Hi, I am Jade, Wren Counselling is my personal private practice and allows me to simply be in the service of my clients, to be available when needed, and to match collaboratively the therapeutic approach with the needs of each of my clients. 

I believe that it is the strength of the therapeutic relationship that is at the heart of successful outcomes and is created by two people working together over time. Therefore, I am the only one at Wren Counselling who will have contact with my clients. 

I moved to Canberra and Queanbeyan from Sydney to recover from challenges I experienced in the years following my gender transition nearly 15 years ago. I hold a Master of Counselling from the University of Canberra and a Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Practice from the University of New England.

I was a counsellor at Westlund Counselling at Meridian (formerly the AIDS Action Council of the ACT) since January 2019 until August 2020 when I started Wren Counselling. Please see 'Counselling Approach' for an insight into the theories, modalities and influences in my counselling practice. The modalities that inform my practice are non-pathologising, and seen to fall with the sphere of positive psychology.   

I bring a wealth of lived experience to my counselling and like most of us it includes a mixture of experiences many of which are ordinary, some good and a few that are not good. These include dealing with my own gender incongruence and dyphoria combined with the mental health consequences.

My trans history and lived experiences of rejection inform my life these days, and if I can help others to actualise their true selves then I will feel I am making a useful contribution to the crazy world many of us live in.

Before my transition I was successful in business management and ownership across several industry segments; married first for 25 years and then again for a further 10 years; I have two adult sons and two granddaughters; I completed my medical transition in Thailand in 2010; and, subsequently experienced rejection by my family and others which has only been resolved a number of years ago.

I am a member of the Psychotherapist and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA), a former member of the PACFA LGBTQI+ Leadership Group, a member of the Australian Professional Association for Trans Health (AusPATH), a graduate member of the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH) and a registered therapist with Pink Therapies in the UK.

My spirituality is increasingly enhanced by my long time interest in teachings on Buddhist philosophy and logi. This has included two lengthy solitary meditation retreats recently at De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre on Kangaroo Island focused on the workings of the mind. Buddhist psychology focuses on how we relate to what life bring our world, and as such is a positive and non-pathologising psychological approach.

I have been a keen sailor and still own of a sail boat which is a story of attachment; photo/videography and music are my other passions.