Counsellor profile
Vivien Ridgway, AASW
Based in Australia ยท 36 years of experience
Experienced AASW social worker and counsellor
Continue with VivienAt a glance
- Registration
- AASW, Australia (458167)
- Qualifications
- AASW
- Experience
- 36 years
- Languages
- English
- Based in
- Australia
Details come from information Vivien supplied to BetterHelp.
- Parenting and relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse support
- CBT and mindfulness methods
About Vivien
AASW. 36 years of professional experience. Vivien Ridgway works with people on parenting, gender identity, relationships, trauma and abuse, and leadership coaching using approaches she lists in her practice.
Vivien is an AASW social worker who has spent decades supporting individuals through stressful life changes. She helps people talk through relationship problems, parenting concerns, issues around gender identity, and the aftermath of trauma. She also offers coaching for leadership and career-related strain.
Her style is practical and client-led. Sessions focus on clear goals, problem solving and building everyday skills. She uses familiar methods such as talking therapies, behaviour-focused techniques and mindfulness to help people manage anxiety, mood and coping difficulties.
Vivien lists Attachment-Based Therapy and Client-Centered Therapy among her approaches. These methods look at how relationships shape feelings and use a supportive conversational approach to discover what a person needs. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy give tools for changing unhelpful thinking and managing intense emotions.
She works with a wide range of concerns including addiction, grief, intimacy issues, eating and sleeping problems, ADHD and compassion fatigue. Additional focus areas include abandonment, ageing issues, attachment problems, autism spectrum concerns, blended family matters and domestic violence recovery.
Sessions are conducted in English. International clients are not accepted. Costs vary with location and use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time. To begin, select the See online counselling options button, complete the short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session.
Therapeutic approaches used in remote counselling
Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early and current relationships affect feelings and behaviour, and it can help with intimacy, trust and attachment issues. Client-Centred Therapy focuses on the person's experience in the room, using reflective conversation to clarify goals and build confidence. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) addresses patterns of thinking and behaviour, teaching practical strategies for anxiety, depression and unhelpful habits.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with the client to choose methods that match their needs, goals and preferences. That choice may change over time as priorities shift or new issues emerge.
The original biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm the current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit counselling into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when time is limited. Some approaches translate well to remote sessions because they focus on skill practice, goal setting and conversational work, which can be adapted to different appointment lengths and settings.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
36+ years
Listed in
Australia
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of issues does she work with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship and parenting issues, addictions, grief, eating and sleeping problems, ADHD and many related concerns.
What is her therapeutic style?
Her approach is practical and client-led, using conversational counselling and skills-based techniques such as mindfulness and behaviour-focused work.
How much experience does she have?
She has 36 years of professional work experience as a social worker.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is listed as AASW and based in Australia.
Does she offer sessions in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not accepted.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not specify session formats; please confirm the current session options before booking.
How much do sessions cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I get started with her counselling?
Click the See online counselling options button, complete the short matching questionnaire and then schedule a first session.
Checking a registration
Professional bodies keep public registers. If Vivien 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