Sarah O'Sullivan, AASW

Sarah O'Sullivan is a social worker who draws on both professional experience and personal lived experience of chronic mental health to inform her practice. She began her career as a lived experience worker within Queensland Health and has since worked across government and non-government agencies, which has shaped her understanding of the challenges people face when navigating mental health systems and accessing supports.

Her own experience of ongoing mental health challenges has influenced the way she engages with people, emphasising that similar events affect individuals in different ways and that each pathway to wellbeing is unique. In addition to therapeutic work, she offers advocacy support to help clients access entitlements and services. She provides complex report writing for court or NDIS matters and undertakes domestic violence perpetrator mapping using the domestic violence-informed Safe and Together model to support family court applications and related cases.

Sarah also conducts functional capacity assessments using Allen's model of cognitive function and focuses on practical supports such as parenting and parental capacity building, relapse prevention planning, recovery coaching, and work with chronic and complex mental health and addictions. She holds the credential AASW, which denotes membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers, and works with people on a range of concerns including stress, anxiety, trauma, addiction, parenting, and depression.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support with Sarah O'Sullivan

Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on the ways early relationships shape current patterns of relating and emotional safety. In practice it helps people explore attachment styles, improve relationship awareness, and build more secure ways of connecting - often useful for those with abandonment, adoption or attachment-related concerns.

Client-Centred Therapy emphasises a collaborative, non-judgemental approach where the therapist follows the client's lead, offering empathy and acceptance to support personal growth. This approach is helpful for people seeking a respectful space to explore mood, parenting challenges, identity, or recovery from trauma.

Mindfulness Therapy encourages present-moment awareness and practical strategies to manage stress, anxiety, and overwhelming emotions. It supports skills for emotional regulation and relapse prevention in addiction and complex mental health situations.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process and Sarah O'Sullivan works with each person to identify which methods best suit their needs, goals, and preferences. This is a collaborative exploration and adjustments are made as therapy progresses.

Online therapy with video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging offers flexibility for people juggling work, parenting, or other commitments. These options make it easier to access appropriately qualified or registered professionals and therapists from different locations, reduce travel time, and allow continuity of care when circumstances change.