Narelle Simmons, AASW

Narelle Simmons is an experienced social worker with 18 years supporting people across clinical and community settings. She is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and holds AASW accreditation - AASW denotes membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers. Narelle is committed to exploring how systems, power and social factors influence wellbeing, and she brings a strong focus on resilience, social justice and meaningful change to her work.

She takes a collaborative, practical approach, working with clients to design strategies that are realistic and tailored to individual histories, needs and goals. Narelle believes each person is the expert in their own life and aims to build connections and supports that promote lasting progress. Her practice supports people dealing with stress and anxiety, relationship difficulties, trauma and abuse, parenting challenges and depression, as well as related concerns such as abandonment and attachment issues, communication problems, guilt and shame, mood and panic disorders, post-traumatic stress, pregnancy and childbirth matters, social anxiety and women's issues. Narelle creates an open, nonjudgmental space so thoughts and feelings can be explored, and she acknowledges that beginning therapy takes courage and commitment.

Evidence-based approaches and accessible online care

Trauma-informed approaches focus on recognising the impacts of past harm and creating gentle, stabilising strategies to support recovery; these methods are useful for people coping with trauma, abuse and post-traumatic stress. A strengths-based approach builds on a person's existing resources and resilience, helping clients identify practical steps and supports that align with their goals and lived experience. A systems-aware perspective examines how family, community and social structures influence wellbeing and helps address relational and environmental factors affecting mental health.

Finding the right therapeutic approach is part of the work with Narelle - she collaborates with clients to choose methods that match their needs, preferences and goals, adjusting the plan as progress is made. This collaborative process supports practical, meaningful change tailored to each person.

Online therapy with Narelle offers flexibility and accessibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives, maintain continuity of care, and access licensed professionals from different locations while keeping sessions focused on the client’s priorities.