Counselling Insight

Counselling support gives people the opportunity to resolve past trauma, improve their capacity to cope with life’s challenges and to feel seen and heard. My clients range from children to adults; they all come with different issues to resolve, but they all wish to improve their emotional well-being and capacity to cope. Working collaboratively with a counsellor and in a safe, non-judgemental space, you can tackle difficult decisions, reduce your stress, face mental health issues and address relationship or friendship challenges.
The first step?

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“My 9 yr old struggles with anxiety and a fear of separation from us. School drop offs had resulted in tears all round and at home he was unable to be anywhere alone. We decided to give the “Cool kids” program a go. It’s taught our son how to understand his feelings and to manage the anxiety. The whole family has learnt new problem solving techniques. It may seem like small steps, but now he can stay in the house alone and school drop offs are fine. It’s made a huge difference to our son and our family’s well-being.” – Northern beaches family.

“My 9 yr old struggles with anxiety and a fear of separation from us. School drop offs had resulted in tears all round and at home he was unable to be anywhere alone. We decided to give the “Cool kids” program a go. It’s taught our son how to understand his feelings and to manage the anxiety. The whole family has learnt new problem solving techniques. It may seem like small steps, but now he can stay in the house alone and school drop offs are fine. It’s made a huge difference to our son and our family’s well-being.” – Northern beaches family.

“ It was a traumatic time and this really helped me deal with the flow of emotions.”

Services

Families

Having worked as a manager and counsellor in family support and as a facilitator of parenting programs, Counselling Insight specialises in providing counselling and practical strategies for parents/carers. As well as counselling younger family members, as appropriate.

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Children/Young Adults

I believe to work effectively with young adults and children a flexible approach is required, to create rapport and partnership within each session. 

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Individuals

One-on-one counselling should allow your story to be heard, in an empathic, non-judgmental environment. A partnership that facilitates greater self-awareness and allows new perspectives to be explored. We don’t learn through experiences, but by reflecting on those experiences.

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Sarah Cocksedge

I’ve worked as a Counsellor and Family Services Manager within non-government and private organisations. As a counsellor in private practice, I provide support to individuals, families, children and young adults. When working with clients, I draw upon my clinical experience and as a practitioner of parenting programs, plus experience gained as a Manager of Family Support Services in Sydney.

As a registered member of the Psychotherapy & Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) and CAPA NSW, I adhere to their code of ethics and membership requirements, offering a professional, confidential and ethical service to my clients. I’m degree trained (BA Hons) Psychology, with Counselling qualifications from ACAP – one of the most highly regarded, private training institutions in Australia for Counsellors and Psychologists. My on-going professional development covers anxiety management for individuals, fostering resilience in children/teens, HSC support; creative therapy interventions for children/teens; co-parenting; conflict resolution; domestic and family violence support and suicide prevention training.

I’m also a trained practitioner of Macquarie University’s anxiety management program for children and teens (7 yrs +); Melbourne University’s Emotion Coaching program for parents (Tuning in to kids/teens) ; “Healthy relationships and resilience building”; Circle of Security attachment parenting and NSW Govt’s Triple PPP positive parenting program.

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The benefits of Counselling…

Counselling

For counselling to be successful, the approach should be tailored to each person. I offer a range of psychological supports including narrative therapy, CBT programs, psycho-education and creative therapy for children,  allowing rapport and a sense of partnership to develop from the 1st session.

For children or teenagers, there is the opportunity to talk about the challenges they face with an impartial third party, able to offer a fresh perspective and guidance. Some children have never experienced therapy or counselling before; it’s critical that a range of interventions are available to suit their temperament –  ensuring they don’t feel they are “the problem”.

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Resources

Please find here some additional resources, which may be of use

Being able to reflect

Why look at your ability to reflect as a parent? When do you have the time? If parents are able to reflect on their child or teenager's "internal world", then they have the capacity to think about that other person's desires, needs and beliefs. This mentalisation, is...

The role of the left and right hand side of the brain

Brain adaptability- New technology has confirmed that the brain is actually flexible, that we learn throughout the course of our life not just childhood. Experiences shape how we interpret the world around us. Our brains aren’t fully developed until mid twenties. What...

Empathising with the young adult in your house.

Common fears and worries for a high school aged child – young adult. There are many experiences adolescents find unsettling and/or they worry about. Some find it hard to express or communicate their concerns. It’s important that parents are alert to what your teen...