Nirekha De Silva , ACA

Nirekha De Silva offers calm, practical support for people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, grief or life change. She focuses on real-world coping strategies and clear steps people can use between sessions. Nirekha writes the plan with each person and adjusts it as life shifts.

She has 20 years of experience working in Australia and holds ACA accreditation, which she uses as a practice reference. Her work covers a wide range of concerns including addictions, anger, low self-esteem, depression and compassion fatigue. She also helps people facing parenting pressures, career transitions and relationship strain.

Nirekha uses a range of approaches that suit different needs. She draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people live by their values, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to look at thoughts and behaviours that keep problems going. Client-Centred methods guide sessions so people feel heard and understood.

Sessions are collaborative and practical. Nirekha often offers tools for emotional regulation, problem solving and improving day-to-day routines. She adapts her style to each person’s pace and circumstances.

She can work with people affected by trauma, attachment or caregiving stress, and those navigating separation, adoption or ageing concerns. Nirekha speaks English and Sinhala and aims to make therapy understandable and doable for busy lives.

How Nirekha’s approaches work online

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and commit to small actions that match those values. It is useful for stress, anxiety, grief and life transitions because it focuses on living well even with difficult thoughts or feelings.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the link between thoughts, feelings and behaviours and teaches specific techniques to change unhelpful patterns. It is helpful for anxiety, depression, self-esteem and coping with addictions.

Client-Centred Therapy places the person’s experience at the heart of sessions and aims to create space to be heard and understood. This approach supports people who need a steady, empathic space to work through big emotions or decisions.

Choosing the right approach is often part of the early work. Nirekha will talk through goals, preferences and what has or hasn’t worked before, then shape sessions together. This collaborative process helps decide which strategies to try and when to adapt.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect. Video calls work well for face-to-face conversation, phone sessions are good when bandwidth is limited, live chat can be useful for brief check-ins, and text-based messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, family and daily life.