Mehtap "May" Cigdem , PACFA

Mehtap "May" Cigdem is a PACFA counsellor with ten years of experience in Australia. She focuses on helping people who feel overwhelmed by anxiety, stress, grief or relationship problems. May offers a calm presence and practical support for everyday struggles.

Her style is straightforward and collaborative. She listens first, then helps people make sense of their patterns and reactions. Sessions aim to build skills for managing strong emotions and to find clearer ways to communicate with others.

May draws on several evidence-informed approaches while tailoring sessions to each person. She uses acceptance and commitment ideas to clarify values and take workable steps. Cognitive behavioural strategies are offered to shift unhelpful thinking and reduce anxiety symptoms.

She also works from an attachment-aware perspective to look at how early relationships shape current bonds and reactions. Dialectical behaviour ideas help with emotion regulation when feelings feel intense and overwhelming.

People come to May with a wide range of concerns including parenting strain, trauma and abuse, chronic illness, caregiving stress and complex grief. She takes a gentle, practical approach so people can try small changes between sessions and notice what helps.

May invites people who are ready to reflect and act to begin a process of steady change. She will personalise the plan and support clients as they build resilience and clearer patterns in life and relationships.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take small steps toward those values, even when strong feelings are present. It is useful for anxiety, low mood and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviours to reduce symptoms of anxiety and stress. It offers practical exercises that can be practised between sessions. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at patterns formed in early relationships and how they affect current connections, which can help with repeated relationship difficulties and trust issues.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their needs and goals. Over the first few sessions she will check in and adapt the plan so it feels useful and manageable.

Online therapy makes these approaches accessible through flexible formats. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions suit times when video is difficult or bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text-based messaging can be used for shorter check-ins, ongoing coaching-style support or when writing is easier than speaking. These options let people fit therapy around work, parenting and other life demands.