meet Our Team
Ghita Andersen and Kathie Halse are practitioners who work with individuals from predominantly the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Northern Rivers. Please note, that there is a complimentary 10 minute phone consultation available. So don't be afraid to reach out and ask questions. Call, or SMS Ghita Therapy today on 0439 888 070
Anxiety is a responses that is triggered by an event. It can also be accumulative stress. Anxiety is your body's way of telling you that it is not safe, is ready for the fight or flight response and that it would like you to relieve that fear or tension and return to normal (homeostasis). Stress and anxiety are not always bad. In the short term, they can help you overcome a challenge or dangerous situation. Examples of everyday stress and anxiety include worrying about finding a job, feeling nervous before a big test, or being embarrassed in certain social situations.
Chronic Stress
Chronic stress causes frustration, agitated nerves, anger and muddled thinking. When the nervous system is constantly on edge, the adrenals produce cortisol with very few triggers. Our ability to handle stress can reduce over time. In fact, high cortisol will deplete serotonin - which helps with concentration and the ability to cope with stress. On a long term basis, low serotonin can lead to both anxiety and depression.
Consequently, frequent anxiety is designed to tell you that it wants you to change something about your life. If you know what is causing it, you can adjust your lifestyle to reduce your anxiety. Together we can work out what it is that triggers your anxiety and make a plan with strategies to reduce the discomfort.
2. Couples Counselling/ Relationship Counselling
Even if you have trouble getting a partner to couples therapy, we highly recommend that you come on your own anyway. If you can bring home some strategies that will help your situation, your partner may be encouraged to also join you in the sessions at a future date. Even if that doesn’t happen, there are many insights and strategies we can show you that will help you with your issues. One person changing can and does change the dynamic in the relationship. You still have power in your relationship by making changes yourself.
3. Anger Management
Why do we get angry? Anger is often associated with frustration – things don’t always happen the way we want and people don’t always behave the way we think they should. Anger is the by-product of not feeling in control and not have our needs met. You may be feeling protective, frightened, disappointed, worried, embarrassed or frustrated, but may express these feelings as anger. Anger releases tension but only gives relief in the short-term.
In fact, men and women often express anger in different ways. With men, anger may be the primary emotion, as many men believe that anger is a more legitimate emotion to express in a situation. Often men find it harder to express or understand the feelings underneath the anger, like hurt, fear, sadness or grief. For women the reverse may often be true – the anger gets buried through internalisation, emotional eating, ruminating, or other coping methods of expression.
4. Depression and Feeling Stuck
While we all feel sad, moody or low from time to time, some people experience these feelings intensely, for long periods of time (weeks, months or even years) and sometimes without any apparent reason. Depression is more than just a low mood – it's a serious condition that affects your mental and physical health. Depression affects how you feel about yourself and makes life more difficult to manage from day to day. It is like living with a negative nagging person who only sees your faults. This internal critic is very destructive and easily triggered once the brain routes thoughts down the same neurons that are lacking in the right levels of dopamine and serotonin. Talking with a counsellor and learning new methods can help you to take control over the inner-critic.
5. Separation and Divorce
6. Grief and Loss Counselling
7. Unforgiveness
It is not uncommon for clients to come to me with conflicts regarding infidelity, problems getting over separations/ divorce, not being able to forgive ex-partners etcetera. This is because there is trauma attached to feeling betrayed or disappointed. This can cause stuck thinking or ruminating when we wish we had done things differently. The result of this is not being able to let go, to forgive and to have our Internal critic constantly telling us things that make us unhappy.
Most of us struggle with beliefs that fate, or someone, has wronged us in some way. Moreover, when we water and nurture these beliefs over time, it causes massive suffering. At Ghita Therapy, it is your therapist's job to help you to break down these beliefs one at a time, so that you can happily move on with your life.
8. Major Life Changes
Life can be fantastic one minute, and devastating the next. A major life change may not seem so bad to others, but it will be, for whatever reason, enormously significant to you. Society also teaches us that it is undesirable to be unhappy. Sometimes we just need to sit with the feeling and process it, or to be validated in our feelings - even if no one else can understand our fear and insecurity.
Not only that, but when we become depressed our ability to logically process information becomes impaired. We are more likely to see things in negative light, when normally we might not. This creates a depressive cycle - because once depressed, our ability to see the positive side is diminished and we create a skewed reality about our circumstances. But you do not have to go through it alone. We are social creatures and we all need that 'Rock of Gibraltar' strength from others from time to time. Talking things over with a non-judgemental third party such as a counsellor will help.
Major Life Changes Include:
- Growing older and moving from one life stage to the next
- The end of a long-term relationship - separation and divorce
- The loss of a loved one
- Retirement
- Job loss or retrenchment
- The end of dreams and aspirations
- A mid-life crisis - where one evaluates every aspect of life
- Empty nest syndrome
- The diagnosis of a terminal illness or other significant illness
- An operation or accident that leaves you immobile or in pain
- Financial problems
- Did you know? Depression and anxiety strike twice as many females as males
9. Low Self Esteem
Self-esteem is everything. It is the natural vibe around you that promotes your identity. It says, I am worthy, I can do this, I deserve what I want, I can have this. Indeed, the view you have of yourself skews your world to being either positive or negative. In psychology we call this thinking 'attribution theory.' An example of this is how some people are always broke or sick. You can bet that their external and internal narrative is negative, and that they literally push away many avenues for getting support, love, abundance or wellness. By talking about something, you reinforce it. The same goes for thinking about something over, and over. A basic idea becomes concreted into the mind and then the automatic pilot (attribution) takes these thoughts as short cuts and runs with them without any effort at all.
But, you can weed out a good percentage of of this automatic control system; and when you do feel that you have more control over the outcome of events in your life, there is less frustration, less doubt, and fewer people can take away your power.
10. Childhood Issues Leading to Negative Behaviours
The relationship between childhood trauma and susceptibility to compulsions can be best understood when one knows how a chronic lack of safety influences a child's brain’s development. Many associate childhood trauma with child abuse, but other stress-inducing and traumatic experiences are linked to an elevated vulnerability to addictive behaviours. These include neglect, the loss of a parent, witnessing domestic, or other physical violence, and having a family member who suffers from a mental illness.
Those who had experienced such things such as neglect, loss of a parent, unhealthy attachments to a parent, or sexual, emotional and verbal abuse during childhood have shown an increased tendency to become dependent on stimulants or maintaining compulsive behaviours. These effects carry into adolescence and adulthood, leaving the victims of neglect and abuse struggling in relationships, abusing substances, and/or engaging in other compulsions.
Meet Our Team
Ghita Andersen and Kathie Halse are practitioners who work with individuals from predominantly the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Northern Rivers. Please note, that there is a complimentary 10 minute phone consultation available. So don't be afraid to reach out and ask questions. Call, or SMS Ghita Therapy today on 0439 888 070
Copyright 2025 Ghita Andersen. Images by Maarlen Noordanus and Freepik
<marriage-counsellling-gold-coast>, <couples-counselling-gold-coast>, <couples-therapy-gold-coast>, <couples-therapy-currumbin>, <marriage-counsellors-gold-coast>, <marriage-therapists-gold-coast>, <past-life-regression-hypnotherapy-gold-coast>
<Gold-Coast-Counselling>, <couples-counselling>, <Marriage-Counselling>, <Psychologist>, <Marriage-Therapy>, <NLP-gold-coast>, <couples-counsellor-gold-coast>, <Time-Line-Therapy-gold-coast>, <psychologist-gold-coast>, <Hypnotherapy-gold-coast>, <counsellor-gold-coast>, <counsellors-gold-coast>, <best-marriage-counsellors-gold-coast>, <gestalt-therapy-gold-coast>, <life-coaches-gold-coast>, <treatment-anxiety-depression-gold-coast>, <anger-management-gold-coast>,<Counselling Near Me>
<marriage-counsellling-gold-coast>, <couples-counselling-gold-coast>, <couples-therapy-gold-coast>, <couples-therapy-currumbin>, <marriage-counsellors-gold-coast>, <marriage-therapists-gold-coast>, <past-life-regression-hypnotherapy-gold-coast>
<Gold-Coast-Counselling>, <couples-counselling>, <Marriage-Counselling>, <Psychologist>, <Marriage-Therapy>, <NLP-gold-coast>, <couples-counsellor-gold-coast>, <Time-Line-Therapy-gold-coast>, <psychologist-gold-coast>, <Hypnotherapy-gold-coast>, <counsellor-gold-coast>, <counsellors-gold-coast>, <best-marriage-counsellors-gold-coast>, <gestalt-therapy-gold-coast>, <life-coaches-gold-coast>, <treatment-anxiety-depression-gold-coast>, <anger-management-gold-coast>,<Counselling Near Me>