Solace Therapy

This post is like an onion 🧅 IKYKYK:

First up: needs. We hear this a lot about a requirement to have our needs met. The truth is, as adults, we will not constantly consistently have our needs met by others and if we don’t move through the world with this knowledge, we will only be constantly and consistently disappointed.

As always, this is complex topic - SOME or even MOST of your needs may be met by those close to you, and we all deserve a level of connection where those around us have some desire to meet at least some of our needs some of the time. (If you head to my page I have a re-imagined version of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs for you to explore this further.)

LAYER TWO: 🪩 we as adults are responsible for taking care of our needs. We need to ensure that we effectively communicate and provide opportunity for our needs to be met. If others are not meeting our needs and expectations, we are able to assess whether these relationships and environments are right for us.

LAYER THREE: 🙃 A question to ask is: is this a NEED or is it an EXPECTATION that others have placed on me or I have placed on myself? I.e: I need to attend this event, I need to have my home spotless, I need to sacrifice this time so that I can make X happy. Typically, the foundation of our needs are relatively simple. I need to feel safe. I need to feel loved. I need to rest.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on needs! 🫶🏻 what have you been doing to meet your own needs lately?

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I post fun and informative content 🪩 Insta does not replace therapy ❌

This same sentiment keeps coming up.

‘Therapy will fix me’
‘I’m broken, when I’m repaired I will _______’
‘Therapy can’t erase my trauma’

Sadly, we’ve been sold the idea that therapy seeks to erase your traumatic experiences and then spit you back out into the world “healed and renewed”

I see it as the opposite. We make room for the pain. We acknowledge your experiences. We feel. Cry. Rage. Process.

And in each step, you are valid and worthy. You may feel broken - but you are not broken.

You are not your traumas - but we can’t avoid that they will shape us in some ways. Therapy is about re-connecting us to safety so that we can enjoy life again, not ignore and dismiss our pain 🫶🏻

With the most care,

Chels

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Follow .with.chels for more 🪩

I post fun and informative content. Instagram doesn’t replace therapy ❌

Hi, I’m Chels! 🪩

I’m a counselling psychotherapist seeking to make quality mental health care accessible, empowering and genuine.

I work with children, adolescents, and adults, using a holistic, person-centred approach. My philosophy is simple: I believe in seeing the whole person, beyond just the symptoms or labels. I’m here to help you uncover your strengths, navigate life’s challenges, and reconnect with what truly matters to you.

My approach is all about empowerment. I want to support you in engaging meaningfully in your life, whether that means overcoming anxiety, managing stress, or embracing your authentic self. We welcome ALL of you to the therapy space.

Through evidence-based therapies like ACT, DBT, IFS and creative therapies, we’ll work together to create sustainable, realistic and meaningful change.

Being part of the LGBTQIA+ community and on the ASD spectrum myself, I understand the importance of creating a safe, inclusive space where you can be your true self. A little more about me ✨I’m 30 years old, live in north regional Victoria, have a partner and am a mum of two + two fur babies Pepper & Winston.

In our sessions, you’ll find a supportive environment that values your unique experiences and helps you thrive.

If you think I may be the right therapist for you, feel free to send me a DM! For more information about my practice, head to . Here .with.chels I post fun and informative content to work towards breaking the stigma around mental health and wellbeing.

With the most care,

Chels 🫶🏻

We know that self-care includes healthy boundaries, living within our means, expressing our feelings and making room for all of ourselves.

Sometimes, it really is a good cuppa ☕️

📷 Tam Perry Photography

ANNOUNCEMENT 📣

Hello! A very exciting announcement, I will now be operating out of the HouseTide Support Services building every second Wednesday & some evening appointments by request.

Bookings are open and sessions will begin from August 21st onwards.

The space is set up perfectly for children, teens and young people and I look forward to supporting our younger community members there.

You can DM to schedule a session or book directly here: https://clientportal.powerdiary.com/clientportal/solacetherapy?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaYZMy84XFdo45hf0ccSgoSv0EFa0CSc_MamXywIwHeS3r-fD6rYBb7mbXk_aem_bVsO1xYTpAj6O3G6Qx8wYg

Pictures of my Cobram space which is also coming together 🤎

Hello 👋🏼 I’m currently taking on new clients! So happy with how the Cobram space is coming together 🤎💭

Also, exciting news coming for Numurkah ✨💃🏼

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Looking for a therapist? Send a DM 🫶🏻

Solace Therapy is live and taking new clients!

Solace Counselling & Psychotherapy | Psychotherapy Welcome to Solace Therapy in the Goulburn Valley, where Chelsea Luxford, an experienced PACFA accredited psychotherapist, offers compassionate individual therapy for children, youth, teens, and adults. Discover our holistic approach to mental wellbeing and book a session today! Telehealth - Nationwi...

WELCOME TO SOLACE THERAPY: where you can now work with me in person! 🥳😍👏🏼

I am so thrilled to announce that in addition to Telehealth sessions, we’ll be able to work together in person at the beautiful .au, Cobram.

Solace Therapy has been my passion project, one that I have been building toward my entire career. With a background in psychology, Master of Counselling & Psychotherapy and extensive experience in the wellness space, I am excited to announce that Solace Therapy is now offering face-to-face psychotherapy and counseling sessions.

At Solace Therapy, I offer individual therapy for tweens, teens, and adults. My approach is holistic, incorporating various therapeutic modalities to suit each client’s unique needs.

These include Internal Family Systems Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Therapies, Gestalt Therapy, as well as CBT, DBT, and Narrative Therapy. My areas of specialization include:

🤎Feelings of hopelessness
🤎Lack of purpose and meaning
🤎Parenting transitions
🤎Grief and loss
🤎Processing trauma
🤎Chronic stress
🤎Addictions
🤎Relationship problems

As well as diagnoses of anxiety and depression. I also work with clients to overcome perfectionism, people-pleasing tendencies, and to recognize and integrate their inner child and parts of themselves they may shun or shame. 🫶🏻

Booking requests are open, or feel free to DM. Sessions begin July 10th 💓

I can’t wait to work with you!

Chels ☺️

‼️A myth that can sometimes be the difference between timely and necessary care or delay.

Research has shown not only does asking those who you may get an inkling are feeling suic*dal reduce their distress, but those who report that they are NOT feeling suic*dal do not increase in risk.

This is such an important topic that we really need to work on as communities and reduce stigma 🙌🏻🫶🏻

Please note: I am not able to provide crisis care, especially via instagram. If you or someone you know is feeling this way please look at my highlights for crisis line numbers and support 💖

🤍

Do you ever want to run from our thoughts and find that freedom you crave?

Sometimes we do, through distraction, pushing feelings away, or numbing out... Sometimes these thoughts and feelings come back tenfold.

Our feelings are like a bottle of Fanta; if you shake the bottle enough times, crack it open a little, it’s going to explode. 💥

What if we ran towards our thoughts instead, making room for them, giving them a safe home? 🏠

Thoughts such as “I’m not good enough,” “everyone hates me,” “I’m a terrible person” are all providing information about our values and what’s important to us. With that information, we can start to make choices towards the life we want to lead. 🌟

But how do I do that Chels?!

Great question, if attending and attuning to your thoughts is new to you, I invite you to just begin the process of awareness.

~ check in and pause with yourself once to a few times a day, you may like to record what you notice.

~ once you’ve become accustomed to noticing, you can start to become more consciously aware of your thought patterns and potential ‘triggers’ for your thoughts

~ When it feels safe to do so, you may like to explore it at all your thoughts are giving you meaningful information.

Please know that instagram does not replace therapy, these strategies are most effective when working with a therapist or practitioner to support you, particularly if they are new skills.

I don’t think I’ve announced to the Facebook world that The Whole You podcast, is coming soon! Stay tuned 🎧

🌟 Beyond ‘Stop’ 🔄 Navigating Change 🚀

Ever felt the urge to just “stop” or “quit” a behavior? 🛑 It’s natural to crave instant change, but real transformation requires patience and compassion.

🌱 Some patterns we wish to shed have deep roots, and rushing only feeds the shame spiral.

🌀 Instead of shunning parts of ourselves, let’s make room for growth.

🌿 Remember Carl Jung’s wisdom: “What you resist persists.”✨

As a therapist who works with teens, I wish adults in their lives knew:

❗️Teens and young people often feel dismissed by authority figures in their lives because they are talked at as opposed to talked with.

✨ Unpopular opinion but social media is not the problem. Problematic behaviour can occur on social media, so we need to support our young people in managing this more effectively as opposed to wanting to take social media away from them.

🤍 It would be more developmentally inappropriate for teens to NOT want to spend time with their peers. This is apart of a process called individuation.

👻 Their inner world is chaotic at times. You may often be faced with the response of “I don’t know” because they genuinely don’t sometimes. Teens and young people are just coming to terms with their identity and that is very wild ride.

🤩 I learn as much from my teen clients as I do my adult clients. Teens just want to be HEARD. They want someone in their corner 🙌🏻

If you have a teen and are seeking a therapist, drop into our DMs or book in for a free 10 minute meet and greet 😊

REMINDER ✨ You don’t need to be growing to be healing, and you don’t need to be healing to be human.

So often we can get caught up in the progress and growth aspect of ‘healing’. The desire and allure of being and getting better is a powerful driving force.

Often, the deep moments of growth come when we divert from the planned healing path we intended to take, and find ourselves in the brambles of doubt, fear and insecurity.

I often ask my clients, ‘how are you doing to offer yourself grace and support for your human moments?’.

You can heal, grow and evolve over and over, but at the end of the day if we constantly push away the parts of ourselves, the flaws, that make us the creatures we are - we’ll never feel whole.

FYI whilst I’m here, I have a few openings for clients via

I am so excited to announce that I will be reopening my books with for Telehealth! I’ve taken some time away from 1:1 sessions whilst I completed my masters, but am so excited to begin working with you 🫶🏻

I will be available 10am - 2:30pm on Wednesdays. You can also request a session on Tuesday & Thursday afternoons/evenings as well as weekends.

I read something on here the other day that said healing means you have to accept every part of yourself and I’d like to offer a different perspective.

You are allowed to dislike parts of who you are, to do so is human. The narrative that we have to be all accepting and gracious of ourselves is worn and honestly toxic positivity disguised.

You are allowed to feel bad about yourself. Without these feelings we would become stagnant.

It’s the way that you support yourself, or seek support in these moments. As well as how you go about addressing what you don’t like.

To be constantly placing yourself in a position where you are doing ‘healing wrong’ is such a disservice to yourself and your community at large.

We as therapists, practitioners and space holders have to accept that a fully healed person does not exist, and to get a client to such a space does not mean that we have ‘won’. It’s an honour to witness transformation, not a requirement.

Are you enough for yourself? Yeah, you may be too much for other people, not enough for others or not on anyone’s radar at all.

The most important question is not how am I pleasing my environment, but how am I fulfilling my inner most passions, I am enough for myself?

Sometimes, we may not feel like we’re enough, we’ll chat about that next post ❤️‍🔥

❗️Reminder! It’s more than OK to be human. There’s no perfect way to ‘heal’. In fact I’m not sold that healing is a thing, I rather think of it as living.

Being human means that you won’t always have the perfect reaction, response or skills to deal with problems, because you’re not a robot 🤖

So learn what you can from your experiences and wash it down with some gentle self love. We’re trying our best ✌🏻

Laughing and crying all at once. After 10 years of study, I have finally completed my tertiary journey. 3 degrees, hundreds if not thousands of hours of growth, learning and let’s not forget melt downs. I am so excited to walk the stage one final time (I’m pretty sure anyway). Even more importantly I am so excited to begin this next chapter dedicated to supporting my community with their mental health.

Thank you to each and every person who’s been there along the way and supported me 💖

Have you ever had a crappy experience with someone who is meant to be supporting you?

I sure have! I now use those experiences to ensure that I am always working on being a better therapist.

Some key things to know about therapy with me:

~ I don’t take it lightly that you are entrusting me with your time and energy.
~ You will be given space to be held and heard
~ I won’t give you advice, guidance or therapy outside of my realm of knowledge. i.e I will not tell you whether or not you should eat certain things, I once had a therapist who told me I shouldn’t eat eggs! WHAT!? 🚩
~ I won’t share too much personal information with you, you may get a sprinkling where appropriate. i.e I won’t tell you about my personal relationships or let you know that I had to cancel an appointment of my own to fit you in 🫠😳😬. Yes, This has happened to me. Again; WHAT!? 🚩🚩🚩 You are never a burden.

I’m right there with you. I’m letting you know this because I fully understand why therapists can get a bad rep, but we’re not all like that.

I am very aware that I will not be the therapist for everyone and have made mistakes of my own along the way - we are all human.

What is not ok is: not owing your mistakes 🚩, not being open to feedback 🚩🚩and not being present within your practice 🚩🚩🚩. I’m constantly working on myself and growing. I take responsibility for this so that I can be of service to you. I take breaks where I need to, ensure that I am well supported and have clear boundaries so that when I show up to session with you, I’m fully present.

You’re not investing in me, or any other mental health professional, to not be heard.

I can’t emphasise enough that when we work together, we work TOGETHER. We build a unique therapeutic relationship where we learn and explore together.

Let’s be honest, the world is WILD 🐯place to be right now - in both good ways and bad.

Hi, I’m Chels, Your local therapist 💁🏻‍♀️

The most important thing that you need to know about what I do, is that we work TOGETHER always.

I see the whole you, always. You are not an object to be worked on, you are a whole person to be worked with.

The foundations of my therapeutic style are:

~ Strength- based: Not toxic positivity, but reflecting back to you what your strengths are. Even if we are not in a place to recognise them, we all have strengths.
~ Trauma sensitive: A thorough understanding of trauma and how to make the therapeutic space (both in person and online) safe and tailored to your personal experience.
~ Person centred: Supporting you without judgement and instead with unconditional dignity, respect, empathy and compassion.

My goal in working with you is to truly attune to your experience and understand what is happening for you.

To deeply listen and hold space for you.

Your experience with me will be unique to you, no one therapy session is the same.

We can work together on:
~ Stress
~ Anxiety
~ Life transitions i.e parenthood, career changes.
~ Grief & Loss
~ Depression
~ Overwhelm
~ Relationships

The different types of therapy we can utilise include:

~ Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
~ Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
~ Narrative Therapy
~ Gestalt Therapy
~ Mindfulness based practices

I am now taking on new clients, if you’d like to work together you can click the ‘Book Now’ button.

I have been watching docos lately and am interested in ones that currently centre on religion. I recently watched “The family”.

Senator Mitch McConnell refused stimulus package for his juristiction because he believed that people who are poor were meant to be poor according to god.

I feel that there is a similar narrative within the wellness space around scarity vs. abundance mindset.

There is the idea that as service providers, we need to ask for our worth. Even on platforms such as tiktok, there is the song “it costs that much because it takes me f*cking hours”. Which potentially stems from those with a sense of entitlement and demand things for free - I’m not discussing that here.

What I’m talking about is how new age spirituality - particularly in white circles, the idea is shared that people have money and thus I need to be paid with that money.
“I am choosing wealth.”
I don’t claim to know what they choose to do with said wealth, and I know that a majority inject this back into their communities.

However, as with everything, there is some that are in line with the “people are poor because they have been allotted that position in life” and so, if they can’t afford me - they will not grow. They will stay stagnant and in fear.

This narrative perpetuates the idea that people who are in scarcity choose to be that way. It ignores the nuanced social climate we live in, it claims to be in line with the reality of the world - but it appears to be rejecting it in favour of a reality that suits the individual and their own goals.

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