Jean Carruthers, AASW

Jean Carruthers is an accredited social worker and counsellor with AASW accreditation, bringing more than 20 years of experience across social work, counselling and community practice. Her background includes work in areas such as sexual abuse, domestic violence, family law, community work and social work education, and she uses that experience to support people facing complex and distressing situations.

Jean specialises in helping people who are living with trauma, abuse, stress and anxiety, and those managing grief, loss of motivation, low self esteem and reduced confidence. She also works with clients navigating significant life changes, including relationship breakdowns, midlife transitions and role or caregiver stress. Her practice attends to related concerns such as attachment and abandonment, body image, guilt and shame, isolation and issues around money and life purpose.

Jean forms an open and nurturing collaborative alliance in which clients can share their thoughts, feelings and experiences and have them validated. She supports people to reach new understandings of their circumstances and to make practical changes that promote wellbeing. Aware that taking the first step toward a more fulfilling life takes courage, Jean aims to walk alongside clients as they explore what would bring greater ease and purpose to their personal journey.

Evidence-based approaches and flexible online delivery

Jean works with evidence-based therapeutic techniques tailored to each person's needs. One common focus is trauma-informed work, which helps people process painful experiences and reduce the ways those experiences continue to affect daily life. Another focus is practical skills-based support, teaching coping strategies, emotional regulation and self-esteem work that clients can use between sessions to manage stress and anxiety.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic journey. Jean will collaborate with clients to identify goals, explore what feels helpful and adjust methods as needed so therapy fits with each person’s preferences and circumstances. This collaborative process helps ensure the chosen techniques support meaningful change.

Online therapy offers practical benefits for accessibility and flexibility. Video calls provide face-to-face connection from home, phone sessions suit those who prefer voice-only contact, and live chat or text-based messaging can work well for shorter check-ins or people who find written communication easier. These options make it possible to maintain continuity of care while accommodating busy schedules and different comfort levels with therapy, and they are used by appropriately qualified or registered professionals and therapists to broaden access to support.