Turning Struggle into Strength

Professional Support for Life’s Challenges

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  • Even the strongest relationships face challenges. Whether you’re in a romantic partnership, a marriage, or navigating family or friendship dynamics, relationship issues can leave you feeling hurt, disconnected, or misunderstood.

    Common relationship difficulties include:

    • Communication problems – Struggling to express feelings, active listening, or constant arguments.

    • Trust and betrayal – Issues arising from dishonesty, infidelity, or emotional withdrawal.

    • Emotional distance – Feeling alone, unappreciated, or unloved within the relationship.

    • Intimacy and connection – A loss of physical or emotional closeness, or differing expectations.

    • Life transitions – Stress from major changes like moving in together, becoming parents, or coping with loss.

    • Conflict resolution – Repeating the same fights without finding meaningful resolution.

    • Family or cultural pressures – External expectations causing tension between partners or family members.

    At times, unresolved relationship problems can affect mental health, self-esteem, and overall well-being.

    Counselling provides a safe, supportive space to explore these challenges—whether individually or together. With the right guidance, it's possible to rebuild trust, improve communication, and foster a deeper connection.

  • Trauma comes from a deeply distressing or disturbing experience. When one experiences trauma it can disrupt ones ways of living, self-regulating and being in the world.

    There are what I like to call “big” traumas which is what we all think of when we hear about trauma, like car accidents, going to war, sexual assault, natural disasters, domestic violence to name a few.

    These big traumas have a huge impact on how we exist in the world and can often lead to people living a life they are dissatisfied with without really knowing why they are in the rut they are in. What some people don’t realise is that we can also have “Small” Trauma’s that make a great impact on our life as well. Growing up we can suffer seemingly small and repeated emotional trauma’s from our caregivers that can lead us to creatively adapt to help us emotionally survive, but as adults we find those same protective mechanisms we have developed no longer serve us and actually get in the way of our growth and happiness.

    Psychotherapy can help in working through your trauma, big or small, and finding ways to soothe your central nervous system to come back to a place of safety and calm.

  • Anxiety and Depression are the two most common problems people face today. This can be a challenge for people to face alone, and I support people through awareness and skills to accept and work through their stuckness and fears, working with suffering and turning it into growth.

  • I support individuals who experience patterns of compulsive behaviours that feel difficult to control and may impact their wellbeing, relationships, or daily life. My approach is compassionate and non-judgemental, focusing on understanding the underlying emotional triggers and unmet needs that drive these behaviours. Together, we work towards building healthier coping strategies, strengthening self-awareness, and fostering long-term resilience. By creating a safe and collaborative space, I help clients regain a sense of balance, control, and empowerment in their lives.

  • Anger is a natural emotion, but when it becomes overwhelming or difficult to control, it can negatively impact your relationships, work, and overall quality of life.

    Common challenges related to anger include:

    • Frequent outbursts – Struggling with sudden, intense episodes of anger that feel uncontrollable.

    • Irritability and frustration – Feeling easily annoyed or on edge, even over small things.

    • Difficulty expressing anger healthily – Bottling up feelings or expressing anger in harmful ways like yelling or aggression.

    • Impact on relationships – Experiencing conflicts, hurt feelings, or distancing from loved ones due to anger issues.

    • Stress and anxiety – Feeling overwhelmed by emotions that can spiral into anger.

    • Physical symptoms – Experiencing tension, headaches, or other health issues linked to anger.

    • Impulsive behavior – Acting without thinking, leading to regret or consequences.

    Learning to manage anger effectively can improve your emotional health, strengthen relationships, and increase your sense of control.

    Counselling offers tools and strategies to understand your triggers, express anger in constructive ways, and develop healthier coping skills. With support, you can transform anger into a positive force for change.

  • Grief is the emotion we feel when an important relationship ends. Often the ending is caused by death, but grief can also be felt when a relationship is lost for other reasons. We don’t grieve for all lost relationships; only those that have, for one reason or another, become meaningful to us over time – people we love or admire (family, partners, friends, teachers), and jobs, places or things we treasure. When these people or things are gone, we often feel grief and feel very alone.

“What’s out of our awareness runs our lives”

Cherie Gardner

Central Coast based Counsellor, Psychotherapist and Gestalt Therapist

"I support my clients by working on increased awareness, offering new ways to move forward to a more resourced, balanced way of living. My goal is to enhance well-being, give a new experience, and provide compassionate life changing support.”

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