Sarah O'Sullivan, AASW
Compassionate, practical support for complex challenges
Details
| Name | Sarah O'Sullivan |
|---|---|
| Credentials | AASW |
| Based in | Australia |
| Registered with | AASW |
| Session format | Online |
| Languages | English |
| Years in practice | 6 |
About Sarah
Sarah O'Sullivan draws on six years of formal counselling work and a much longer history of lived experience to guide her practice. She is an AASW social worker and frames her sessions around what each person brings, rather than a one-size-fits-all plan. Sarah speaks plainly and aims to make appointments feel manageable for overwhelmed parents and carers.
Before counselling she worked as a lived experience worker within Queensland Health, so she knows how confusing health systems can feel.
Background and approach
That background shapes how she supports people to get practical help and navigate services. She also offers advocacy work when system navigation becomes part of the challenge. Sarah uses narrative, attachment-based and client-centred ideas in conversation.
She helps people tell the story of what happened to them and notice how that story shapes current choices and feelings. Sessions often include mindfulness skills and motivational interviewing to help with motivation and relapse planning for addictions. She has particular experience with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and addictions, and supports parents with parenting and parental capacity building.
Sarah also does report writing for court or NDIS, domestic violence-informed mapping using the Safe and Together model, and functional capacity assessments using the Allen's model of cognitive function. Sessions are intended to be straightforward and practical. Sarah aims to make goals concrete, teach skills that can be used between sessions, and help people plan next steps for recovery and everyday life.
Her approach is collaborative and paced to each person's needs.
What this therapist works with
Her listing names Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Trauma and abuse among the things Sarah works with, alongside the areas below.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Trauma and abuse
- Parenting issues
- Depression
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Impulsivity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Young adult issues
Approaches listed
- Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
- Attachment-Based Therapy: Listed by Sarah among the ways she works.
- Client-Centered Therapy: Listed by Sarah among the ways she works.
- Mindfulness Therapy: Listed by Sarah among the ways she works.
- Motivational Interviewing: Listed by Sarah among the ways she works.
- Psychodynamic Therapy: Listed by Sarah among the ways she works.
- Solution-Focused Therapy: Listed by Sarah among the ways she works.
- Trauma-Focused Therapy: Listed by Sarah among the ways she works.
- Systemic Therapy: Listed by Sarah among the ways she works.
- Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Sarah 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 Sarah directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.
Online session options
Working with narrative and attachment online
Sarah commonly uses Narrative Therapy to help people reframe the stories they tell about themselves. This approach helps when people feel stuck in a single narrative shaped by trauma, loss or addiction; it encourages new meanings and alternative paths.She also draws on Attachment-Based Therapy to look at how early relationships affect current behaviour and emotional safety. That can be useful for parents, people dealing with abandonment or attachment issues, and anyone noticing repeating patterns in relationships.
Client-Centred Therapy underpins the way she meets people in sessions, focusing on listening, respect and following the person's pace. This helps people feel heard and decide what changes matter most to them.
Finding the right approach is part of the work and Sarah treats it as a collaborative process. She will discuss options, try different techniques, and adjust the focus based on a person's goals and preferences rather than sticking to a single method.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation, phone calls suit lower bandwidth needs, live chat works for shorter check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between appointments. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy family schedules and to use approaches like narrative work and mindfulness from wherever is most convenient.
Common questions about this listing
What concerns does she help with?
She supports people facing stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and addictions. Parenting strain and parental capacity building are also areas she focuses on.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is collaborative and conversational, using narrative, attachment-based and client-centred ideas. She mixes mindfulness and motivational interviewing when useful for motivation and relapse planning.
What kind of experience does she have?
Sarah has six years of counselling experience and a longer background as a lived experience worker in Queensland Health. That combination informs both practical help and system navigation support.
What credentials and location does she hold?
She is an AASW social worker based in Australia and provides services within the Australian context.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
Therapy is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging to suit different schedules and needs.
How does cost and billing work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin therapy with her?
Choose the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
Contacting this therapist
Sessions with Sarah 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 Sarah where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.
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