Berni Palings

Berni Palings is a warm, non-judgemental counsellor who helps people manage anger alongside related concerns such as stress, anxiety and relationship struggles. She works with grief, self-esteem challenges, addiction issues and career or life-change questions. Berni speaks English and Dutch and has practised in Australia for 11 years as a PACFA counsellor.

Berni believes people carry many strengths that can help them move through hard times. In sessions she listens closely and asks practical questions to uncover what already works. She encourages small, achievable steps and helps clients notice progress as it happens.

Her approach is collaborative. She treats the client as the expert in their own life and aims to help them find their own answers. Conversations focus on clear goals, workable strategies and skills people can use outside sessions.

Berni often supports people dealing with trauma, loss and the fallout from workplace or relationship conflict. She also helps with issues such as isolation, discrimination, caregiving stress and recovery from sexual assault or domestic violence. Her work includes attention to addiction, HIV/AIDS concerns and multicultural experience.

If someone wants to begin, Berni invites them to take a first step and schedule a matching process. She offers straightforward guidance and practical tools designed to fit into busy lives. The emphasis is on steady change rather than quick fixes.

How evidence-based approaches work online

Briefly, cognitive-behavioural techniques focus on the link between thoughts, feelings and behaviour. Clients learn simple experiments and skills to reduce anger, anxiety and unhelpful thinking. Exposure-based methods help people gradually face painful memories or triggers, reducing their hold over time and supporting recovery from trauma.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Berni will collaborate with each person to decide which methods suit their goals and day-to-day life. She asks about what has helped before and adapts strategies as progress is made.

Confirm available session formats before booking, as the biography does not list them. Online counselling can make it easier to fit sessions into work breaks, manage appointments from different locations and avoid travel time. It also allows flexible check-ins and practical homework between sessions so people can apply new skills in everyday situations.