Leigh Fraser-Gray,
AMHSW, B Soc Work, B Soc Welfare,
Dip Human and Community Services, Voc Grad Dip FDR.
Hello! My name is Leigh and I welcome all who feel currently perplexed and/or troubled by their life; we could work together to identify what would best make things better.
About My Practice
“The Way to Regain Your Power-Base Starts with Self Care”
Investing in time to explore your current concerns is worth the many future benefits; most people simply want their woes to subside whilest I assist with sustainable change/s.
Following 25 years in the Not-For-Profit sector (Cairns, Far North Queensland and Brisbane) I have consolidated my advanced Social Sciences practice and developed a specific strengths-based, client-focused professional clinical practice.
I am known for my highly approachable manner and will adapt my communication and therapy style to best suit the individual. Such a flexible approach lends itself to creating a safe, comfortable and confidential space to unload even the most sensitive of experiences or information to explore concerns, periods of adversity and/or fears.
Optimising Resilience
As an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (AMHSW), my clinical practice is based on optimising resilience. Through my many years of working with people in crisis and/or with a trauma background, I have been privileged to learn how adversity can provide the greatest opportunity to grow, develop, learn, adapt and/or evolve.
Even if circumstances have changed dramatically, there can emerge ‘a new normal’.
Through the teaching of psycho neuro therapy, the brain has great capacity to develop alternative neural pathways; we CAN adapt, alter perspective, heal and/or change.
I find this approach can assist in a variety of situations, encouraging clients to identify what they are willing to do to better a situation or circumstances for themselves, even if there appears external limits or barriers to change or movement ie ‘fixed points’.
In the consulting room, I place my clients in the ‘drivers seat’ of the therapy experience (ie clients are empowered), as we partner up in an alliance and work together to identify individual and unique strengths and ways forward.
Ideally pathways are identified to potentially transition between merely ‘surviving’ to ‘thriving’. As a consequence, my focus tends to be ‘Change Processes’ by assisting clients to gain clarity, understanding and/or confidence over their current situation; psycho education can be a key and interesting part of this process.
I find my many prior years as a generalist Social Worker however has equipped me with both practical and systemic knowledge in many areas of human functioning and/or adversity. This means client issues can range greatly, whilst I am still able to introduce multi-purpose concepts around resilience and sustaining change.
Help for Men’s Issues
My two specific areas of interest are in:
- Working with men and taking into account the specific and unique pressures men experience in their various social roles; and, more broadly
- Maximising client resilience, regardless of gender, through implementing and sustaining change and working towards recovery whereby long term, persistent or chronic conditions are stabilised and quality of life prioritised.
This can mean working on internal modes of control, or perception of issues at hand.
I am also interested in maximising functioning in the face of chronic conditions and/or impairment affecting mental, physical and/or emotional capacity. Mutual respect for diversity and the self lays at the cornerstone of my practice and I welcome those from all walks of life, as the individual experience is of fundamental importance. I can assist with:
- Stress / Anxiety / Depression Management;
- Chronic Pain or Diagnosis (physical or mental health) Management;
- Grief and Loss / Bereavement;
- Trauma counselling (focussing on improving or maximising present day coping capacity which may then create pathways for future stability and happiness);
- Perinatal and Post Natal Support;
- Domestic and/or Family Violence;
- Sexuality and/or Body Dysmorphia;
- Relationship Concerns (including social phobias or interaction in general);
- Veteran (and associated family) related matters;
- Work Cover and/or forced or optional work based changes;
- Alcohol and Other Drugs including addiction in general.
Counselling Approach
My preferred modes of intervention include:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Psycho Neuro Therapy;
- Psycho Education;
- Narrative Theory;
- Solution Focused, Strengths-based Approaches;
- Self Compassion / Self Care Theory.
As I am an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, you may be able to access Medicare rebates for our sessions.
To make an appointment try Online Booking. Alternatively, you can call Vision Psychology Brisbane on (07) 3088 5422.
