- Guilt and shame focus
- Career and midlife work
- Trauma counselling experience
About Lourens
Lourens Human is an ACA counsellor with 29 years of clinical and academic experience. He lives in Australia and has worked with people facing stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, career issues, depression and coping with life changes. His background includes long-term work in higher education and clinical settings in two countries.
He trained and practised in South Africa, completing a PhD in Psychology and registering as a Counselling Psychologist there. At the University of Pretoria he taught undergraduates, coordinated a masters counselling programme, supervised clinical trainees and led research in career, counselling and sport psychology. He also maintained a part-time practice focusing on career and counselling matters.
After migrating to Australia in 2017, he joined the Australian Counselling Association as a Level 4 counsellor. In Australia he has provided therapeutic counselling at a retreat supporting people who experienced severe trauma and has worked with victims of crime, including people affected by homicide, sexual assault, domestic violence and child sexual abuse.
His approach is grounded in evidence-based therapeutic techniques. Sessions involve straightforward discussion of difficulties, developing practical coping strategies and attention to how work, relationships and life transitions affect mood and behaviour. He pays attention to guilt and shame when these are part of what people bring.
People often seek him out for help with career crossroads, midlife concerns and relationship breakdowns. He also works with ageing and geriatric issues, cancer-related stress, addiction concerns and isolation. He offers counselling in English and does not take international clients.
How evidence-based approaches are used online
Evidence-based therapeutic techniques focus on practical change and learning new ways to manage difficult feelings. Cognitive approaches look at unhelpful thinking patterns and teach clearer ways to reframe thoughts and respond to guilt, anxiety and low mood. These methods are useful when worry, rumination or self-blame are persistent and affecting daily life.Trauma-informed approaches pay attention to how past events affect current reactions and coping. That work can include grounding strategies, pacing difficult memories and building skills to reduce overwhelm. These approaches help people who have experienced abuse, violence or other traumatic events to regain more control over everyday reactions.
Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss options with the client and agree on techniques that match the persons needs, goals and preferences in a collaborative way rather than imposing a single method.
Practical benefits of online sessions include being able to fit counselling into a busy week and reducing travel time. Confirm the session formats before booking since the biography does not specify which formats are offered. Online work can allow for shorter check-ins, phone-only conversations when bandwidth is limited, or video sessions when a longer conversation is needed.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Experience
29+ years
Listed in
Australia
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does he help with?
He works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, career questions, depression and coping with life changes, among other concerns such as guilt and shame.
How does he approach guilt and shame?
He uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques and plain discussion to address how guilt and shame affect thinking and behaviour, and to develop practical coping steps.
What is his professional background?
He has 29 years of experience that include university teaching, research and clinical practice in South Africa and Australia.
What credential does he hold and where is he based?
He is an ACA counsellor based in Australia.
Does he offer sessions in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English and he is not accepting international clients.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not list specific session formats; please confirm current session options before booking.
How are sessions paid for and what do they cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin if I want to work with him?
Start by selecting 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.