Irinah Jurkowski, AASW

Irinah Jurkowski is a licensed Sydney-based counsellor and accredited social worker with more than 15 years of clinical experience supporting individuals, couples, and families through complex life challenges. She holds accreditation with the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), a PACT Level 2 qualification in couple counselling, and training in the Richards Trauma Process (TRTP).

Working primarily in private practice, she offers a collaborative and compassionate approach that emphasizes respectful listening and practical strategies. She supports people dealing with stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties, trauma and abuse, depression, and transitions associated with life changes. Sessions are tailored to each person or couple, with an aim to increase self-awareness, strengthen confidence, and improve communication and emotional connection.

Irinah draws on a mix of short-term solution-focused methods and deeper exploratory therapies, integrating approaches such as psychodynamic, narrative, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and Gestalt where appropriate. In couple work she helps partners repair trust, reduce disconnection, and rediscover intimacy. Her trauma training equips her to address childhood and other forms of traumatic experience with sensitivity and structure.

Each therapeutic plan is adapted to the client’s needs so that progress is practical and sustainable. She is committed to guiding clients toward greater resilience, clearer relationships, and more fulfilling life outcomes.

Therapeutic approaches for online counselling and couples work

Irinah commonly uses solution-focused therapy to help clients identify practical steps and small changes that can lead to measurable improvements; this short-term approach suits stress, anxiety, and specific life adjustments. She also draws on Emotionally Focused Therapy when working with couples - a method that focuses on understanding emotional responses and rebuilding closeness, which can help partners address disconnection, communication breakdowns, and trust repair. For trauma-related work she applies the Richards Trauma Process (TRTP), an approach designed to process traumatic memories and reduce their ongoing emotional impact.

Selecting the right approach is a collaborative process. Irinah works with each person or couple to explore goals, preferences, and the nature of the difficulties they bring, then tailors techniques so therapy fits the client rather than forcing a single model.

Online therapy options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, offering flexibility for different schedules and comfort levels. These formats make it easier to access consistent support from a licensed professional while balancing work, family, and other commitments, and they allow therapeutic work to continue even when in-person sessions are not possible.