I was once this person who met a counsellor for the very first time and had no clue what I should do nor say.

For this reason, I meet you where you are at, whether you have seen therapists before or this is your first time talking to someone, whether you know what has helped you or not in the past or you feel that nothing will ever help you.

I really mean this: because of my story of going through hell and back but also of the many stories of the clients I have been seeing, I believe that none is broken beyond repair, regardless of what you have been thinking or feeling or what others have told you in the past.

While I don't use solely one type of therapy, I would describe my approach as:

  • I use compassion as a tool to help dig into what is causing you to struggle.

    A little bit of kindness goes a long way and I find that learning to develop compassion towards themselves and others often helps my clients to look at their issues from another perspective, and to integrate whatever is causing them pain to live a more fulfilling life.

  • I strongly believe that my clients have it in them to get over whatever brings them to my counselling space.

    I see my role as a kind of sounding board, helping my clients to see their struggles from another viewpoint, offering a place where they can deconstruct beliefs, stories, relationships, in order to empower them to live a life that is more aligned with their needs and wants.

  • This does not mean that I only work nor care about working with people who identify as women.

    Feminist therapy acknowledges that therapy should not solely focus on "mental health issues" but help to review how people’s context (social, cultural, environmental) has played a role in their presenting thoughts, feelings, behaviours and beliefs about the world and their place in the world.

Who am I?

My name is Coralie and I am a bubbly 30-something French-Australian human with an endless love for people.

I was born in rural France and once prepared for a life as a chemical engineer but had a first career in environmental management across the UK, Singapore and Melbourne. But at only 27, I burnt out at work and a car ran a red light and drove into me. I found myself having to review everything I thought I knew and found my way at the same time: helping others when they find themselves lost in their own lives.

I decided to call my business Wonderful Mess despite some people trying to discourage me from doing so, telling me that the word "mess" would scare people away. I wanted to be very real about what counselling is because, yes mental health can be messy, but looking inside our deepest self leads to uncovering wonders and walking towards authentic living.

Apart from my absolute passion for what I do, as evidenced by all the books I hoard and every podcast and video I listen to or watch, I love having a cup of tea and chatting with friends, or walking and exploring this beautiful land that is Australia.

My Qualifications

  • Diploma of Counselling - 2022

  • Volunteer Telephone Support Worker at WIRE (Women's Information and Resource Exchange) in Melbourne - 2023. 80-hour+ training to support women and gender-diverse people in Victoria who call in situations of distress.

  • MSc in Environmental Management and MEng in Chemical Engineering - 2012

Wonderful Mess ABN 24 774 553 264