Pamela Varas , ACA

Pamela Varas is an ACA counsellor who helps people work through anxiety, depression and relationship pain. She focuses on women's issues and supports clients who are coping with trauma, grief and stress. Pamela aims to make sessions feel calm and straightforward so people can talk honestly about what is hard for them.

After completing a Bachelor of Counselling at the Australian College of Applied Professions in 2022, she provided counselling to women affected by domestic violence. She then worked at Dementia Australia, offering brief solution-focused therapy and emotional support to carers and people living with dementia. Pamela has logged more than 911 client contact hours and around 75 hours of clinic supervision, including individual and group supervision.

Pamela runs a private practice called Rebuild Together Counselling where she continues to provide one-to-one support. Her work often addresses childhood trauma in adults, post-traumatic stress, compassion fatigue and sleep difficulties. She also supports people dealing with immigration stress, isolation and struggles with self-worth.

In session she prefers a person-centred style and draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills for practical tools. She also uses solution-focused techniques and relational ideas from the Gottman Method when relationship issues arise. Pamela describes her approach as warm, ethical and focused on steady progress.

She is about to commence a Masters in Psychotherapy and Counselling and continues clinical supervision to guide her practice. Sessions are held in English and aim to be collaborative and respectful of each person's pace.

How Pamela's approaches translate to online therapy

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening and building a trusting relationship so people feel heard and can set their own pace; it helps when someone needs validation and space to work through difficult feelings. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the link between thoughts, feelings and actions and uses simple exercises to change unhelpful patterns; it's useful for anxiety, depression and sleep problems. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) teaches skills for managing intense emotions and improving resilience, which can help with overwhelm and relationship reactions.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Pamela will work together with each client to decide which methods fit their needs, goals and preferences. That collaborative plan can change over time as new priorities emerge or progress is made.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging, which makes therapy more flexible. Video suits full conversations and non-verbal cues, phone sessions work when bandwidth is limited, live chat can be a shorter check-in and messaging is useful for ongoing reflection between sessions. These options help people fit therapy around work, caregiving or other commitments and make it easier to continue regular sessions.