Linda Sawrey , PACFA

Linda Sawrey provides counselling and psychotherapy through multiple formats including online and phone sessions to make access to support straightforward and flexible. She draws on a wide range of approaches to match each person’s needs, including trauma-informed work, neurodiversity-affirming practice, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, somatic methods, schema and gestalt techniques, play therapy, nature-based work and equine-assisted therapy. Her practice emphasises a holistic view of wellbeing that integrates mind, body and spirit.

Before specialising in psychotherapy, Linda trained and worked as a Registered Nurse and then spent three decades in healthcare roles such as emergency department nursing, patient safety, quality and risk management, and counselling. This background informs a practical, empathetic approach to care and an understanding of the complex interactions between physical health and emotional wellbeing. She is accredited with PACFA - the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia.

Her clinical interests include stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties, trauma and abuse, grief, and career concerns. She also works with issues such as abandonment and attachment challenges, body image, caregiver stress, chronic pain and illness, communication problems, control issues, divorce and separation, guilt and shame, impulsivity, isolation and questions about life purpose. Based on a lifelong connection to nature and animals, Linda established a private practice in the Gold Coast hinterland where nature and her herd of mares and foals contribute to a restorative therapeutic setting.

Linda draws on lived experience as well as professional training to support people and families through rebuilding and recovery, helping them to develop resources, skills and resilience to move toward a fuller life.

Therapeutic approaches tailored for online care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify their values and learn practical strategies to live in ways that matter to them, even when difficult thoughts or feelings arise. It can be useful for stress, anxiety, and situations where avoidance limits life choices.

Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on patterns in close relationships and how early bonds influence current emotional responses. This approach can support healing around relationship conflict, abandonment or attachment difficulties by exploring relational needs and developing new, healthier ways of relating.

Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes a respectful, non-judgmental therapeutic relationship where the therapist follows the client’s lead, offering empathy and support while clients explore their own goals and solutions. It is helpful for building self-understanding, confidence and emotional resilience.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic journey and is usually decided collaboratively. Linda will work with each person to identify which methods fit best based on their needs, goals and preferences, and may blend approaches to suit the situation.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions can take place by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging to fit different schedules and comfort levels. These options make it easier to maintain continuity of care, access licensed professionals from a distance and engage in therapy in ways that feel most manageable.