Victoria Matthews Psychotherapy

Victoria Matthews Psychotherapy Supporting Individuals and Families with a unique therapeutic approach designed to support and empow Reaching out for help takes courage.

When you're in a dark place it can be hard to see the way out. Courage doesn't mean you don't get afraid. It means you don't let the fear stop you. "Courage, the original meaning of courage - it's from the Latin word Cor, meaning heart - originally meant to speak one's mind by telling all one's heart"- Brene Brown. Lionheart Counselling - because change takes courage.

28/04/2025

I am pleased to announce that once again I will be taking on another Masters supervisee this year, Amanda Baker, to complete her final placement in counselling and psychotherapy. Amanda has already completed a psychology degree and is completing further training in counselling and psychotherapy at the Master's level.

What does this mean for you? It means there will be sessions available with Amanda at low cost. I will be supervising Amanda through her placement, which means I will be working with her around her clients, but not directly participating in their sessions.

There will be availability for ten people to each have fifteen sessions with Amanda, beginning the week May 26th. Three spots are already taken, so if you're keen, don't hesitate!

If you are someone (or you know someone) who needs support but has found getting in to see a practitioner too difficult or too expensive, here's a wonderful opportunity to do so.

A little about Amanda:

Amanda has qualifications in the child, youth and family space and has a particular interest in working with teens and in family therapy. Amanda describes her approach as always working to create a safe and non-judgemental environment for her clients to share openly. She works collaboratively with clients to best support them on their journey.

If you are interested in seeing Amanda, please email me on vm@victoriamatthews.com.au or text with me on 0497 773 464 - text is best for this approach as the phone goes straight to voicemail when I am in session.

Send a message to learn more

A brilliant article, with a couple of standout quotes:“A great disservice is done when we falsely classify social proble...
21/12/2024

A brilliant article, with a couple of standout quotes:

“A great disservice is done when we falsely classify social problems as medical problems…” - Dr Mark Horowitz

“Talk therapy, group-based social supports and exercise are as successful as antidepressants for all but the most severe cases of depression,” Mundoon says, something she believes is not clearly communicated with patients enough at the time of prescribing.

Antidepressants can be helpful but they can’t fix chronic stress caused by social problems like debt, poverty, racism or domestic violence

21/05/2024

4 spots left with our Graduate Counsellor - please let me know if you are interested!

Send a message to learn more

14/05/2024

I am pleased to announce that I will be taking on another Masters supervisee this year, Amy Primrose, to complete her final placement in counselling and psychotherapy. Amy is already a qualified counsellor, but is completing further training at the Master's level.

What does this mean for you? It means there will be sessions available with Amy at low cost. I will be supervising Amy through her placement, which means I will be working with her around her clients, but not directly participating in sessions.

There will be availability for ten people to each have ten sessions with Amy, beginning the week May 27th.

If you are someone (or you know someone) who needs support but has found getting in to see a practitioner too difficult or too expensive, here's a wonderful opportunity to do so.

A little about Amy:

Amy is a qualified teacher who worked extensively in the wellbeing space in schools before deciding to pursue a career in counselling. Now a qualified counsellor, Amy has continued her studies and is completing further training with her Masters in Counselling and Psychotherapy. Amy has a particular interest in working with teens, couples, and in family therapy, and her approach is strongly attachment focused.

If you are interested in seeing Amy, please email me on vm@victoriamatthews.com.au or touch base with me on 0497 773 464 - text is best for this approach as the phone goes straight to voicemail when I am in session.

Send a message to learn more

If you are not sitting down and spending significant time with a practitioner who is really listening to you, misdiagnos...
17/11/2023

If you are not sitting down and spending significant time with a practitioner who is really listening to you, misdiagnosis can happen.

The online clinics that offer quick access to diagnosis can be a godsend for many people, but there are potential risks.

In the space of 12 months, Natalia derailed her career, ended her relationship, spent $120,000 in savings and lost access to her kids. It started with an ADHD diagnosis.

Dear Parents,You may not realise this, but there are a surprising amount of young male teens here on the Sunshine Coast ...
29/10/2023

Dear Parents,

You may not realise this, but there are a surprising amount of young male teens here on the Sunshine Coast who think Andrew Tate is some kind of guru that they need to follow. I have heard this often, and straight from the mouths of male teen clients.

Almost every school has a cohort of young males who are Tate followers. Your son may be watching these videos, and rather than discussing them with you, is instead discussing them with a group of other young male friends who share his views. You may not be getting a chance to counter or argue against these views, because you simply may not be aware that your son sees(and agrees with) these toxic videos.

This government intervention next year is incredibly important and will be invaluable in changing attitudes. But you know what could be even more helpful - and available even sooner?

Parental intervention.

I highly recommend gently opening the conversation with your son, coming to the conversation with gentle curiosity and without judgement, so that your son feels comfortable enough to really open up and explain his viewpoint to you.

Give yourself a chance to share your values and beliefs and by doing so, drown out by the noise from these insidious videos and their toxic views.

Experts in adolescent development are cautiously welcoming a little-known, multimillion-dollar Australian government effort to nip toxic masculinity in the bud.

08/07/2023

As some of my clients know, I have a keen interest in history and anthropology.

One of the most fascinating lenses to look at history with is that of psychotherapy - studying behaviours that we may possibly consider diagnoses for.

I think that’s particularly useful when we are looking at something like autism, which people have often attributed to vaccines. Finding historical examples helps disprove modern conspiracy theories.

The attached article examines an incidence of autism in the royal family. For another solid example, head all the way back to Joan of Arc; there are some great research articles about her also possibly being neurodivergent.

https://en.culturess.com/view/?id=prince-john-facts-cul&src=facebook&fbclid=IwAR3c3nmqIS9aLNdDu2p0FDdQgZ68KQlj6Y73kMQhnF5NJZP-kubMsOB_Gyk_aem_AUmJIuMf_7jVSj-Yg67fzq1HXGBymGzif38dOYD9koSYIyWP6EVqKwBypcyHNJsEJhNjfXb22MFHa0TPCsI3kCMs&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

09/02/2023

I am pleased and to announce that for several months across February to May, I will be taking on a Counselling Graduate for her placement hours. That means I will be supervising her as she works with clients.

Annie Gotterson has a Post Graduate Certificate in Education, and is already a qualified counsellor with a GradDip in Counselling. Annie is currently undertaking further studies for her Masters, and I will be supervising her through her final placement hours on her third degree.

She is a warm and engaging therapist with time spent working at an International Boarding School, and has a special interest in working with adolescents.

What does this mean for you?

In order to help Annie reach her required hours, we are going to be offering a set number of sessions at a reduced price.

What does this look like?

We have available a minimum of 5 sessions (maximum of ten) per client at only $40 per session. We are offering this to only ten people, so please jump in quick and let us know if you are interested.

We are particularly looking to help clients who need support but find it beyond their means at the moment. Adolescent clients are very welcome. Clients will be alone with the therapist but need to be aware that their sessions may be recorded and that select information will be shared with myself as part of the supervision process.

The best way to apply for this opportunity and/or to ask me any questions is to email me direct on vm@victoriamatthews.com.au

Useful reading for couples. This is a dynamic that’s relatively easy to shift through Relationship Counselling.
02/02/2023

Useful reading for couples. This is a dynamic that’s relatively easy to shift through Relationship Counselling.

Loneliness, surface-level conversation, and conflict avoidance.

Wonderful read, worth sharing with the men in your life. Did you know that in Australia, the average age for boys to sto...
12/10/2022

Wonderful read, worth sharing with the men in your life.

Did you know that in Australia, the average age for boys to stop crying (because it is perceived as weak) is nine years old?

Did you know that the average teenage Australian male can readily speak to around nine emotions confidently, where as most teenage girls can express upwards of thirty?

Did you know that often mothers cuddle their sons less than their daughters because they perceive their sons to be stronger?

Toxic masculinity isn’t just a buzzword, it’s something both s*xes bring into our culture in deep and subconscious ways, often without realising it.

Communication is key.!

Men can often have trouble expressing emotions. But vulnerability is critical for relationships.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jul/20/scientists-question-widespread-use-of-antidepressants-after-survey-on-se...
22/07/2022

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jul/20/scientists-question-widespread-use-of-antidepressants-after-survey-on-serotonin?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR2K740X9zb1EO6FM8N7yqzkkr1TRT-MTJ9RfocuFyKvbXZuE0czZD3BXsQ =1658316821

This new research is in line with previous research that I have shared on this page over the last five years. We know that there's no real proof that such a concept as a chemical imbalance exists. It's an unproven theory.

Despite this, it's a theory that many medical practitioners all over the world buy into. One that means in Australia, almost 10% of people are on some sort of psychotropic medication.

I've never been quite certain why people think life events such as trauma, an abusive childhood, bullying, bereavement or stressful life changes would either cause a chemical imbalance or be solved by chemicals. Perhaps because it's a convenient concept that sells a lot of medication? Perhaps because it's easier to prescribe a pill than suggest therapeutic work is the answer?

In case it isn't clear, the point of an antidepressant is to numb emotions so that people no longer feel so suicidal. The issue with this of course, is that you can't selectively numb emotions... so the medication also ends up numbing positive emotions. Where people are deeply suicidal, numbness can be helpful in the short term for certain individuals... but then the person also needs to learn to manage and regulate their emotions for when they come off medication 12 months later (I note here that no antidepressant is recommended for long-term use).

A few other issues that are common side effects:

- Weight gain
- Sexual dysfunction (lack of desire, inability to feel pleasure)
- Flattened mood
- Increased suicidal ideation for the first six weeks of use

I want to note here there's another issue few people ever address, and that's when you have young adults or adolescents who are prescribed antidepressants at the same time as they are beginning to explore s*xually. Many of these young people are not told that s*xual dysfunction is a common side-effect (possibly because their doctor doesn't think they're s*xually active and/or is reluctant to discuss s*x with that age group) so they end up thinking there is something wrong with them physically or s*xually.

The bottom line here is, if someone suggests antidepressants, consider therapy first. Antidepressants should be a last resort option, not the first line of defence. They may help some people but they are never wholly the answer and they should be supported with effective therapy and psycho-education.

Researchers question use of antidepressants, prescribed to one in six UK adults

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11 Sunshine Beach Rd, Noosa Junction
Sunshine Coast, QLD

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 2pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 2pm

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Our Story

Psychotherapy, a way of healing one’s life, from the Greek words Psukhe, meaning life or Spirit, and Therapeia meaning to heal.

“Psychotherapy is a holistic engagement that focuses on the mental, emotional, relational or spiritual health of a human being. It is useful when psychological, developmental, relationship and wellbeing issues arise in life.”

Psychotherapy supports a process of change. A person may come to understand patterns of discomfort, dissatisfaction or suffering in their life.