Alison Howarth, PACFA

Alison Howarth is a counsellor credentialed with PACFA (Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia) who brings more than 30 years of clinical counselling experience to her practice. She works with people experiencing stress, anxiety, the impacts of trauma or abuse, low motivation and challenges with self-esteem, guiding them to discover practical pathways forward and renewed perspective.

Alison has a particular focus on workplace trauma and offers support for compassion fatigue, burnout and vicarious trauma across a wide range of roles - from frontline staff to management and leadership. Her work includes executive coaching level support and clinical supervision, tailored to the demands of professional settings and organisational responsibility.

Her approach is collaborative and personalised, shaping each counselling plan to meet a person’s unique circumstances, goals and preferences. Alison also works with issues such as abandonment, attachment difficulties, communication problems, domestic violence, first responder issues, guilt and shame, isolation and loneliness, life purpose, post-traumatic stress, self-love and women’s issues. Taking the first step toward a more fulfilling and happier life can take courage - Alison offers steady clinical experience and practical guidance to support that process.

Therapeutic approaches and online counselling

Alison draws on approaches such as Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centred Therapy and Emotionally-Focused Therapy to support people working through relational and emotional difficulties. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relational patterns influence current relationships and emotional responses, helping with issues like abandonment, attachment problems and persistent relational anxiety. Client-Centred Therapy emphasises a non-judgemental, empathic relationship where the counsellor follows the client’s lead to build self-understanding, useful for low self-esteem, life purpose work and general emotional distress. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) focuses on identifying and reshaping emotional responses within relationships, assisting couples and individuals to process strong emotions and improve communication.

Finding the right therapeutic approach is part of the process; Alison works collaboratively with each person to determine what methods best suit their needs, goals and preferences and may adapt techniques as progress unfolds. Clients and appropriately qualified or registered professionals can explore options together to find the best fit.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to engage with counselling, including video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives, access support from home or work, and maintain continuity of care when in-person meetings are difficult. Alison uses these formats to provide consistent, accessible therapeutic support tailored to each person’s circumstances.