About matt
Counsellor | Professional & Pastoral Supervisor | Workshop Facilitator
My Story
I spent twenty years involved in pastoral ministry, and over a decade in design, print, and signage, the two running side by side for much of that time. Eventually the ministry work drew me fully in, and I spent five years leading a church in a paid pastoral role.
In that time I learned more about human beings than in any classroom. I also learned, the hard way, that some of my own drivers weren't what I thought they were. I was hustling to feel valuable. Working hard because I wasn't sure I was enough. I was also diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, and looking back I can see how the combination of neurodivergence, identity gaps, and a relentless drive to prove my worth made burnout almost inevitable.
After five years in the pastoral role, it caught up with me. Properly, painfully, the kind that doesn't get better with a long weekend.
Stepping out of that role changed everything. Slowly, with help, I began to get back in touch with who God had actually made me to be, rather than who I'd been trying to become. What surprised me was where the answers came from. Whether it was burnout, anxiety, an identity I'd never had space to question, or simply years of running on empty, the deepest growth came from the slow, honest work of counselling and therapy.
That discovery reshaped how I saw everyone around me. The leaders, the pastors, the people quietly struggling. Most of them were giving more than was sustainable, and almost none of them had anyone to walk alongside them in it.
That's when the shape of my current work started to become clear.
My Experience
I’m a counsellor, professional and pastoral supervisor, and workshop facilitator. My work centres on helping people in demanding situations recognise the track they’re on and build healthier, more sustainable rhythms of life, before the cost becomes too high.
My approach is integrative. As well as drawing on multiple clinical models, I attend to the whole person: mind, body, soul and relationships. I also bring over twenty years of pastoral ministry experience, from large urban church contexts through to small, rural and remote settings, alongside focused training in ADHD and autism.
I draw on clinical and supervision models including the Transforming Experience Framework, and a Christian faith that has shaped how I understand human flourishing. I don’t see clinical work and faith as competing. They sit together, quietly, in service of the person in front of me for those who would like to work that way.
GradDip (Counselling) · GradCert (Professional Supervision) · BA (Multimedia & Communications) · GradCert (Business Management) · Arrow Leadership (Emerging Leaders) · M.A.C.A. (Level 2) · Accredited Supervisor (AAOS) · APSE (UK) Member
What’s the experience of working with me?
I work with people from a variety of backgrounds with varied personal concerns. I also work with people who lead and care for others professionally: pastors, chaplains, educators, counsellors, and others in vocations that ask a lot of their people. I have focused training in ADHD and autism, and my work centres on burnout mitigation and recovery, shaped by my own experience in life, relationships and more than twenty years of walking alongside leaders in ministry. The intersections between neurodivergence and burnout are part of why this work matters to me personally, not just professionally.
I love working with people who are willing to be honest with themselves, to be vulnerable, and brave enough to look at the parts of their story they'd rather skip. The work isn't always comfortable, but it can be deeply fulfilling.
What I Believe
Most people, given a safe space and someone to walk alongside them, have more strength than they realise.
The rhythms of a well-lived life are not luxuries reserved for people whose circumstances are easier than yours.
Rest is not a reward for finishing the work. It’s the soil from which personal growth and effective work grow.
Where I work
I am based in regional South Australia. Working with clients and supervisees across Australia, primarily online, with in-person sessions available on the Eyre Peninsula.
Practical Details
Who I work with
People from a variety of backgrounds and values. I also work with leaders, pastors, educators, healthcare workers, and anyone ready to build healthier rhythms.
If any of this resonates, I’d love to hear from you.