Sensitive body based breathwork psychotherapy for health professionals healing from trauma.
Jen O'Bryan Counselling. In-person therapy sessions in Port Melbourne, Naarm, Melbourne
I offer body-based Breathwork counselling and psychotherapy for health and mental health professionals who have spent much of their lives caring for others and are now ready to turn some of that care towards themselves.
You may understand a great deal about yourself already. You may have spent years in therapy, reflected deeply, read widely, or supported others through their own pain. Yet anxiety, sadness, shame, anger or emotional overwhelm may still be affecting your work, relationships and relationship with yourself. Talking has helped you make sense of your experience, but something may remain unresolved.
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A more holistic, embodied way to heal
As a counsellor, therapist, psychotherapist and Breathwork practitioner, I work with the whole person: body, mind and soul. My approach combines counselling, psychotherapy, somatic therapy and body work with conscious connected Breathwork.
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Trauma and complex trauma are not only held in our thoughts or memories. They can continue to affect the nervous system, emotions and the way we experience our body. Breathwork offers another way to explore the feelings, sensations and responses that may have been difficult to access through talking alone.
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There is no expectation that you retell or relive your trauma. I listen deeply to what is causing you to suffer now, and we work at a pace that respects your experience.
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What I can support you with
My work is trauma and complex trauma focused, including unresolved trauma and the ongoing effects of childhood trauma, neglect and vicarious trauma. I also support health professionals experiencing trauma that is impacting their work, healthcare burnout and feeling like they have nothing left to give, feeling triggered by clients or their work, emotional overwhelm, long-term ill health, anxiety, depression, deep shame or feeling like everything is their fault, and the challenges of transitioning out of healthcare.
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For health professionals, the continued impact of caring for others, witnessing distress and working within demanding systems can become a burden. You may feel affected by the trauma you witness, triggered by your work, or unsure how to continue without losing yourself. This is a place to understand what your mind and body have been carrying.
Why work with me
I offer another layer of therapy when talking has only taken you so far. My approach is based on listening, acceptance and curiosity, without labels or judgement.
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I have seen personally and professionally how powerful it can be to include the body in healing. Breathwork is introduced carefully and develops gradually, with space to make sense of what arises. I do not use fast or activating breathing techniques that may feel overwhelming. Conscious connected Breathwork offers another way to explore what may still be held in your body from the experiences you have carried while caring for others.
Together, we make space to notice and be with the feelings, sensations and responses that arise, so they can be gently released and integrated into your everyday life.
Hi, I'm Jen
I am a counselling psychotherapist and Breathwork counsellor in Port Melbourne. I have worked with people for over eight years as a counsellor and psychotherapist, and spent more than 40 years working in healthcare as a nurse.
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My work is informed by my own lived experience of childhood trauma and neglect, and by more than 15 years of Breathwork. I understand the realities of caring for others while carrying your own pain, and the impact this can have over time.
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