Carolyn Perry, AASW

Carolyn Perry is an AASW social worker with 20 years of experience who offers practical, down-to-earth support for stress, anxiety and life changes. She works with adults dealing with depression, post-traumatic stress and issues that affect day-to-day balance. Carolyn aims to help carers manage the strain that comes with caregiving and other responsibilities.

Carolyn has run a private practice for nearly a decade and is based on Bribie Island, Queensland. Her PhD research looked at how therapeutic landscapes can aid recovery from mental health problems, and she draws on that perspective when discussing routines and environments with clients. Sessions focus on helping people build meaningful routines and healthier relationships with themselves and others.

Her style is adaptable rather than rigid. She tailors approaches to what each person needs and values. Conversations often include practical strategies for managing mood, reducing anxiety and improving communication skills.

Carolyn uses a mix of evidence-based therapeutic techniques to suit different concerns. She draws on interpersonal therapy, acceptance and commitment approaches, cognitive behavioural strategies, elements of eye movement work and internal systems ideas. The emphasis is on finding what helps a person move toward a more balanced life.

People who want straightforward, collaborative support around caregiving stress, workplace strain, or major life transitions may find her approach useful. She encourages clear goals and steady steps toward what matters most to the client.

Using practical therapies in online support

Carolyn describes an eclectic, evidence-based approach that is adapted to each person. Two notable approaches she commonly uses are cognitive behavioural strategies and acceptance and commitment ideas. Cognitive behavioural strategies look at how thoughts and actions affect mood and teach step-by-step ways to change unhelpful patterns, which can help with anxiety, depression and workplace stress. Acceptance and commitment ideas focus on values and actions - they help people accept difficult feelings while making choices that match what matters to them.

She also draws on interpersonal therapy to address relationship and communication problems, and on internal systems ideas to help people understand conflicting parts of themselves. The therapist works collaboratively with each person to choose the approaches that suit their goals, needs and preferences rather than imposing a single method.

If you are considering online therapy, check the session formats before you book because the biography does not list specific options. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into busy days, reduce travel time, and allow quicker access when an in-person visit would be difficult. It can also let someone choose shorter check-ins or sessions that do not need video if that better fits their routine. Carolyn will discuss which approach and format fits best during the initial matching and scheduling process.