Counselling in Oak PArk

If you’re looking for counselling in Oak Park, The Grounding Space offers in-person sessions from a private consulting room within a local allied health clinic. This provides a calm, discreet, and professional environment for therapy — supporting clients with anxiety, burnout, ADHD, relationships, emotional overwhelm, and life transitions.

A Different Kind of Counselling Space

Counselling is not just about techniques — it’s about the quality of the space you’re held in. At The Grounding Space, the work is grounded in a person-centred, trauma-informed, and neuroaffirming approach, where therapy is collaborative, respectful, and responsive to you.

Rather than pushing a rigid framework, sessions are shaped around:

  • your pace

  • your needs

  • your capacity

  • your lived experience

This allows for deeper, more meaningful therapeutic work — not just surface-level coping strategies.

What I Help With

Clients seek counselling for many different reasons. Common areas of support include

  • Anxiety and chronic stress

  • Burnout and emotional exhaustion

  • ADHD and emotional regulation

  • Trauma and nervous system overwhelm

  • Depression and low mood

  • Relationship challenges

  • Grief and loss

  • Workplace stress

  • Life transitions and identity shifts

  • Self-esteem and inner criticism

You don’t need to be in crisis to benefit from counselling — many people come simply because something doesn’t feel sustainable anymore.

Hello, I’m Nicole

Nicole Loo, registered counsellor in Moonee Ponds

Nicole Loo
ACA Registered Counsellor
Master of Counselling

I offer a calm, supportive space where you can slow down, talk things through, and feel heard without pressure or judgement.
In my counselling room, no topic is off limits!

I take an integrative person-centred approach predominantly utilising CBT, EFT, and ACT. As every individual is unique, I tailor my approach according to what is suited to each client.

In our sessions, we can talk through what you’re experiencing, make sense of patterns, and build practical ways to cope with emotions, stress, and day-to-day challenges. Over time, this can help you feel more grounded, more in control, and more able to engage in your life and relationships.

I have a calm and approachable style, and I aim to create a space where you feel safe to be yourself. I value honesty, respect, and working together in a way that supports your individual needs, goals, and experiences.

Whether you’re looking for support with something specific or just need a space to talk and reconnect with yourself, you’re welcome here. Together, we can explore what’s going on for you and find ways forward that feel manageable and meaningful.

Trauma-Informed & Neuroaffirming Support

Many emotional struggles are not random — they are shaped by nervous system patterns, past experiences, and how we have learned to adapt.

A trauma-informed approach recognises:

  • the impact of stress and overwhelm on the body

  • patterns of shutdown, avoidance, or reactivity

  • the need for safety before change

A neuroaffirming approach recognises that:

  • ADHD and neurodivergence are not deficits

  • emotional intensity and sensitivity have context

  • support should work with your brain, not against it

This shifts therapy away from “fixing” and toward understanding, regulation, and integration.

Our sessions can be booked for:

  • Short session (30 mins)

  • Standard session (60 mins)

  • Extended session (90 mins)

Telehealth Sessions are offered Australia-wide

  • After hours available

  • Limited weekend availability

In-Person Counselling in Oak Park

Sessions are offered in a private consulting room within an allied health setting in Oak Park.

Make a Booking

In-person sessions are available on Tuesdays in Oak Park.

Location will be shared upon confirmation of booking
Shopping strip along Snell Grove, Oak Park, VIC 3046
Tel: 0482 378 161

Conveniently located near Oak Park railway station and accessible from Pascoe Vale, Glenroy, Hadfield, and surrounding north-west suburbs.

If Oak Park doesn’t suit, sessions are also available at the Moonee Ponds location.

This provides flexibility depending on your schedule, travel, and preferences.

 

What to Expect

Starting counselling can feel uncertain — especially if you’ve never done it before.

Sessions typically involve:

  • talking through what’s been happening for you

  • exploring patterns and emotional responses

  • making sense of your internal experience

  • gently working toward change where needed

There is no pressure to “perform” or have things figured out.

The focus is on creating a space where you can think, feel, and process more clearly.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • People come to counselling for many reasons—stress, anxiety, grief, trauma, relationship difficulties, life transitions, or simply a sense of feeling stuck or overwhelmed. You don’t need to be in crisis to benefit. Counselling offers a supportive space to explore your thoughts, feelings, and goals.

  • Each session is a confidential, one-on-one conversation focused on your needs. It may involve talking, reflecting, exploring patterns, developing strategies, or just having space to be heard. Some sessions may feel deep and emotional; others may feel practical and empowering.

  • Counselling can help you:

    • Make sense of difficult experiences

    • Build emotional resilience

    • Process trauma and grief

    • Improve relationships

    • Manage anxiety or depression

    • Reconnect with your values, strengths, and goals

    It’s not about giving advice—it’s about supporting you to understand yourself better and make meaningful changes.

  • Yes! Qualified counsellors do use evidence-based methods in their work.

    In practice, this means that the approaches used are informed by established psychological research, clinical theory, and what has been shown to be effective in supporting people through challenges like anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship difficulties.

    Many counsellors draw from well-recognised, research-supported approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), among others. These frameworks provide practical tools and strategies that can help clients better understand their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours, and develop more helpful ways of responding.

    At the same time, counselling is not a one-size-fits-all process. Evidence-based practice isn’t just about using proven techniques—it also involves tailoring the approach to the individual. Your experiences, values, and goals are central to the work, and sessions are adapted to suit what feels most relevant and supportive for you.

    In a person-centred counselling space, the relationship itself is also a key part of the evidence base. Research consistently shows that feeling heard, understood, and safe within the therapeutic relationship is one of the most important factors in meaningful change.

    If you’re ever unsure about the approach being used, you’re always welcome to ask—good counselling is collaborative, transparent, and grounded in both evidence and your lived experience.

  • Counsellors who are members of either the Australian Counseling Association (ACA) or PACFA are governed by a code of ethics.

    They are required to be qualified with an accredited AQF course in order to become a member. They are also required to have a valid National Police Check (NPC) in order to become a member and to maintain their membership (renewed annually).

    In addition, we are also required to have Professional Indemnity and Public Liability Insurance, as well as First Aid & CPR Certification if we are in private practice.

    You can always check for registration but searching for them on the Australian Register of Counsellors & Psychotherapists or on the ACA Find a Registered Counsellor Directory.

  • I carry out ADHD screening and assessments which encompasses a part of the groundwork that contributes to getting a diagnosis by a psychiatrist.

    While I do not diagnose, I will be able to provide the report to a consulting psychiatrist at the Moonee Ponds clinic to then carry out the diagnosis*.

    If you are seeking support and (non-pharmacological) strategies to manage your ADHD, we can work on this together in counselling.

    *Please note that you will require a GP referral for us to book the appointment with the psychiatrist.

  • Our counsellor holds a Master of Counselling and is accredited with the Australian Counselling Association (ACA). She holds professional training in integrative counselling methods, creative therapies, and trauma-informed care.

  • Yes. As a registered counsellor I am qualified to provide counselling under NDIS.

    I accept both self-managed and plan managed participants.

  • If you have the appropriate cover, we are registered as a provider with Bupa and Grand United

  • Our services are not covered under Medicare at this time and thus cannot be used in conjunction with the Mental Health Care Plan.

    However, we provide concession rates and you are not limited to 10 sessions for these.

Book a Counselling Session

If you’re looking for counselling in Oak Park, you’re welcome to get in touch or book a session.

Taking that first step can feel significant — but it often marks the beginning of something shifting. If you are still unsure, book a free introductory call and we can work out if this is a good fit for you.

Book Now