Serife Erten, ACA, PACFA

Serife Erten is an experienced Australian mental health professional with 28 years of clinical practice across private practice, community mental health, education and trauma-focused services. Her approach is compassionate and respectful, shaped to meet each person's needs while recognising the connections between mind, body and emotional wellbeing. She works with individuals and couples facing a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, relationship and family difficulties, low self-esteem, grief and loss, depression, trauma and abuse, parenting challenges, career and life transitions, and ADHD-related issues.

Serife integrates evidence-based methods such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Narrative Therapy and Solution-Focused Therapy to help clients build insight, practical coping strategies and sustainable change. Sessions are client-centred and collaborative, paced to align with personal values and readiness for growth. She also supports people with chronic pain, illness and disability, first responder issues, hoarding, obsessive and compulsive behaviours, phobias and workplace or young adult concerns.

She holds ACA and PACFA credentials - ACA refers to the Australian Counselling Association and PACFA is the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia - reflecting professional standing within the field. Serife believes clients are the experts in their own lives and aims to help uncover and strengthen the inner resources that support a more balanced, meaningful life.

Practical therapeutic approaches for online counselling

Serife commonly uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), with Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) techniques available when needed. ACT helps people clarify what matters most to them and build actions that align with those values while learning to relate differently to difficult thoughts and feelings - it suits life changes, anxiety and grief. CBT focuses on identifying and shifting unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours, offering practical tools for anxiety, depression and stress. DBT adds skills for emotional regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness, which can be helpful for intense emotions, relationship strain and trauma symptoms.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process and Serife works collaboratively with each person to find the best fit based on their goals, preferences and life context. That assessment continues as therapy progresses so the approach can be adapted to what is most helpful.

Online therapy with Serife is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging to provide flexibility around work, family and mobility needs. These options allow people to access appropriately qualified or registered professionals and therapists from their own location, making it easier to maintain continuity of care and fit therapy into everyday life.