- Stress and anxiety
- Guilt and shame
- Self esteem work
About Gretchen
Gretchen Ashman is an AASW social worker with seven years of professional experience in Australia. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, family conflict, trauma and abuse, low self esteem and depression. She also focuses on guilt and shame, loneliness, life purpose, and social anxiety.
Gretchen aims to create a straightforward space where people can talk about difficult thoughts and feelings. She uses clear, practical conversation to help people untangle what keeps them stuck. Sessions tend to focus on small, steady steps rather than big sudden changes.
Her approach is conversational and goal-oriented. She helps people identify patterns that feed guilt and shame and looks at where those patterns started. Together they explore how memories, expectations and day-to-day behaviour interact.
Gretchen supports people to practise new ways of responding to themselves and others. She offers tools to manage anxiety and mood, and ways to rebuild confidence after trauma or difficult relationships. She also helps people clarify values and purpose when life feels directionless.
Her work is practical and measured. Conversations include checking what helped in the past and testing small changes between sessions. The focus is on understandable steps that can fit into everyday life.
How therapeutic approaches guide online sessions
Many practitioners who work with guilt, shame and anxiety use evidence-based techniques that focus on thoughts, behaviour and emotional processing. Cognitive approaches help people notice and test unhelpful beliefs about themselves and others; they are useful for social anxiety, guilt and low self esteem. Behavioural techniques focus on small experiments and gradual exposure to avoidant situations, which can reduce fear and isolation over time.Emotional processing approaches encourage naming and sitting with difficult feelings safely, then linking those feelings to events or relationships that formed them. This can help when trauma or family dynamics keep shame alive. Finding the right combination of these methods is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with the client to see which techniques match their needs, goals and preferences, and will adjust as those needs change.
Session formats offered by this therapist are not specified in the biography, so please confirm current online session options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions around work, travel, parenting or study commitments because it removes travel time. Some formats are better for short check-ins, others suit longer conversations or gradual exposure tasks, and the therapist can explain which approach fits each practical goal.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Experience
7+ years
Listed in
Australia
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, family conflict, trauma and abuse, low self esteem and depression. Additional focus areas include guilt and shame, isolation and life purpose.
How would she approach shame or guilt?
She looks at the thoughts and patterns that keep shame or guilt alive and works on small practical steps to respond differently. The work often includes reflecting on past experiences that contributed to these feelings.
What is her experience background?
She has seven years of professional experience working with adults on mood, anxiety, trauma and relationship issues.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is an AASW social worker and practises in Australia.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people from other countries work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are sessions scheduled and what about cost?
Cost varies 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.