COUNSELLING FOR CHRONIC PAIN IN MELVILLE
A Safe Space to Come Home to Yourself
You Are Not Your Pain
You have tried the appointments. The scans. The referrals. The treatments that helped a little, or not at all. And somewhere along the way, without even realising it, pain became more than something you experience. It became something you are.
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You plan your days around it. You say no to things because of it. You introduce yourself through it. And the life you used to live, or the one you imagined living, feels further and further away.
If that resonates, this space is for you.
A different kind of support for chronic pain
This is not a medical service, and I will not pretend to fix what chronic pain has done to your body. What I offer is something the medical system rarely has time for.
A space to separate who you are from what you feel.​
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In twenty years of working with bodies as a Remedial Massage Therapist and Pilates instructor, I have sat with a lot of people in pain. And one thing became undeniably clear to me. The people who found a way to live fully alongside their pain were not the ones who suffered less. They were the ones who refused to let pain write their whole story.
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That is the work we do here.
What this work actually looks like
We begin where you are. No minimising, no toxic positivity, no being told to think yourself better. I will sit with you in the reality of what chronic pain costs. The grief of it. The exhaustion of it. The quiet identity loss that nobody talks about.
And then, gently and at your pace, we begin to look at what else is true.
Together we explore:
Who you are beyond your pain
Chronic pain has a way of shrinking identity down to one thing. A significant part of this work is remembering, and in some cases discovering for the first time, who you are when pain is not the loudest voice in the room.
Reframing your relationship with pain
This does not mean pretending pain is not there. It means changing the story you tell about it, and what that story says about what is possible for you.
Nervous system regulation
Drawing on somatic awareness and breathwork, we work with your body rather than against it. Learning to recognise and gently shift your nervous system out of a chronic threat response is one of the most practical and powerful tools available for living alongside pain.
Values-based living
When pain takes something away, the loss is real. But often there are other pathways to the same sense of meaning, connection, or aliveness. We look for those together. Not as consolation prizes, but as genuine expressions of what matters most to you.
Mindset and fear of movement
Fear of pain can become more limiting than pain itself. We work with the beliefs and thought patterns that keep you smaller than you need to be, with honesty and without judgement.
This approach may be right for you if
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You are already receiving medical care for chronic pain and are looking for complementary emotional and psychological support
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You have noticed that your mental state affects how you experience your pain, and you want to understand that connection more deeply
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You feel like pain has become your identity and you want to find your way back to yourself
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You are tired of organising your life around what you cannot do, and ready to explore what you still can
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You are open to working with your nervous system, your mindset, and your body as part of your healing
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You are not looking for someone to tell you it will all be fine, but you are looking for someone to walk alongside you with honesty and genuine care
What to expect from sessions
Sessions are 50 minutes, held in a calm, welcoming space in Melville or online via telehealth across Australia.
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I am available Monday to Thursday and some Saturdays.
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The pace is yours. Some clients come for a focused period of support around a specific shift they want to make.
Others find value in longer term work as their relationship with pain and with themselves continues to evolve.
Both are welcome here.
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Investment: $160 per session
What I want you to know before you reach out
I will listen to you. I will take your pain seriously. I will never minimise what you are living with or suggest it is simply a matter of attitude.
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And I will also, with compassion and with your best interests at heart, gently refuse to let pain become an excuse for not living your life fully.
That is not a judgement. It is an invitation.
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Because in my experience, the people who find their way back to themselves are not the ones who waited until the pain stopped. They are the ones who decided, with the right support, to stop waiting.
About Erica
I am an integrative counsellor with a Master of Counselling and PACFA registration. My background includes two decades as a Remedial Massage Therapist and Pilates instructor, which means I bring something to this work that is genuinely unusual in a counselling context.
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I have worked with bodies for twenty years. I have seen firsthand how mindset shapes physical experience, how fear contracts movement, and how a shift in perspective can change what someone believes is possible for them. That knowledge does not stay at the door when I sit with you as a counsellor. It informs everything.
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My work with chronic pain is informed by somatic awareness, breathwork, attachment theory, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Compassion Focused Therapy, drawn together into an approach that is as practical as it is deeply human.
Frequently asked questions
Begin here
This is your time.
You have spent long enough letting pain take up more space than it deserves.
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This is not about pushing through, pretending, or toxic positivity. It is about remembering who you are beyond the pain, and finding a way back to a life that feels like yours again.
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I invite you to begin with a free 15-minute phone consultation. A genuine, unhurried conversation where we can connect, explore what you are looking for, and sense whether my approach feels right for you.
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No obligation. No pressure. Just a first step.