Hi, I’m Allan.

I’m a Certified counsellor (CPCA)  based in Cairns, offering individual counselling for adults and young people aged 14 years and over. I work with people experiencing anxiety, stress and burnout, emotional distress, grief and loss, trauma, addictions and substance use concerns, crisis situations, and major life transitions. I also provide counselling support for NDIS participants.

My approach is grounded, practical, and relational, informed by evidence-based and trauma-informed practice. As a counsellor, I draw on established theory. As a person, I show up calm, direct, and genuinely present. Many people tell me they feel steadier simply having the space to talk things through without being rushed, judged, or pushed toward quick fixes.

I work flexibly using a range of therapeutic approaches including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Gestalt therapy, and Emotionally Focused Therapy. This allows counselling to be tailored to the individual, whether the focus is understanding patterns of thinking and behaviour, developing emotional regulation, working with relationships, or making practical and achievable changes.

My work is shaped by both professional training and lived experience. Earlier in my life, I represented Australia in swimming and held world records. High-performance sport gave me first-hand insight into pressure, expectations, performance anxiety, identity, and how quickly life can change when circumstances shift.

I have also trained as a competitive marksman. This experience reinforced the importance of focus, controlled breathing, emotional regulation, and decision-making under pressure. It deepened my understanding of how small internal shifts in attention, stress, or self-talk can significantly affect performance, a pattern I now regularly see reflected in the everyday challenges people bring into counselling.

Alongside this, I am a dedicated family man. Being a partner and parent has deepened my understanding of responsibility, connection, boundaries, and the quiet emotional load many people carry while trying to hold things together for others. This experience informs how I work with clients navigating family stress, role strain, relationship challenges, and the tension between personal needs and the needs of those they care about.

I also live with disability. This gives me a genuine understanding of the emotional and practical challenges that can come with injury, chronic stress, navigating systems, loss of independence, and changes to confidence or identity. This perspective supports my work with people whose wellbeing or sense of self has been impacted by long-term stress, health changes, or disability.

In sessions, I provide a calm, structured, and supportive therapeutic space and I do not rush the process. Counselling is a place to slow things down, make sense of what is happening beneath the surface, build coping capacity, and work toward meaningful and sustainable change at your own pace.

Sessions are available in person in Cairns and via telehealth across Australia.

After-hours appointments are available through flexible scheduling.