My Story
What Actually Helps People Change?
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I started asking that question while running soup kitchens and clothing banks in Victoria. Handing out lunches on street corners led to planting a church, which led to becoming a street pastor: building food share networks, running non-for-profit programs, and showing up for people who'd been pushed to the margins.
I learned things in that work that got ingrained in the soul. I watched people fight like hell to change and get stuck anyway. Watched others break through in moments that made no clinical sense. The gap between knowing what you need to do and actually being able to do it? That gap is where most of the real work lives.
Trauma doesn't only live in our heads. It lives in your body, your reactions, your entire nervous system. It lives in our soul, the parts of us that are mysterious. Deep calls out to deep, and sometimes the wounds speak louder than any intention to heal.
I realized I needed more than good intentions and a listening ear. So I went back to school. Divinity first, then counselling psychology: learning both the science of how we heal and the existential weight of why we suffer. I studied many forms of therapy, and learned how to become a healer and found approaches that work with people's lived experience.
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I still carry all of it: the street work, the theology, the clinical training. Turns out effective therapy isn't about having the right answers. It's about staying present when someone's trying to find their own.
Where I Started
Before I ever thought about therapy, I learned about pressure in infantry boots and on construction sites. The military taught me what it means to carry weight as part of something larger than yourself. Construction and running my own plumbing company taught me that fixing what's broken isn't just about pipes and frameworks. Years of smashing hammers and cranking wrenches showed me resilience and problem-solving in ways it seems no textbook could.
Those years taught me what it's like to clock in when you're already tired, to deal with problems that don't have clean solutions, and to keep showing up even when the work is hard on your body and mind. I know what it feels like when stress from the job bleeds into everything else, when you're trying to hold it together for your family while also managing a crew or meeting deadlines. That experience is why I get it when clients say they don't have time for therapy or feel like they should just be tougher; I've been there, and I know that asking for help isn't a weakness, it's just being smart about taking care of what matters.
What Grounds Me
My wife and I got married in 2019, and she's been one of my best teachers about showing up consistently, about what partnership actually requires when life gets complicated. Our daughter is adding a whole new dimension to that education.
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Outside the office, I'm on the trails running when I need to move, backpacking when I need perspective, fumbling through guitar chords when I need to create something. I played football and rugby for years, and I still miss the clarity of a shared objective and the trust required to get a play to come together. But I've also learned that some of the most important work happens solo on a trail with no one else around, or in those early morning hours before the house wakes up.
My Background
I hold master's degrees in both counselling psychology and divinity, plus eight years as a street pastor and a decade in the trades and military.
An Invitation
Finding a therapist who truly “gets” you is a big step. I’m here to offer a warm, judgment-free space where you can feel heard, seen, and supported.
We’ll work together at your pace, and I’ll be in your corner every step of the way. Whenever you’re ready, let’s start the conversation.
Free 15 min Intro Call