Alana Thompson , AASW

Alana Thompson is an AASW-accredited social worker with 18 years of clinical experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, career concerns and ADHD, and focuses on practical ways to feel steadier day to day.

Alana uses a warm, interactive style that aims to make conversations straightforward and useful. Sessions tend to focus on small, manageable steps - building routines, practical coping strategies and clearer communication - rather than jargon. She emphasises respect, compassion and sensitivity in every meeting.

Her background includes frontline work in child protection and family services, where she supported young people through trauma, anxiety and depression. That early work shaped her interest in less adversarial, more therapeutic ways of responding to complex problems.

Alana also spent time in the tertiary sector as a researcher and teacher, including managing a university counselling service where she provided welfare support, counselling and referrals for students. She brings that mix of practice and academic experience into sessions to help people solve real problems.

Alana holds a Bachelor of Psychology, a Master of Social Work, and a PhD in Social Work and Law. She is an accredited social worker with the Australian Association of Social Workers and has completed Mental Health First Aid training. Her practice aims to support practical change, build resilience and improve everyday wellbeing.

Practical therapeutic approaches and flexible online care

Alana draws on evidence-based therapeutic techniques that are practical and goal-focused. Cognitive-behavioural approaches help by identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing small behavioural changes to reduce anxiety, improve mood and manage ADHD-related challenges. Techniques that combine emotional insight support recognising and naming difficult feelings, then finding manageable ways to respond rather than react.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Alana works with each person to match methods to their goals, preferences and daily life. She will check in regularly and adapt the plan so it stays useful and realistic as things change.

Online therapy offers a flexible way to work together. Video calls allow face-to-face discussion and visual cues, phone sessions suit people who prefer not to be on camera or need a shorter check-in, and live chat or text-based messaging can be used for quick reflections, updates or when a written format feels easier. These options make it simpler to fit therapy around work, study and family commitments while still progressing toward practical goals.