Bernadette Welham , AASW

Bernadette Welham is an AASW social worker with five years of professional experience in Australia. She focuses on helping people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, depression and parenting challenges. Bernadette takes a respectful, down-to-earth approach and views each person as the expert in their own life.

She works with people facing relationship strain, grief, trauma and abuse, and issues around intimacy and self‑esteem. She also supports those managing addictions, ADHD, sleep and eating concerns, and major life changes. Her work includes practical conversations about coping strategies and everyday routines.

Bernadette draws on a mix of therapy styles to meet different needs. She uses attachment-based ideas to look at how early relationships shape current patterns. She blends client-centred listening with cognitive behavioural tools to help change unhelpful thoughts and behaviours. Mindfulness techniques are used to build calm and present-moment awareness.

Sessions are collaborative and paced to what each person feels ready for. Bernadette encourages small, achievable steps and helps people build on their strengths. She aims to make therapy clear, practical and focused on real problems at home and work.

People often come to her for help with parenting stress, family conflict, career strain and compassion fatigue. She also offers support for less common concerns such as body image, chronic illness, adoption and attachment issues. Bernadette speaks English and works with adults in Australia.

How Bernadette’s approaches translate to online therapy

Bernadette uses attachment-based ideas to help people understand how early relationships shape current patterns. This approach looks at how connection and trust influence how someone reacts in relationships and can be useful for intimacy, attachment and relationship concerns.

She also draws on client-centred therapy, which prioritises listening and understanding. In sessions the therapist reflects what matters to the person and helps them make sense of their own experience. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is used alongside these approaches to address unhelpful thought patterns and build practical coping skills for anxiety, depression and stress.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Bernadette will collaborate with each person to pick methods that fit their goals and preferences. She adjusts techniques over time based on progress and feedback so therapy feels relevant and useful.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues, while phone sessions suit people who need lower bandwidth or prefer not to be on camera. Live chat and messaging are useful for shorter check-ins, journalling support and flexible contact between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, family and everyday life.