Each month we spotlight an ACA member in the ACA Monthly Bulletin, our monthly newsletter. The Member Spotlight is designed to showcase the work of our members to you! We hope their stories inspire or spark interest. Let’s share our experiences within our counselling community.

Vanessa Kredler | Counsellor, Psychotherapist.

What motivated you to pursue a career in counselling?
I have lived experience of addiction and trauma that motivated me to learn about all things healing and eventually led to supporting others. As soon as I started my personal recovery journey I started training as a counsellor in parallel because I knew there was something important about this work.

What specific areas do you primarily work within?
Most of my clients struggle with food addiction, disordered eating, and/or complex trauma. I work on zoom with clients from all over Australia and at various points on their recovery journeys. Sessions can vary greatly because with some clients I work at a very practical level as addiction recovery requires developing new knowledge, skills and ways of coping. With other clients we work at a much deeper level on healing underlying wounds, mainly through Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, which is very powerful. And often we work in parallel on practical and deeper aspects.

What is a recent personal success or achievement you’re proud of?
I have recently given a couple of presentations about food addiction to colleagues from the eating disorders field. This is very positive and encouraging because food addiction is not officially recognised in the DSM and ICD despite so many clients identifying with it. In the eating disorders field, food addiction is sometimes seen as a dangerous concept because it advocates for abstaining from certain food and food behaviours (for some clients), which can exacerbate dietary restraint in some people with eating disorders. On the other hand, the approach of moderating all foods advocated in the eating disorders field can be very harmful to some food addiction clients. It’s important that we have open discussion about how clinical presentations overlap and how we can best support clients without falling into warring camps. Dialogue and collaboration are very important so that we can improve our care, especially around food and eating which is a complex topic for everyone, even for people without addiction or disordered eating.

What is the most rewarding aspect of being a counsellor for you?
What is most rewarding is when clients feel heard and understood by me no matter what is going on for them. Particularly, when clients’ experience of food addiction is validated, as the concept is often not taken seriously by professionals or misdiagnosed. I also enjoy being able to be what in IFS we call a ‘hope merchant’, bringing hope that healing is possible.

How do you contribute to the betterment of the profession and your community?
Part of me says that I contribute to the betterment of the profession and the community by holding advocacy positions. For example, I am a SANE Australia peer ambassador and a member of the Blue Knot Foundation Lived and Living Experience Committee to co-design their trauma-informed services. I use my lived experience to help reduce stigma and improve services. Another part of says, it’s more about just aspiring to be authentic, integral, and humble in all areas of life, to the best of my ability.

Are there any particular projects or initiatives you’re currently involved in?
I’m involved with my food addiction colleagues overseas to raise awareness around the currently unrecognised concept of food addiction, and am supporting people on Dr Vera Tarman’s Sugar Free for Life Facebook group.

I also run regular Internal Family Systems (IFS) and food addiction groups to support clients who want to explore IFS in relation to food and eating and am immensely enjoying those groups.

What advice would you give to someone considering a career in counselling?
Don’t be afraid to use your lived and living experience as a motivator to enter the field but be aware of your own biases and do your own healing work so that you can keep it out of the work with your clients.

Is there a quote or philosophy that inspires your work?
Do your own work. I don’t know who said it, but it basically signifies to me that we can only take our clients as far and deep as we’ve gone ourselves and that we have a responsibility to look after our own healing in order to support others.

Each month we spotlight an ACA Member in the ACA Monthly Bulletin, our monthly newsletter. The Member Spotlight is designed to showcase the work of our members to you! We hope their stories inspire or spark interest. Let’s share our experiences within our counselling community.

Zoe Slater | Counsellor, speaker, CEO Freedom Choice Academy, author and creator of the Zoeism- inner wisdom guidance cards, personal development workshops.

What motivated you to pursue a career in counselling? 
A compelling curiosity as to WHY people knew what the right thing was to do or say, but often did the opposite. Regularly betraying themself or another person, ultimately keeping themself trapped in long term pain and suffering. Most often pushing away what’s good for them and move towards that which is bad for them, continuing emotional stress and life dissatisfaction.

My pull to study psychology was strong but the thought of sitting, all day, every day at university for several years repelled me redirecting my focus to other priorities. Until one day… in my early thirties an experience highlighted it was time to lean into my calling. This is how the experience unfolded. I was in a great position managing a recruitment agency in Sydney, but deep down at the soul level, I was unfulfilled. An emptiness, searching and longing for what will give me meaning. I realised counselling was a sense of coming home within myself, a place of interest where ‘I belong’.

I was gazing out the window contemplating my life when a candidate arrived in my office with a track history of jumping from job to job, blaming the boss and work environment. Businesses were looking for the right fit person. People were looking for the right fit job. However, the patterns of their inner psyche, blame, dissatisfaction, stress, and tension were so obvious. People would say ‘all I need is a new job’, to be happy or if the current employer would change, everything would be okay. The outside world needed to change ‘not them’! My heart knew this person needed help. In that moment, I chose to help people to see their patterns, to heal their wounded emotional imprints, to gain freedom and choice over their life. To have the job / work environment that adds to their happiness and more, because… they understand who they are, to then understand what they need. I wasted no time quickly finding the right educational platform that was the right fit for me and within weeks I was a mature age student on my journey to becoming the best Counsellor I could be.

What is the most rewarding aspect of being a counsellor for you?
I specifically work with Business Owners and Executives plus their teams with EAP. Like myself my clients don’t have time to waste, have businesses to run or busy lives and require sustaining fast results.

I’m comfortable with intense emotions, trauma, somatic issues, past lives, pre-birth issues and more. I grew in a family business so I’m familiar with family business dynamics and succession counselling which is why is why emotions and business are a natural fit for me.

My integrated model works deeply with the unconscious mind which includes a holistic framework approach to their mental health and wellness. My clients value that broader scope to transform their whole life. Particularly as relationships and friendships break down, everyone needs to have someone or a counsellor who has there back, a go to person for support and honesty. This holistic framework approach deepens my relationship with my clients allowing more of a lifetime relationship.

My weeks are huge, so I’ll share the most important part of my day with you. My typical day starts with gratitude, followed by a walk, swim and meditation, family connection then my business day. My Journal Diary keeps my holistic work/life overview in mind ensuring that I remain balanced. Filling my cup first allows me to be a far better person and counsellor. The commitment it takes to have harmonious sustainable success in my life helps me not burn out. If I burn-out I’m sabotaging all that which I love to do. Success without Self Care is Sabotage which happen to be the title of my 2023 Australian Tour. I am what I teach! Which leads into your next question.

Can you share a recent achievement in your counselling work that you’re proud of?
Yes! I did my first Australian Tour a few months ago, and I loved it. Speaking at five major cities, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, and Melbourne for MFAA (Mortgage Finance Association of Australia), talk title ‘Success without Self-Care is Sabotage’! The impact in the finance world was better than I expected, embracing the conversation for themselves, family, and clients. My Success model and framework gave them measured outcome that’s irrefutable, revealing the areas of their life that’ve been neglected. I’ve come away from the Australian Tour with the confidence to speak globally and in front of 10,000 people or more. Was I scared, yes! But I was way more thrilled and privileged to have the opportunity to positively impact so many lives.

I’m now in more conversations for another Australian tour that will include my Mental Health Journal Diary System. Plus my business Freedom Choice Academy was a finalist for the ROAR Awards 2023.

What is the most rewarding aspect of being a counsellor for you?
There are so many… I love seeing clients’ eyes light up when they let go of emotions. When they get relief and clarity about old sabotaging behaviours. Gaining new awareness about an old emotion that was holding them back. Plus, the energy they get as the relief floods their body, the tension melts away and peace radiates outwards from their whole beingness, resting in a place of inner silence and no thoughts. Something many say they have never felt or can’t remember when they had zero mind chatter. Clients say they have a sense of freedom, free to choose, choices that’s right for them and excited to leave the session to live the life they really want to live… YES! The relief often washes away years of stress wrinkles they look like they’ve had a face lift, honestly, that’s my HIGH! Happy tears. Then sharing at their next session how their life has improved from the ground-breaking work we’ve done. Grateful and blown away with the speed in which change has happened for them. Yes… this is rewarding work for me!

How do you contribute to the betterment of the profession and your community? 
I enjoy chatting with my peers at the ACA chapter meetings, annual events and so on, it’s a place to share what’s working what’s not, how we can help one another.

When I was on my Australian Tour many people talked to me about their counsellors, both good and bad stories in five different states. I helped them consider questions to enhance their counselling experience. To not blame the counsellor but instead be determined to find the right fit counsellor. By the third session I believe a client should know if the counsellor is the right fit. More importantly to not give up themselves, the right counsellor is out there waiting for them to show up.

I love that counsellors don’t diagnose/ label clients. We create a space for clients to unshackle themselves if they wish, to determine their own life. I acknowledge my client’s diagnosis label but I don’t let it define the healing that’s possible for my client, which makes us counsellors more valuable. My clients have unshackled themselves from many labels and diagnosis because of the deep inner work we’ve done. Taking control over their life and self-determination is powerful.

I speak at many business groups reminding business people that Counsellors are not afraid of the clients tears and are willing to BE with clients and do the emotional heavy lifting. The work we counsellors do, can often collaboratively help clients get off medications. What I do lets people know that a good counsellor is worth paying for. Subsequently I believe what I do contributes to the betterment of our profession and how we are perceived.

My business is growing and I’m now looking for a like-minded counsellor and admin person to join my team.

What advice would you give to someone considering a career in counselling? 
Go for it. Follow your dream… listen to the calling. We are all here to help someone through their pain and to gain from their pain. Freedom and Choice over their life.

To walk your talk. Always be your own best client, which means you’re not avoiding your own issues and you’re doing self-care. This way you won’t burn out and you’ll have loads of fun doing rewarding work… enhancing people’s lives.

Don’t be fooled… what you avoid within yourself will become a fear-based limitation of yourself and likely to hinder the great work you can be doing with your clients.

The topics, subjects and approaches I loved the most are where I excel now. If there are topics you avoid, ask yourself why. If you are triggered, then do the work to heal. Those triggers mastered will serve you well. Clients often have repressed memory and don’t know that their discovery can trigger your wound so be prepared and be empowered.

The right niche area will energise you. Your clients’ challenge will excite you to find the right solution to ease their pain and deliver them to their own salvation. Make the most of your field placement. My field placement wasn’t what I wanted but it was all I could get, so I went with a grateful heart. My supervisor was amazing! Plus, the real time experience helped define my preferred clients.

Final words of advice
Lau Tzu says the integral being, sees without looking, knows without going and accomplishes without doing. This statement is so powerful but at a simple level it reminds me to breath as a counsellor and let the clients do the work.

Keep learning and applying! Embrace your clients’ emotions and always stretch yourself to the edge of your knowledge and experience.

Talking the talk is easy … Walking the talk is where the ‘Grit meets the Road’. One process I still do to help myself when triggered is…

1. Have a small size note pad beside me when I’m counselling.
2. Whenever triggered, I would discretely write a quick note to myself about the issue so I could deal with the issue later and return to being present with the client in the room.
3. I thrive from the healthy pressure it puts me under. When I next saw that client or came across that issue, I could measure my progress. I regularly say to my children or friends, I’ve had the best day ever, helping people to change their life or save their life. Freedom and Choice over their life.

Love what you do and never work a day in your life.
Zoe xx

This month launches our new “Member Spotlight” section of the ACA Monthly Bulletin, our monthly newsletter for all ACA Members. The Member Spotlight is designed to showcase the work of our members to you! We hope their stories inspire or spark interest. Let’s share our experiences within our counselling community.

Ken Loftus
Clinical Director of the Sunlight Centre, Counsellor, Clinical Supervisor, Facilitator

What motivated you to pursue a career in counselling?

I began as a junior helper in my hometown’s Summer Project in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, Ireland from when I was thirteen years old. I discovered then I really enjoyed helping people. During my psychology and psychoanalysis degree studies in Ireland, I began my career working in Social Care in a residential care home for under eighteens with high behavioural issues. It was during this time I completed my studies in counselling.

For over 22 years I have worked with adults and adolescents as a psychologist and counsellor covering a wide range of issues via an integrative style though face to face work and create and facilitate empowering mental health workshops.

Since moving to Brisbane in 2017 I have focused on founding the Sunlight Centre, that is a 1-step support counselling charity around suicide and self-harm for adults and under eighteens while focusing my private practice on developing Anxiety workshops and Anxiety face to face support for teens and adults in South Brisbane.

What is the most rewarding aspect of being a counsellor for you?
There is that humbling moment when a client is ready to meet you collaboratively and you both work together in shifting their base core beliefs and work through new ways of thinking and behaviours to bring about a more positive outlook on their life.

I have been facilitating workshops and supervising counsellors on their journey in their career for many years now. I am approaching a balance in my career where I want to pass on all I can from working in mental health for over 22 years.

Are there any projects or initiatives in which you are currently involved?
The Sunlight Centre is about to venture into research around non-suicidal self-injury that is currently very under researched and even the DSM-V has information that goes against what I have seen firsthand in clients and their NSSI.

What advice would you give to someone considering a career in counselling?
See your own counsellor ASAP. Find the right one for you. Go through your own life story and process your own worries, concerns, and maladaptive coping mechanisms so that you are less likely to be triggered by any client.

Final words of advice
My most common lesson as a clinical supervisor… do not self-disclose! Make the sessions always about your client. As soon as you self-disclose, you have just made the session about you. If you share something personal, when does it stop? What if your client wants to know more about you? Do you keep sharing or shut them down? In my opinion, both of those options damage the therapeutic alliance you should be building with your client.

If you are interested in getting involved in the Member Spotlight, please contact us: [email protected].