Counsellor profile
Joanna Ridgeway, ACA
Based in Australia ยท 14 years of experience
Stress, anxiety, relationships and depression
Continue with JoannaAt a glance
- Registration
- ACA, Australia (15551)
- Qualifications
- ACA
- Experience
- 14 years
- Languages
- English
- Based in
- Australia
Details come from information Joanna supplied to BetterHelp.
- Attachment work
- CBT techniques
- Emotion-focused work
About Joanna
ACA counsellor Joanna Ridgeway has 14 years of professional experience and practises in Australia. She works with stress, anxiety, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, self-esteem concerns and depression. Joanna also focuses on abandonment, attachment issues, caregiver stress, chronic illness and a range of relationship and life-change problems.
Joanna uses conversations that are direct and practical. She draws on client-centred methods to listen without judgement and to help people name their priorities. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is used to identify unhelpful thinking and try small behavioural changes. Emotionally-Focused and Attachment-Based approaches are part of how she looks at relationship patterns.
Sessions aim to make feelings and interactions easier to understand. Joanna helps people notice patterns from past relationships that affect current ones. She works on communication and commitment issues when that is relevant to a client's goals.
Her approach combines listening with concrete tools. Clients can expect to talk through emotions, practise new ways of communicating, and try brief exercises between sessions. The focus is on manageable steps rather than lengthy theory.
Joanna has worked across general mental health and relationship concerns for over a decade. She keeps the work practical and paced to the person's needs. To start, people are asked to complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule an initial session.
How her therapeutic approaches work online
Joanna uses Attachment-Based Therapy to look at how early relationships shape current patterns. This approach helps people see how trust and closeness form and sometimes cause repeated problems in adult relationships.She also uses Client-Centred Therapy which focuses on listening and reflecting what a person says. This helps people clarify their thoughts and decide what matters to them. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is another tool she draws on to identify unhelpful thinking and try practical behaviour changes for anxiety and low mood.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Joanna will discuss goals and preferences and agree on methods together. That collaborative process helps decide whether to focus more on emotions, patterns from attachment, or concrete CBT exercises.
If you are considering online counselling, confirm the current session options before booking. The platform and formats available can vary, so check which are offered when you complete the matching questionnaire. Online sessions can make it easier to fit counselling into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove the need to travel to an appointment.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
14+ years
Listed in
Australia
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, self esteem and depression. Additional focuses include abandonment, attachment issues, caregiver stress and chronic illness.
What is her counselling style?
Her style uses client-centred listening alongside practical tools. She combines Cognitive Behavioural strategies with emotionally-focused and attachment-based work.
How much experience does she have?
She has 14 years of professional experience in mental health and relationship work.
What credentials and location does she hold?
She is an ACA counsellor practising in Australia.
Can I work with her if I live outside Australia?
She does not accept international clients at this time and works with people in Australia.
In which language are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English.
How are sessions paid for?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I get started booking a session?
Select the See online counselling options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Checking a registration
Professional bodies keep public registers. If Joanna lists a membership, you can look it up on that body's own website:
Online counselling is not emergency or medical care. In immediate danger? Crisis numbers