Denise Gallo, AASW
Compassionate counsellor with narrative focus
Details
| Name | Denise Gallo |
|---|---|
| Credentials | AASW |
| Based in | Australia |
| Registered with | AASW |
| Session format | Online |
| Languages | English, Spanish, French, Italian |
| Years in practice | 34 |
About Denise
Denise Gallo is an AASW counsellor with 34 years of professional experience in Australia. She draws on a long career in statutory child protection and community work to help people facing stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, and life transitions. She speaks English, Italian, French and Spanish and brings a compassionate, respectful manner to sessions.
Denise keeps conversations direct and grounded. She tailors dialogue and any plan to each person's needs.
Background and approach
Sessions focus on practical steps people can try between meetings as well as the issues that come up in the room. She aims to make the first steps feel manageable for someone who is nervous about starting therapy. Her background includes more than three decades working with vulnerable people and complex family situations.
That experience informs how she notices patterns, attachment concerns and the long-term impact of abuse or neglect. Denise uses that knowledge to help people untangle difficult histories and build clearer ways forward. Denise combines narrative ideas with acceptance and mindfulness tools.
Conversations often look at the stories people tell about themselves and whether those stories still fit. Practical mindfulness exercises and values-focused actions are used to support change and reduce overwhelm. People who choose Denise tend to be seeking steady, culturally aware support from a clinician who values dignity and practical outcomes.
She welcomes those who prefer a calm, conversational style and an emphasis on real-life problem solving.
What this therapist works with
Her listing names Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Self esteem among the things Denise works with, alongside the areas below.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Self esteem
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Immigration issues
- Intellectual disability
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Multicultural concerns
- Personality disorders
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Visually impaired
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Approaches listed
- Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Listed by Denise among the ways she works.
- Attachment-Based Therapy: Listed by Denise among the ways she works.
- Client-Centered Therapy: Listed by Denise among the ways she works.
- Mindfulness Therapy: Listed by Denise among the ways she works.
- Solution-Focused Therapy: Listed by Denise among the ways she works.
- Somatic Therapy: Listed by Denise among the ways she works.
- Trauma-Focused Therapy: Listed by Denise among the ways she works.
- Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Denise directly how much of the work is narrative and what a session usually looks like.
Narrative Therapy in this listing
Narrative Therapy appears in this therapist's own list of approaches. That tells you it is part of how she works. It does not tell you how much of a session it shapes, and this directory does not check or rate training.
If a narrative approach is what you are looking for, it is worth asking Denise directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.
Online session options
How narrative and acceptance approaches work online
Denise often draws on Narrative Therapy to help people notice the stories they live by and consider alternatives. This approach helps when old patterns or labels feel limiting and when people want to reframe how they understand past events.She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) which focuses on clarifying values and taking small, value-aligned steps. ACT can be useful for anxiety, stress and life changes by teaching practical ways to act despite difficult feelings.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Denise will discuss options and try different methods together to see what fits a person's needs, goals and preferences. That collaborative process helps shape a plan that feels doable and relevant.
Online therapy with Denise is available by video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging. Video is helpful for more in-depth conversations, phone can be simpler when bandwidth is limited, and text-based options suit short check-ins or people who prefer writing. These formats let people fit sessions around work, caregiving or travel and make consistent practice more achievable.
Common questions about this listing
What issues does Denise commonly help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, self-esteem, coping with life changes and compassion fatigue, plus related family and attachment concerns.
What is her therapeutic style like?
The approach is conversational and practical, using narrative work and mindfulness to examine personal stories and try small experiments between sessions.
How long has she been practising?
Denise has 34 years of professional experience, including substantial work in statutory child protection.
What credentials and location apply?
She is credentialed with the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) and provides services from Australia.
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English, Spanish, French and Italian.
Which session formats are available?
Denise offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging for online therapy.
How are costs and billing handled?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin with Denise?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
Contacting this therapist
Sessions with Denise are arranged through our partner platform. It asks a few questions about what you are looking for, then shows you the therapists available to you, including Denise where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.
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