AH Portrait of Alison Howarth

Alison Howarth, PACFA

Calm, experienced counsellor for anxiety and trauma

30 years in practice · based in Australia · sessions in English · online sessions

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About Alison

Alison Howarth is a counsellor credentialed with PACFA and brings over 30 years of clinical experience. She works with people dealing with stress, anxiety, past trauma or abuse, low motivation and self-esteem. Her approach is practical and collaborative, focusing on small, steady steps you can use between sessions.

Alison has particular experience with workplace trauma and compassion fatigue. She supports people across frontline roles through to management and leadership, including executive coaching level work and clinical supervision.

Explore online therapy options See what online therapy involves and what your next steps would be.

Background and approach

Conversations cover burnout, vicarious trauma and strategies to restore balance. In sessions she tailors the work to each person’s needs. Expect a calm, listening space where the counsellor helps you notice patterns and try different ways of responding.

Techniques draw on attachment-based ideas, emotionally-focused work and mindfulness, mixed with psychodynamic thinking when it helps. Alison helps people explore issues such as abandonment, attachment worries, communication problems, guilt, isolation and questions about life purpose. She also offers support around domestic violence impacts, post-traumatic stress and women’s issues.

The focus is to make therapy relevant and practical for daily life. Starting is straightforward and collaborative. Alison aims to help people build skills they can use between sessions and to find clearer direction.

She understands the first step can feel hard and offers steady support through that process.

Approaches that guide online counselling

Attachment-based therapy looks at how early connections shape present relationships and emotional reactions. It can help people understand patterns around trust, abandonment and close relationships. Client-centred therapy puts the person’s experience at the centre of each session and relies on empathetic listening and support. It works well for building self-esteem and feeling heard. Emotionally-focused Therapy (EFT) helps people identify and change unhelpful emotional patterns in relationships and within themselves to reduce distress and increase connection.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss your needs, goals and preferences and together you will decide which methods to try. Alison adapts the focus over time so the process remains practical and relevant to your life.

Online sessions offer flexibility to fit therapy around work and family life. Video calls provide a face-to-face feel, phone sessions need less bandwidth, live chat helps with brief check-ins and text-based messaging suits people who prefer writing. These options make it easier to keep continuity, manage short check-ins, and access therapy when attending in-person sessions is difficult.
Explore online therapy options See what online therapy involves and what your next steps would be.

Questions people ask

What kinds of concerns does Alison help with?
She supports people with stress, anxiety, impacts from trauma and abuse, low motivation and self-esteem. Additional focus areas include compassion fatigue, burnout, post-traumatic stress and women’s issues.
How would you describe her therapy style?
Her style is collaborative and practical. Sessions focus on noticing patterns, trying different responses and building skills to use between meetings.
How much clinical experience does she have?
Alison has over 30 years of clinical counselling experience working in Australia.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is credentialed with PACFA and practises in Australia.
Can sessions be conducted in other languages or with international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. She is not currently accepting international clients.
Which formats are available for online sessions?
Sessions can be arranged as video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How is the cost of sessions determined?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and uses a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
What do I need to do to begin working with Alison?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

What this therapist works with

Experience
30 years
Licensed
Languages
English

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