Deborah Wood

Couples Therapist

DipCouns | BA Psych & Counselling |

Deborah was born and raised in the UK and emigrated to Australia early 2009 with her 2 children and husband. She was a stay-at-home mother until she embarked on her own learning journey in 2016 following the path of Psychology and counselling. As well as a double diploma in counselling and community services, Deborah has completed her bachelor’s in psychology and counselling. She has a passion for couples therapy completing her training in the Gottman method of couples counselling stages 1 and 2 and uses psychotherapy and a person-centred approach to provide individual therapy for couples tailored to their specific needs. Deborah’s own experiences, education and training, have enabled her to work from an empathic stance and provided her with knowledge and understanding of individual narratives. The disconnect that takes place within couples is complex and messages are often misinterpreted or misunderstood, resulting in an array of emotions and actions that are often detrimental to the relationship, particularly over longer time periods. Deborah’s aim is to aid clients in their understanding of each other, increase capacity for positive communication within the relationship and help facilitate open dialogue enabling couples to reconnect.

How does Deborah work?

What are your expectations from us as a couple in the counselling process?

Couples counselling can be difficult but rewarding if clients are willing to use the tools and skills provided in the sessions. Couples could try to be open to new possibilities because changing habits and behaviours is hard, and allow the Counsellor to work with couples together as a team to find solutions.

How do you ensure confidentiality and privacy during counselling sessions?

We have a counselling room with the door closed and this is your safe space to be heard without bias. Session notes are kept confidential within the organisation on our computer system with limited access. Sometimes cases are discussed within supervision sessions with the aim to provide clients with more help from a different perspective, but there is no identification used in this process to ensure confidentiality. If notes are subpoenaed by the courts, then they must be given.

How long do you anticipate the counselling process will take, and how often would we meet?

The length of the counselling process varies from couple to couple depending on willingness to use the help provided, the difficulty of the issues that brough them to the counselling room, and how quickly new skills and learnings are integrated into everyday life. Initially, sessions will be weekly or fortnightly and then reduced as and when clients and therapist agree depending on progress and need.