& Psychotherapy
Anxiety and Depression Counselling in the Sutherland Shire
In Caringbah and online over Zoom.
When you come to me for anxiety or depression, we work out what the worry or the flatness has been protecting you from, at a pace that doesn't overwhelm you. I'm Wade Eames, a PACFA Registered Clinical counsellor and psychotherapist (28644) at Next Steps Counselling & Psychotherapy in Caringbah, and I see adults in person and online. You can book directly, without a referral or a diagnosis.
It's 3am and your mind is running the same list it ran last night. Work, money, the thing you said on Tuesday. You know it won't look this bad in the morning. That doesn't help.
Or it's a Sunday afternoon and you can't get yourself off the couch. Nothing is wrong, exactly. You just stopped feeling much a while ago, and you've been getting through the weeks on autopilot since.
Neither of those is a character flaw. Something in you has been working very hard for a long time.
What is anxiety and depression counselling with me like?
Steady and unhurried. We start with you and what's going on now, then work toward what's underneath it. You won't be handed a program or rushed toward a fix, and you don't need to arrive with the right words for how you feel. The first few sessions are mostly about getting to know you.
A lot of people come in hoping to be told how to stop worrying, or how to feel motivated again. That's fair. But anxiety and low mood are often the most visible part of something older.
So I listen for the parts of you that show up in the session. The part that's already planning how to apologise. The part that goes flat when we get near something that matters. Those parts are doing a job, and they make more sense once we understand what they're protecting.
What sits underneath anxiety and depression?
Anxiety and depression often sit on top of something else: burnout, old hurt, grief that never had room, or years of holding everything together for other people. In IFS terms, the worry and the shutting down are protective parts. They took on a job when you needed them, and nobody has told them they can rest.
For some people it's burnout. You kept going because stopping didn't feel like an option, and now your body has made the decision for you.
For others it goes back further. You learned early to keep the peace, to read the room, to not need much. That worked, and it cost something. Anxiety can be what's left of a nervous system that's still keeping watch.
And sometimes depression is grief that's been waiting. A loss, a relationship, a version of your life that didn't happen.
You're not broken. You're not failing. Something is happening that makes sense, and it's worth understanding.
Anxiety and depression: what's the difference?
Anxiety tends to feel like too much: racing thoughts, a tight chest, dread, being on guard. Depression tends to feel like too little: flatness, no energy, losing interest in things you used to care about. Many people live with both, swinging between wired and exhausted, and the work usually looks at them together.
You don't need a diagnosis to start. If you've been feeling this way for a while and it's getting in the way of your life, that's enough.
How do I work with anxiety and depression?
Mostly through IFS, with attachment-based and polyvagal-informed work alongside it, and EMDR when the anxiety is tied to a particular memory. But underneath all of it is the relationship between us. A nervous system that's been on guard for years usually has to settle with someone before it can settle on its own.
IFS (Internal Family Systems) is the model I work with most. It treats the anxious part, the critical part and the part that wants to disappear under the doona as something to get to know, rather than something to override. I'm IFS Level 1 trained. Longer IFS sessions run 90 minutes ($195). More about IFS
Attachment-based and polyvagal-informed work looks at how your nervous system learned to respond to people and pressure, and what helps it settle. A lot of anxiety lives in the body before it shows up as thoughts.
EMDR can help when anxiety is tied to a specific memory that won't settle. I'm trained in EMDR and use it inside the wider work. EMDR sessions run 90 minutes ($195). More about EMDR
I also draw on psychodynamic and humanistic work, and DBT skills for when emotions are running too hot to think.
If trauma is part of what's underneath, there's more on the trauma counselling page.
How long does counselling for anxiety or depression take?
It depends on what you're carrying. Some people feel steadier within a few sessions, especially once they understand what their anxiety is doing. When low mood or anxiety goes back years, the work usually takes longer. We'll talk about it as we go, and you decide how often you come.
This isn't quick work, and I won't pretend it is. But slow doesn't mean stuck. Most people notice things shifting well before the work is finished.
Cost and rebates
A 60-minute session is $150 and a 90-minute session is $195. If you have extras cover with Bupa, Medibank, HCF, ahm or ARHG, you may be able to claim part of it back. Counselling with me isn't covered by Medicare, so a Mental Health Care Plan doesn't apply, and you don't need one to book.
If your anxiety or depression is part of an accepted NSW workers compensation claim that covers psychological treatment, I'm SIRA-approved (151287) and there's no gap.
Where and when
Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays I see clients in person at Level 1, 418 Kingsway, Caringbah. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are online over Zoom, which some people find easier when getting out the door is the hard part. Hours run from 8am to 8pm Monday to Thursday, and 8am to 6pm on Fridays. More on counselling in the Sutherland Shire.
How to start
Book online, or call or text me on 0479 155 439 if you'd like to ask something first. You don't need a referral, and you don't need to know what to call what you're feeling. You don't have to be sure you're ready, either. I know what it's like to sit on the other side.
If you need support right now, Lifeline is 13 11 14, or text 0477 13 11 14, any time. In an emergency, call 000.
Common questions
Do I need a diagnosis or a GP referral?
No. You don't need either. If anxiety or low mood is getting in the way of your life, that's enough to start. You can book directly with me.
Is this covered by Medicare?
No. Medicare rebates don't cover counsellors and psychotherapists, so there's no rebate for seeing me. If you have extras cover with Bupa, Medibank, HCF, ahm or ARHG, you may be able to claim through your fund.
Can I do counselling for anxiety online?
Yes. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are online over Zoom. With anxiety in particular, some people find it easier to start from home.
Will you give me strategies to manage anxiety?
There's room for practical things, like ways to steady yourself when anxiety spikes. But the main work is understanding what the anxiety is protecting, so it doesn't need to work so hard.
Can I see you if I'm on medication for anxiety or depression?
Yes. I don't prescribe, and decisions about medication stay with you and your GP. Counselling can sit alongside medication, and many people do both.
Is it burnout or depression?
They can look alike and often overlap. Burnout usually builds from long-term pressure, often at work. Depression can follow it, or have other roots. You don't need to know which it is before you book. We'll work it out together.