Durre Shahwar, AASW

Durre Shahwar is an AASW-credentialed practitioner based in Australia with seven years of professional experience supporting people through a wide range of challenges. She works with individuals facing stress and anxiety, relationship and family difficulties, parenting concerns, trauma and abuse, grief and loss, and depression, as well as related issues such as attachment difficulties, blended family dynamics, caregiver stress, and multicultural and immigration concerns. AASW appears on her profile as the credential she holds, indicating professional standing in social work within Australia.

Durre adopts a strengths-based, person-centred stance, holding that each person is the expert in their own story and bringing respect for clients' lived experience to the therapeutic process. Her approach emphasises collaboration, helping people draw on existing strengths while developing practical coping strategies and new ways of relating to themselves and others. She recognises that beginning therapy often requires courage and treats that first step as an important milestone in the journey toward change and healing.

Durre combines evidence-informed techniques with a compassionate, non-judgemental manner to support clients working through relationship strains, mood concerns, trauma recovery, and life transitions. She offers therapy in English and Urdu and is committed to helping people find approaches that fit their needs and goals.

Evidence-informed approaches for online therapy

Durre commonly draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to support people online. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify their values, accept difficult thoughts and feelings, and commit to actions that align with what matters most; it is often useful for stress, anxiety, low mood, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns and developing practical skills to change them; it is effective for anxiety, depression, and coping with everyday stressors. She also uses Client-Centred Therapy principles, creating an accepting, empathic space where clients are supported to explore their concerns at their own pace and build on their strengths

Finding the right therapeutic approach is part of the process, and Durre works collaboratively with each person to determine what fits their needs, goals and preferences. Together they consider which methods may help most and adapt techniques to suit the individual, drawing on appropriately qualified or registered professionals when needed

Online therapy with Durre is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging to provide flexible options for a range of schedules and comfort levels. These formats allow people to access consistent support from home, work or elsewhere, make it easier to fit sessions into busy lives, and enable ongoing progress when in-person attendance is not possible.