About Paula
Paula Saby is an AHPRA-credentialed counsellor with 20 years' experience. She focuses on stress, anxiety, LGBT concerns, parenting challenges, self-esteem and coping with life changes. Her style is welcoming and straightforward, aimed at helping people speak honestly about what matters to them.
Paula aims to create a calm space where thoughts and feelings can be shared without judgement. She listens closely and helps people notice what matters most to them.
How Paula works
Sessions are practical and geared toward small, manageable steps that fit everyday life. Her work often addresses relationship patterns such as attachment issues, codependency and communication problems. Paula also supports people dealing with caregiver stress, divorce or separation and the emotional fallout of forgiveness, guilt or shame.
She helps those feeling isolated, stuck in midlife or uncertain about life purpose. Paula draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Motivational Interviewing and Solution-Focused Therapy to tailor sessions to each person's needs. These approaches are used to build values-based goals, strengthen motivation and generate concrete next steps.
She prioritises clarity and collaboration so clients leave with a plan they can try between sessions. People choosing Paula can expect a warm, non-judgemental presence and focused practical work. She encourages small experiments, honest reflection and steady progress toward goals.
Paula lists 3 ways of working on the entry:
What Paula works with
The areas below are the ones Paula selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Parenting issues
Also listed
- Attachment issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Divorce and separation
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Narcissism
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | AHPRA |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 20 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Australia |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How Paula uses ACT, Motivational Interviewing and Solution-Focused methods online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters most and take small actions that fit those values. It is useful for anxiety, stress and life transitions because it focuses on meaningful goals rather than perfect feelings. Motivational Interviewing is a conversational approach that strengthens a person's motivation to change by exploring their own reasons and ambivalence in a respectful way. It suits people who want help building momentum or dealing with motivation barriers. Solution-Focused Therapy concentrates on practical next steps and what already works, so sessions often end with simple experiments to try between meetings.Finding the best approach is a shared process. Paula will discuss these methods with each person and adapt them to fit individual goals, preferences and day-to-day realities. The plan can change as progress is made and new priorities emerge.
Online sessions offer practical benefits for busy lives. Video calls let people meet face to face without travel, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited, and live chat or text messaging allow for short check-ins or ongoing reflection between sessions. These formats make it easier to fit therapy around work, parenting or other commitments and to keep momentum across the week.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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