Carlton North, Melbourne, Victoria - Simon Westcott, a professional psychotherapist and counsellor, is now offering counselling to clients from many different cultures for a broad range of mental health issues. He conducts therapy sessions at the tranquil rooms of Maple Tree Counselling, where he offers short-term and goal-oriented counselling and long-term, in-depth psychoanalytic psychotherapy. He aims to support clients who want to make a positive change in their lives. More about this can be found on https://www.mapletreecounselling.com.

Simon Wescott originally founded Maple Tree Counselling in Hong Kong in 2021. He and his partners take pride in having a diverse and multicultural team with international accreditation and qualifications. Having been born in the UK but an Australian by choice, he decided to return to Melbourne in January 2023 to replicate the boutique counselling and therapy practice he helped establish in Hong Kong. He is a member of the Australian Counselling Association (ACA), the Psychotherapy Society of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Society of Counselling and Psychology (HKSCP).

Simon Wescott is offering support to clients who wish to get away from difficult emotional states such as anxiety, anger, depression, and loneliness, or address destructive and repetitive behaviours, including substance abuse or sexual compulsion that are holding them back. They may also be feeling overwhelmed by significant transitions such as divorce, bereavement, or relocation, and feel that they are not valued or stuck in their professional journey. He can offer treatment for clients of all ages and from various walks of life, with a specific focus on working professionals, members of the LGBTQ community, and men's mental health.

He works across two core, complementary modalities, which are acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and psychoanalytically informed psychodynamic principles. ACT is used to help clients ground their current emotional realities in greater self-awareness and develop a motivating picture of the values towards which they are drawn. The psychoanalytically informed psychodynamic principles are employed to determine the 'root causes' of difficulties in the past.

ACT is a type of psychotherapy that teaches clients to accept what they are unable to control and instead concentrate on committed actions that will result in a more meaningful life. While having negative thoughts cannot be avoided, clients are taught to come up with a healthy space between themselves and negative experiences by applying targeted cognitive and behavioural strategies, such as mindfulness. Clients are able to acquire psychological flexibility that allows them to stay present even during challenging times and shift their behaviour toward achieving goals and realising personal values.

Psychodynamic psychotherapy involves the in-depth exploration of how experiences and emotions in the past influence present behaviours, relationships, and decision making. The client is motivated to recall events from their childhood and vital relationships to discover both conscious and unconscious thoughts and feelings.

As previously announced, Simon provides a free pre-screen call to ensure that clients’ needs are aligned with the methods used. He also has a wide network of colleagues to refer clients to, if they are more suited to providing the kind of support required. Simon is a clinical member of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA), a member of the Australian Centre for Psychoanalysis (ACP) in his final year of a four-year study programme, and level 3 member of the ACA.

Launched in 2021, Maple Tree Counselling began in Hong Kong, with the shared vision of a number of colleagues and friends who wanted to respond to the increasing number of people requiring mental health services. They are motivated by a true commitment to helping people. Maple Tree Counselling Australia is led by co-founder Simon Westcott, who returned to Melbourne after eight years overseas. Simon practices on Mondays in Central Victoria (The Hub, 233 Barker Street, Castlemaine, VIC 3451) and on Wednesdays and Thursdays in the heart of Melbourne, in Carlton North (622 Lygon St, Carlton North VIC 3054).

Clients may contact Maple Tree Counselling via the website at https://www.mapletreecounselling.com/melbourne/counsellors/ or through SMS/Phone (0431659979) or email (info@mapletreecounselling.com) to schedule a session.

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For more information about Maple Tree Counselling Australia, contact the company here:

Maple Tree Counselling Australia
Anjali Nihalchand
+61 431 659 979
info@mapletreecounselling.com
622 Lygon St, Carlton North VIC 3054, Australia