Counselling.cc

Hi, I'm Steve

Here's a bit about me

Hello there! My name is Steve Bonanno (he/him)

I'm offering private, professional counselling from The Entrance NSW and also online, wherever you find yourself in the world

I grew up in Sydney, and now spend most of my time on the Central Coast of NSW

Like most people, I have experienced both hard times and easier times, and counselling has helped me to accept myself, make sense of the challenges life has thrown my way, and to become the creative, respectful, assertive, and caring person that I really l wanted to be

My first career was in media, and after volunteering in a personal support role for 5 years I trained up so I could take on counselling clients professionally

I have been facilitating groups and counselling one-on-one for over a decade now

As a counsellor, my mission is:

• to use compassion, creativity, acceptance, attentiveness and dedication in every session

• to encourage and assist people of all backgrounds, abilities and situations

• to make the most out of life and contribute to a more enlightened community

For more information, please click on any of the headings below, or use the menu at the top of your screen

Psychologist, Psychiatrist, Psychotherapist - or Counsellor?

Psychology, psychiatry, and counselling are different professions

Psychologists

are experts in well-known patterns of behaviours, thoughts and emotions, and they can diagnose mental illnesses

Psychiatrists

specialise in the medical treatment of mental illnesses, and in Australia they can prescribe medications

Counsellors

will generally use 'talk therapy' to help you figure out how you can improve your life. This can be helpful, whether or not you are in good mental health

Counselling provides some of the time, space and support to talk through what's going on in your life. It is often seen as a more 'human' way of supporting you to change what you want to be different. Working together with you, a counsellor can help to formulate strategies for coping and improving your quality of life, regardless of where you are beginning

Psychotherapy is like counselling, but longer-term. This moves beyond problem-solving and begins to help you explore the bigger picture of who you are and what life is all about.

I have many long-term clients with whom I feel honoured to take this lifelong journey, as a counsellor and therapist

How I Work

Are you wondering what I will do or say as your counsellor..?

My approach to counselling is to accept wherever you are at the moment, find out where you want to be, figure out what's holding you back, and highlight the ways you can achieve your goals, using your own strengths. This is a 'person-centred', solution-focussed approach that concentrates on your own unique story, and how you can continue to write it as you go along

I have had training in a variety of modalities. Person-centred counselling aims to work out what is best for you, as opposed to using a formulaic 'treatment'. Sometimes I might offer some tried-and-true techniques to help with a particular problem

Some examples include:

Relaxation Exercises
'Psychoeducation', to help you develop new relational and behavioural skills
'Cognitive Behaviour Therapy', to help shift the beliefs or attitudes that are no longer helping you live your life
'Here and Now' discussions, that use counselling conversations as a practice for real life
'Interviewing', to invite you to consider altering the habits that harm yourself or others
'Sandplay Therapy', to help you explore your unconscious world

Each of these can give you tools for coping with your problems. You can choose whatever works best for you.

If your life has become difficult due to stress or trauma, we can develop skills and strategies for staying calm and strong in the face of whatever it is that 'triggers' you. When you can manage your feelings better, we'll work at understanding how those triggers gain power over you - and then you can take that power back!

Experience

Personal Support

I started on this path in 2007 when I began as a personal support volunteer for the Red Cross. In times of disaster and emergencies, I was activated to provide information, support and guidance to people who were overwhelmed by their situation. I also provided companionship and compassion to people isolated from their families and communities

Face to Face Counselling

I have been counselling clients from all walks of life, one-on-one since 2014

Over the years I have supported clients with Anxiety and Panic Attacks, Assertiveness, Anger management, Burnout, Decision Making, Depression, Divorce / Separation, Emotional Crisis, Ethical dilemmas, Existential Issues, Gay and Lesbian Issues, Gender and Sexuality, Grief / Bereavement, Guilt and Shame, Isolation and Loneliness, Insomnia, Intimacy Issues, Life Threatening Illness, Life Transitions, Men's Issues, Pain / Rehabilitation, Phobias, PTSD, Safety Planning, Self Development, Stress Management, Suicidal Feelings, Trauma Recovery, Violence, Workplace Issues and of course, Work-Life Balance. I have also spent several years engaging men in the ethical journey of stopping their controlling or violent relationship behaviours

I have also volunteered free counselling services to homeless and disadvantaged people in Sydney's inner suburbs and on the Mid North Coast of NSW

Phone / Zoom counselling

I was lucky enough to do training in phone and skype counselling just as this technology was becoming more relevant and commonly used as a therapeutic tool

I now work part-time in an Australia-wide phone-based counselling service funded by the DSS, providing structured short-term counselling to people caring for family members with illness, addiction, disability or mental health concerns

In private practice, I provide counselling via Zoom to locals and expats. I can provide contact details when we book our first appointment

Group work

My experience also includes many years of facilitating supportive and psychoeducational groups related to behaviour change, anxiety, phobias, parenting and family safety. This has provided me with a lot of handy tools and models for understanding what might be happening for you... I can bring these theories into our sessions to see how they might be helpful in addressing what you are hoping to address. If you're keen to try some therapeutic group experiences, visit WellBeings.Group

My own journey as a client

I am committed to self-examination and have been lucky enough to work with compassionate and insightful counsellors for over 20 years

All counsellors must also engage in what we call 'Clinical Supervision'. This helps us to refine our skills and reflect on how our own life stories can impact and be impacted by the work we do with our clients. Again, I am privileged to have had supervision with experts in Reality Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Invitational Practice, Sandtray Therapy, and various facets of psychology, counselling and psychotherapy

Qualifications + Memberships

Tertiary Education

B.A / Graduate Diploma of Counselling

Clinical Memberships

PACFA (Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia) full member

Cultural Notes

I practice in English, but if necessary we can access phone interpreters at an additional cost

I acknowledge that I work on Darkinjung, Gadigal, Dharug, Wannarua, Biripi, and Worimi lands, and I have the utmost respect for their traditional custodians, past, present and future

I understand that not all people who seek counselling feel automatically comfortable with middle-aged, white, cis-gendered men. For me, it's truly an honour to work cross-culturally, and with people of all genders and sexualities

For Australians and English-speakers abroad, counselling in your mother tongue might be difficult to find nearby... feel free to reach out across the distance

I look forward to talking with you

To Register Your Interest In Group Work or Counselling

Text Your Name, Location, and a Brief Enquiry to:

+61 417 679 535

I will call you back within the working week to confirm details

If you are having a mental health crisis right now, it might be best to access 24 hour support by calling:

Mental Health Hotline 1800 011 511 (across NSW)

or

Suicide Callback Service 1300 659 467 (Australia-wide)

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