Andy Bouwman, AASW

Andy Bouwman is an AASW mental health social worker and therapist based in Australia. He draws on five years of clinical experience in public mental health settings to support people facing depression, anxiety, addiction and trauma-related concerns. He meets people with compassion and aims to understand the circumstances that brought them to seek help.

Andy works primarily with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) but also uses techniques from other approaches when they suit a person’s needs. Sessions focus on practical steps people can try between meetings and on noticing what matters most to them. He keeps language simple and explains why a particular strategy might help.

People come for help with relationship strain, attachment concerns, communication problems and the shame or guilt that follows painful events. He also helps those dealing with isolation or questions about life purpose and identity. Social anxiety, phobia and personality-related difficulties are within his focus areas.

In the room he aims for a warm, curious style. He listens without rushing and checks in about goals and progress. Therapy often involves small experiments, learning new ways to respond to difficult thoughts, and making changes that fit into everyday life.

Sessions are offered in English. Before booking, confirm the current session formats with the service so you know how appointments are arranged. To begin, use the Start Therapy button and complete the short matching questionnaire.

Therapeutic approaches and online sessions

Andy commonly draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) alongside psychodynamic ideas. ACT helps people clarify what matters to them and practise small behaviours that move them toward those values, which can be useful for anxiety, low mood and life-purpose questions. EMDR is a trauma-focused method that uses structured processing to reduce the intensity of distressing memories, and it is often used for trauma and abuse related symptoms. Psychodynamic work looks at patterns from past relationships and how they show up now, helping with attachment and recurring relationship difficulties.

Finding the right approach is part of therapy. The therapist will work collaboratively to pick strategies that fit the person’s needs, goals and comfort level. That may mean using ACT exercises in some sessions and more exploratory psychodynamic work in others, or integrating EMDR when trauma processing is needed.

Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions around work, reduce travel time and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. It also gives a way to continue work between in-person appointments if that suits the person’s life and goals.