The Business Side of Supervision: Why the PRACTICE Domain Matters as Much as Clinical Skill Most supervision, understandably, focuses on your clients — case conceptualisation, technique, ethics, your own reactions. All essential. But if you’re building or running a private practice, there’s a second job happening alongside the clinical one: running a small business. That […]
Author: John Belchamber
Why Anxiety and Depression Are Rising Among Young Australians (and What Helps)
If you’re in your late teens or twenties and it feels like anxiety and low mood are just more common than they used to be, you’re not imagining it. The data backs this up, and it’s worth understanding why, because it changes how we think about getting support early rather than waiting until things feel […]
Imposter Syndrome in Private Practice, and How Supervision Helps
If you’ve ever sat with a client and quietly wondered whether you know what you’re doing — despite the qualifications, the hours, the good outcomes — you’re in very good company. Imposter syndrome shows up often in this profession, and private practice, where there’s no team down the hall to reality-check you, tends to make […]
The Sleep–Mood Loop: Why Poor Sleep and Low Mood Feed Each Other
You’ve had a bad night. Maybe two or three in a row. And you’ve probably noticed that it doesn’t just leave you tired — it leaves you flatter, more irritable, more anxious, less able to cope with things that would normally roll off you. That’s not in your head. Sleep and mood run on the […]
Individual vs Group Supervision: What’s the Difference, and Which Is Right for You?
Individual vs. group supervision: Both individual and group supervision count toward your professional obligations, and both are genuinely valuable — they just offer different things. If you’re deciding between them, or wondering whether to add one alongside the other, here’s how they differ in practice. Individual supervision One-to-one supervision is entirely about your caseload, at […]
How to Choose the Right Clinical Supervisor
Picking a supervisor is one of those decisions that’s easy to rush — especially if you’re up against a renewal deadline — but it’s worth slowing down for. You’ll be bringing this person your hardest cases and your own doubts about your practice. Here’s what’s worth checking before you commit. Start with credentials At minimum, […]
What Is Clinical Supervision, and Why Do Counsellors Actually Need It?
If you’re newer to private practice, or just starting to think seriously about it, “supervision” can feel like one more box to tick for your membership renewal. It’s worth far more than that — done well, it’s one of the few places in this work where you get to slow down, think out loud, and […]
Introducing Supervision at Sunny Coast Counselling: The STEP-UP Approach
If you’re a counsellor building a private practice — whether you’re just starting out or a few years in — finding the right clinical supervisor matters. This month I’m formally opening up a new side of my work at Sunny Coast Counselling: individual and group clinical supervision for counsellors, delivered in person here on the […]
Why Manager Training Changes Workplace Mental Health Outcomes
Most workplace mental health strategies focus on the employee — an EAP, a wellness app, a poster in the lunchroom. All useful. But a growing body of research points to a simpler lever that’s often overlooked: the manager. Managers are the first point of contact — for better or worse When an employee is struggling, […]
When Does Everyday Worry Become Anxiety? Recognising the Signs
Worry is part of being human. A looming deadline, a health scare, a hard conversation you’re putting off — these things are supposed to make us anxious. The question we hear often in the counselling room isn’t “why am I anxious,” it’s “how do I know if this is normal, or something more?” Just how […]