About Celia Dunsmore

Meet Celia Dunsmore

I am an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and feel deeply passionate about supporting people to create positive change in their lives. I provide a non-judgemental, safe space for all people to feel heard and understood.

I carefully attune to the person and help them achieve their goals for therapy. My goal is to help you develop a deeper understanding of yourself and your experiences, while providing practical strategies to address your concerns and enhance your wellbeing.

My Professional Journey

My career as a counsellor has been shaped by my work in the child protection and adoption and permanent care and community health sectors, supporting children and their families. I am passionate about connecting and working with young people, aged 16 and over, and adults. I am currently a tertiary level student counsellor and continue to work with young people at headspace, where I have provided counselling for over 10 years.

I honour that the development of a secure therapeutic alliance is integral to the counselling process to build trust and safety. My approach is ultimately person centred, facilitating personal insight, awareness and growth, working collaboratively to strengthen each person's innate capacity to achieve and experience their counselling goals.

My transition into private practice is driven by a desire to offer more personalised, long-term support. I believe that true healing happens when we feel safe enough to explore our deepest vulnerabilities. My commitment is to provide that container of safety, using evidence-based techniques tailored to your unique story and needs, fostering not just coping mechanisms, but lasting change and a more profound connection with yourself.

Specialised Training

• Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) — an evidence-based approach particularly effective for trauma recovery.
• Internal Family Systems (IFS) — understanding all parts of you to unburden and heal wounded parts, creating inner balance, self-regulation, and self-compassion.

Therapeutic Approaches

• Attachment Theory — the foundation of my practice, focusing on how early relationships influence current patterns of relating to others.
• Emotion Focused Therapy — accessing emotions to deepen awareness of your experience and emotional patterns.
• Compassion Focused CBT — combines cognitive techniques with developing self-compassion to address difficult thoughts and feelings.
• Dialectical Behavioural Therapy — teaches specific skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
• Acceptance & Commitment Therapy — helps you accept difficulties that cannot be changed, while committing to actions that address the ones you can.

Professional Credentials

As an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and Registered Medicare Provider, I meet the high standards required by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) and Medicare. This accreditation recognises my specialised training and expertise in providing mental health services, and enables eligible clients to access Medicare rebates for counselling sessions.

Academic Qualifications

• Master of Counselling — La Trobe University
• Bachelor of Social Work — RMIT University
• Bachelor of Arts — The University of Melbourne

Memberships

• Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) Member
• Accredited Mental Health Social Worker — Professional Accreditation