About Sarah

I offer somatic psychotherapy for adults seeking to better understand themselves and make more conscious choices. I have been working with individuals and families for over 15 years; providing care, understanding and professional knowledge. I am a qualified Mental Health Social Worker, with additional specialisation in mindfulness-based somatic psychotherapy and sensorimotor art therapy, and am also the practice manager of Inside this River: Somatic and Art Therapies, based in Northcote, Naarm (Melbourne, Australia).

contact@sarahbrookecounselling.com
74 (rear) Victoria Road, Northcote, 3070
fax. 03) 9012 4424
Medicare Provider No: 5411355Y. ABN: 63 436 856 792

As a therapist and person, I am interested in questions of:

·        authenticity

·        finding one’s purpose

·        listening better to body wisdom

·        releasing energy blocks and contraction

·        improving emotion regulation

·        post traumatic growth

·        repairing early attachment wounds to build a solid foundation

·        the role of art and nature in healing

·        moving beyond ‘stuckness’

·        responsibility to our natural environment

·        building compassion for self and others

·        letting go of what no longer serves us

·        engaging more fully with life.

My approach places mindfulness skills at the centre. Read more about somatic psychotherapy and sensorimotor art therapy to see if this might be a good fit for you.

As an AASW Approved Mental Health Social Worker I am eligible for the Medicare rebate.

I have a particular interest, and specialised training, in complex and acute trauma, and am registered with VOCAT for victims of crime.

My training includes Hakomi, Internal Family Systems and Sensorimotor Art Therapy. Read here for further information about my professional background and qualifications.

Common requests which sit outside of how I work

Social workers and psychotherapists cannot provide diagnoses. If you are seeking diagnosis I would recommend engaging with a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist. While I have career experience in clinical roles, my chosen therapy lens is sociological, psychological and spiritual. I am interested in the meaning of experiences and what is attempting to unfold.

Recently there has been a significant increase of interest in the skills-coaching aspect of ADHD and other neurodiverse experiences. I believe this is very important work, however it is not my area of focus/training. I would strongly recommend an occupational therapist for executive function skills development (eg. time-management, focus, decision-making etc); they are fantastic at this. The aspects I may be able to help with is building mindfulness skills, emotion regulation and healing of early sensorimotor dysregulation.

While I have training in CBT and this may briefly weave into sessions, if this is your primary interest, other therapists will be a better fit. My therapeutic approach focuses on mindfulness-based somatic and art psychotherapy.  

I respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri woi wurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the traditional custodians of the land on which I live and work. I pay respect to their Elders past and present.

I am committed to embracing diversity, in the provision of a respectful and welcoming therapeutic space.