- Self-compassion focus
- Practical short sessions
- Healthcare background
About Claire
Claire Downs is a PACFA counsellor working in Australia with five years of experience in counselling. She focuses on stress, anxiety, self-esteem, depression and coping with life changes, and lists compassion fatigue among her concerns. Claire draws on long experience in healthcare and her own lived experience of depression and anxiety.
Claire says she believes people know their own stories and carry strengths they can use. In sessions she helps people develop self-compassion as a way of managing difficult feelings. She uses plain language and short, practical conversations to help clients notice what is getting in the way and what could be different.
Her approach is down-to-earth and paced to the person in front of her. Claire talks clients through steps for dealing with worry, low mood and self-criticism. She also works with issues such as body image, caregiver stress, codependency and feeling empty.
People who have faced major life changes, illness in the family, separation or long-term caring roles may find the focus helpful. Claire also supports those dealing with commitment and communication problems, and people coping with addiction or multiple co-occurring concerns.
Sessions aim to build practical ways of reducing self-judgement and increasing steadier daily routines. Claire offers a steady, experience-informed way of looking at guilt, shame and the choices people carry, noting that small changes in how someone talks to themselves can have an ongoing effect.
Therapeutic approaches and online sessions
Claire draws on evidence-based therapeutic techniques and places particular emphasis on approaches that reduce self-criticism and improve everyday coping. One common approach she uses is developing self-compassion - simple exercises and conversational work that help people notice and soften harsh self-judgement, which can be useful for shame and ongoing low mood. Another approach focuses on practical behavioural steps - small, repeatable actions to steady routines, reduce anxiety and support mood regulation.Finding the right approach is collaborative. Claire will work with each person to try methods that suit their goals and preferences, and adjust the focus as therapy progresses. The client and counsellor decide together which techniques to try and how to pace sessions.
The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm current online options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life - for example shorter check-ins during a work break or video conversations that remove travel time. It can also let someone continue contact when life events make in-person visits difficult. Ask about the exact formats offered when you complete the matching questionnaire so you can choose what fits your routine.
Areas of expertise
Additional focus areas
Experience
5+ years
Listed in
Australia
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
Which concerns does she commonly address?
She works with stress, anxiety, self-esteem, depression and coping with life changes, and also lists compassion fatigue among her focus areas.
How would she approach feelings of guilt or shame?
Claire uses self-compassion and practical conversation to help people notice self-critical patterns and try different ways of responding.
What is her professional background?
She has five years of counselling experience and more than twenty five years working in healthcare before counselling.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is listed with PACFA and practices in Australia.
Does she see people in other languages or from other countries?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not accepting international clients at this time.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not specify session formats; please confirm current session options before booking.
How are fees and subscriptions handled?
Costs vary with location and sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.