Linda Sawrey , PACFA

Linda Sawrey offers practical, down-to-earth counselling for people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, relationship strain, grief or life transitions. She speaks plainly and aims to make sessions feel manageable and relevant. Linda's first goal is to help a person feel understood and to identify small, useful steps forward.

Linda draws on five years working as a counsellor alongside a long career in nursing. That background informs a holistic view of health that includes physical wellbeing alongside emotions. She uses a mix of approaches and tailors sessions to each person's needs and preferences.

Her practice pays close attention to attachment, loss and how early experiences shape today's relationships. Linda often combines thinking-focused work with storytelling and practical exercises to shift unhelpful patterns. She also helps people notice how their body holds stress and uses simple strategies to ease that tension.

People contact Linda about burnout, workplace stress, caregiving strain, chronic illness and pain, body image concerns, and challenges around separation and rebuilding after abuse. She also supports those navigating grief, midlife questions, and issues with control, guilt or shame.

Linda lives in the Gold Coast Hinterland where nature and animals are part of her life. That setting influences her calm, grounded style and her emphasis on rebuilding safety and resilience. She works online and by phone to make therapy as accessible as possible.

Approaches that translate to online care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on helping people notice painful thoughts and feelings without being driven by them, and then take values-driven action. It can help with anxiety, stress and decisions about life direction. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships shape current patterns and aims to build safer ways of relating to others and to oneself. Client-Centred Therapy prioritises a warm, non-judgemental therapeutic relationship where the person's own goals guide the work.

Finding the right approach is part of the process and will be decided together. Linda will ask about present concerns, goals and what feels helpful, then try options that suit the person's needs and preferences. Sessions can shift if something isn’t working until a better fit is found.

Online therapy through video calls, phone, live chat or text-based messaging offers practical flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited, and messaging or live chat suit quick check-ins or people who prefer typing. These formats let people fit counselling into busy schedules, reduce travel time and keep continuity when life is unpredictable.