My fee is $130 per session as of 02/06/2026

I take payment by card at our appointments using a Square reader. if preferred, you can also pay by direct debit prior to the session. For clients I only see via telehealth, I organise payment either via a Square payment or direct debit.

Cancellations more than 48 hours before an appointment incur no penalty. Cancellations within 48 hours will incur a cancellation fee of $130. Like most in my role, I rely on this work for my income, and I take a financial hit from late cancellations.

No worries. First, go to a speed checker like fast.com and click "Show more info" when it lets you. If you have a download and upload speed of at least 10 Mbps, we should have no troubles.

This is the golden question that no one can answer with 100% certainty. It really depends on your goals and what brought you to seek help. Sometimes people just need 3-4 sessions to work through a discrete problem they’ve been having. Many need 6-10 sessions, and others need a longer-term arrangement. Regardless, I will always check in with you regarding how you are feeling about our sessions and what kinds of adjustments we can make.

This is up to you, though I do have some suggestions. In my experience, fortnightly is a really good place to start. It’s frequent enough that you feel connected to the previous session, but spaced out enough that it offers processing time as well as some financial breathing room.

I’ve had great feedback from clients who have found weekly or monthly sessions helpful, too, so I’m willing to work with what seems right for you.

Absolutely. Confidentiality is a cornerstone of my practice. Rest assured I will not share the contents of our sessions with anyone except my trusted supervisor who is bound by confidentiality to not share that information with anyone.

There are a couple of exceptions to the confidentiality I can offer as required by Australian law and professional ethical guidelines. Even in these cases, I would make this a discussion first with you if possible. You can read about the limits of the confidentiality counsellors can offer in my privacy policy here.

I don’t see kids but I do see couples. Please get in contact at brad@sparkandshadow.com.au if looking for a relationship counselling.

I see adults of all ages for all kinds of problems including anxiety, depression, life transitions, grief, interpersonal challenges, post-divorce processing, emotional regulation difficulties, trauma, addiction and so on. My training was generalist, so while I have special interest in some presenting issues, I am not limited to any niche. If you are unsure whether I would be a good fit for you, feel free to get in contact and ask!

In truth, there isn’t one. While you’ll find various definitions online, there’s no standardised definition of any of these words in Australia. I use the word ‘counselling’ because it matches the name of my degree and the professional organisation to which I belong (Australian Counselling Association) but prefer the term ‘therapist’. In any case, the title is much less important than the person with the title, and regardless of what you are seeking psychological help for, I would be pleased to adapt to your needs. 

It’s very true that often there are people and circumstances in our life that really negatively affect us. In cases of violence and other extreme dangers, what is needed is to get out of there.

For less extreme cases, while we usually can’t choose our circumstances, we can always adjust our response to our circumstances, and that’s what counselling can help with. When people come to therapy, they usually feel trapped because they don’t feel like the author of their own story, and that others have control over their happiness. Part of the process is to find the ways in which you can take ownership over your own experience and be empowered to sit in the driver’s seat of your own life - even though it feels right now like others run the show. 

Not at all! While many Christians prefer to work with a counsellor who shares similar beliefs, I am delighted to work with people of all walks of life. My training was with the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors, a non-religious institution. 

Unfortunately, no. Counselling is not yet on any Medicare schemes in QLD.