Maria Wallgren, ACA

Maria Wallgren brings seven years of counselling experience to her work in Australia. She begins by building a respectful, non-judgemental space where people can talk about stress, anxiety, relationships and midlife transitions. Maria is an ACA counsellor who focuses on practical ways to move forward while listening to each person’s story.

She uses a person-centred foundation and combines several approaches to suit the person in front of her. Sessions tend to focus on clear goals, small workable changes and learning new ways to handle difficult thoughts and feelings. Maria also pays attention to cultural background and how that shapes a person’s choices.

Her experience comes from roles across corporate, higher education, psychiatric and not-for-profit settings in Australia and Europe. That work exposed her to a range of life challenges including workplace issues, panic attacks, guilt and shame, and loneliness. Maria aims to make therapy practical and relatable rather than overly clinical.

In the room she listens for what matters most to each individual and helps people test out new responses. She draws on cognitive behavioural strategies, narrative ideas and mindfulness tools when they fit a person’s needs. The emphasis is on collaboration, small steps and clearer communication.

People who come for help with self-esteem, life purpose or coping with big changes often find sessions focus on rebuilding confidence and finding direction. Maria encourages people to tell their story and to shape the next chapter with realistic, achievable actions.

Approaches that translate well to online work

Maria commonly uses client-centred work which focuses on listening, empathy and supporting people to find their own solutions. This approach helps when someone needs a space to make sense of life events or to rebuild confidence.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which breaks problems into thoughts, feelings and behaviours and teaches practical skills to change unhelpful patterns. CBT is useful for anxiety, panic and low mood because it gives clear techniques to practise between sessions.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic journey. Maria will work with each person to choose which methods suit their goals and preferences. That means trying different tools, checking what helps, and adjusting the plan together.

Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into daily life, reduce travel time and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. It also supports using homework exercises, guided mindfulness and practical CBT tasks between sessions, helping people apply changes in real situations.