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Meet Dan Gaffney

Supporting individuals and couples in growth

I approach counseling from a holistic perspective (body, mind, feelings, spirit) that can free you from distress and chronic conditions that create suffering. 

 

I use evidence-based therapies to bring awareness and healing to individuals and couples seeking more peace and joy in life.

Respect, safety, honesty

I’m committed to creating a genuine therapeutic relationship with you built on respect, safety, and honesty. Everything we do is collaborative and tailored to what works best for you. I’m a creative and intuitive therapist who will challenge and support you in your learning and practical growth.

 
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My values

  • Safety and security

    Feeling safe and secure is a cornerstone of therapy. My commitment is to co-create a safe place with you – physically, mentally and emotionally. A place where you can be yourself and speak your mind.

  • Dignity

    All humans have inherent dignity. I believe you are worthy because you exist. You have merit because of who you are, not because of what you do.

  • Focus on strengths

    I focus on building on strengths and resources rather than focusing on problems or deficits.  I believe the path to healing lies in supporting resilience, self-empowerment, and a positive worldview.

Individual and couples counselling and psychotherapy

Psychotherapy and counselling can benefit anyone experiencing stress, life transition, or emotional challenges, including the desire for personal growth and relationship improvement.

 

I’m here to help:

Counselling for shorter-term help focused on specific, immediate issues.

Psychotherapy for longer-term help focused on longstanding thought and behaviour patterns.

Individual counselling for anxiety, grief, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias, post-traumatic stress, self-esteem and stress management.

Couples counselling for acceptance, communication, conflict, infidelity, intimacy, parenting, sex and trust issues.

My approach: cognitive, mindfulness and somatic-based therapies

I use cognitive, mindfulness and somatic-based methods to uncover patterns of being and relating that keep you stuck. By working with mind and body together, I offer a holistic therapeutic experience that can free you from underlying distress and chronic patterns that create suffering.

 

Combining cognitive, mindfulness and somatic approaches is useful in psychotherapy because it offers a holistic pathway to wellness by addressing both mental patterns and physical responses to stress, trauma, and emotions.

This integrated approach fosters transformation at a deeper level, providing practical tools for changing thought patterns (cognitive), accepting thoughts and emotions without judgment (mindfulness), and releasing physical tension and trauma (somatic), leading to more profound and lasting emotional and physical well-being.  

 

Somatic therapy focuses on the body’s sensations as a pathway to healing emotional and psychological trauma. Through practices like body awareness, breathwork, and movement, somatic therapy can help you become more in tune with the sensations and emotions that arise in your body. The idea behind somatics is that trauma is stored in the body, and by releasing these trapped emotions, individuals can experience deep healing.

Human-centred

Holistic care

Collaborative

Cognitive-behavioural therapies

Somatic therapies

Human-centred Holistic care Collaborative Cognitive-behavioural therapies Somatic therapies

 

Dan Gaffney – clinical and lived experience

I live in Australia in the beautiful Blue Mountains, an hour west of Sydney. I bring a blend of professional and lived experience to therapy. My life has had several chapters: clinical psychology and teaching in my 20s, public health and journalism in my 30s, media and government relations in mid-life and a return to psychotherapy in my 60s.

My qualifications and professional certifications include:

  • BA (psychology), University of Sydney

  • MA (psychology), University of Sydney

  • Graduate Diploma in Counselling, Torrens University

  • Member, Australian Counselling Association

  • Trauma-informed somatic-oriented practitioner, Trauma and Somatics

  • Master of Public Health (MPH), University of Sydney

  • Graduate Diploma in Adult Education, Sydney Institute of Education (SCAE)

  • Graduate Certificate in Communication, Charles Sturt University

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Ready to learn and grow?

I’m committed to serving clients at the highest level. This means I will create a safe place with you where you can learn emotional, physical and mental skills that will bring you more vitality and happiness.

 

I focus on building on strengths and resources rather than focusing on problems or deficits.  I believe the path to healing lies in supporting resilience and village-mindedness.

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