Irene Hughes, AASW

Irene Hughes is an AASW counsellor with 15 years of experience who helps people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety and relationship strain. She offers a calm, respectful space where faith and personal values can be part of the conversation if clients want that. Irene works with parenting worries, trauma and abuse, self-esteem concerns and caregiver stress alongside other life challenges.

Her day-to-day style is gentle and collaborative. Sessions focus on what matters to the person in front of her and on small, practical steps that make life easier. Irene draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and client-centred therapy to help people notice what matters, accept difficult feelings, and take values-led action.

For clients who want faith included, Irene integrates Scripture, prayer and Christian spiritual principles into sessions in ways that match each person’s pace and beliefs. She aims to help people reconnect with a sense of identity, purpose and inner strength while working on practical problems like communication, boundaries and emotional coping.

People often come for help with attachment issues, body image, fertility and fatherhood concerns, or with feelings of isolation, guilt and shame. Irene also supports those affected by HIV / AIDS, infidelity and family conflict, keeping the focus on the person’s needs and goals rather than labels.

Irene describes therapy as a shared process. She listens, asks practical questions and helps people build steady changes over time. If you want a therapist who combines Christian faith with evidence-based approaches, she may be a good fit.

How ACT and Client-Centred Work Online

Irene uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people notice painful thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, and to take small actions that match their values. ACT can be useful for anxiety, stress, caregiving strain and when old habits get in the way of what matters.

She also uses client-centred therapy, which focuses on listening, empathy and supporting a person’s own choices. This approach helps people feel heard and gradually build confidence to make changes in relationships and daily life.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Irene discusses goals and preferences at the start and adapts methods as needed so therapy matches what the person wants to achieve. This is a collaborative process where the client’s values and faith can guide choices about focus and techniques.

Confirm the available session formats before booking, as the profile does not specify them. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It also lets people connect with a therapist who integrates Christian faith and evidence-based methods, without requiring them to change their schedule to attend in person.