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Jodie Myintoo Counsellor

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Australia
Melbourne, VIC
Jodie Myintoo Counsellor

Counselling
Blended Families
Step-parents
Single Parents recently separated
Trauma
Grief My name is Jodie Myintoo and I am a government accredited counsellor.

I am also Author of my book " The Broken Can Become Warriors"

I am also co-author 1 of 9 authors
"JOURNAL TO WELLNESS "

Tune in 97.7FM Casey Radio Monday Mornings I connect with Bill and Fid Breakfast Show. I offer counselling in:
Family Law
Separation
Anxiety/ Depression
Trauma
Grief/Loss
Anger Management
Relationships

My approaches I will use in session is mainly solution focus and person-centred therapy, I honour that the client is the expert in their own life and I support them to discover this through counselling. I offer a safe and supportive space, where you can talk about your difficulties or challenges you are currently experiencing, I want to help you find positive ways to manage the current situation

25/11/2025

Why did this happen to me again?

Some survivors ask this painful question over and over.

I hear all sorts of fables people read or are told:

Some are told it is karmic.
Some will state you asked for it before you were born.
Some will believe it is payback from a past life.

My professional answer as a therapist who is trauma informed is NO!

Trauma is not karma.

Harm is not a spiritual contract.
Abuse is not something you attract.
Pain is not a lesson you deserved.
And nothing a child suffers is ever because of a past life.

So why do destructive patterns appear again, even after you work so hard to heal.
Here is the truth that no one says out loud.
You didn’t attract it.
You recognised it.

Every survivor can have 2 mirrors.
The 1st mirror is the person who hurt you when you were young or powerless.
The 2nd mirror is someone who shows similar behaviour when you have grown and choice becomes your SUPERPOWER.
The 2nd mirror is not a repeat of the 1st.

It is the moment your healing becomes visible.
You respond with strength you didn’t have back then.
You finally see the pattern for what it is.
The 1st mirror shaped your survival.
The 2nd mirror revealed your instinct.
The 1st mirror took your voice.
The 2nd mirror showed your choices.
The 1st mirror taught your mind/ body the shape of danger.
The 2nd mirror showed your values/ boundaries in motion.

You didn’t fail.
You evolved.
You didn’t invite chaos.
You recognised it sooner.
You acted from wisdom instead of fear.
You protected yourself in ways your powerless self never could.
This is not shame.
This is growth.
You didn’t repeat the past.
You met it with a new version of yourself.
You are not responsible for someone else’s harmful behaviour.
This is not cosmic punishment.
This is life.

Life includes people whose behaviour has nothing to do with your worth or your soul.

What matters is how you recognised the pattern, how you protected yourself, and how your resilience rose in ways you never expected.

You didn’t attract the pain.
You survived it. YOU! Are an amazingly courageous human!

I see you!

08/11/2025

I once believed I knew it all in my younger years, where ego was the hand guiding.

Many can relate to that certainty, the kind that comes from not yet understanding how much there is to learn.

Life has a way of humbling us and reminding us that we are here to grow, not to be perfect.

Perfectionism is the first mistake.

It convinces us that worth is something to earn by pleasing, performing, or never slipping up.

But our worth is never defined by the way others treat us.

There are always people who value us deeply.
Yet our brains scan for the threat, the one or two voices that hurt, instead of the many who see us clearly.

This is survival wiring, not truth.
Your worth does not shrink because someone else can not recognise it.

Your strength grows every time you show up as yourself.

There are moments when boundaries are held with courage.

There are moments when they blur because keeping the peace feels easier than standing firm.

Many understand this tension. It comes from wanting to offer others the best chance to grow.

A big heart can land us in uncomfortable places. It is what brings connection, compassion, and insight.

And then there are days when something nudges you to turn inward.

To ask the same questions, you might ask others.
What stretches you.
What reminds you to be true to yourself.
What pulls you back to your values when fear whispers that you are not enough.

This honesty is not an act of self-criticism.
It is a return.

A return to the parts so many hide.

The great, the flawed, the fierce, the tender.
The parts that make us whole.
Perfectionism is a myth.
Mistakes are part of being human.
Growth is intentional.
We can not silence our truth simply to make the world comfortable.

There comes a moment to reclaim your volume.
To stand in your values.

To honour the self, you have quieted for too long.
Not with harshness, but with clarity.
Not with armour, but with presence.
Because the only time we lose ourselves is when we stop standing in our truth.
And today, the invitation is simple.
Stand in it fully.
Stand in it authentically.
Stand in it without apology.

28/08/2025

That STORM

Reacting to oncoming storms or triggers can feel overwhelming.

Trauma plays a huge role in how we respond.

That fight, flight, freeze, or fawning responses are an alarm, your nervous system’s way of trying to protect you.

But if your nervous system only knows reactive ways of coping, shaped by past experiences, being proactive can feel out of reach.

That’s why understanding the why behind our triggers is immensely powerful.

It allows us to build strategies that support your mind, heart, and soul.

Once we truly understand how our nervous system operates each day, we’re no longer will feel we are walking blindfolded.

We start to see we do have choices.

Those choices are ours to make, and they become clearer as we learn how our nervous system works.

Those aha moments…

They remove the blindfold from our eyes.

They create light at the end of the tunnel.

They bring clarity and direction.

And they give us the strength to steady ourselves when a storm is coming.

We weren’t brought into this world just to survive.

We’re here to live as the best version of ourselves and thrive.

***de

16/08/2025

I see you....

We do not talk enough about the healing power of simply being with someone in their darkness.

Not to fix, not to distract, but to offer quiet presence.

For the person living with a hidden illness, that presence can be a lifeline, a moment to feel seen not dismissed.

Invisible illnesses often take more than health.

They can take the freedom to do the everyday things many people take for granted.

What was once simple living can become exhausting living, opportunities to do things without pain..

If someone you care about is walking this path, know that

💛your patience,
💛your gentleness
💛your willingness

to sit beside them in the shadows can bring more comfort and hope than you realise.

You are not dismissing them, you are actions are showing them:

They are not a burden.
They are not invisible.
They absolutely matter

The ability to sit in another storm is true essence of being human.

We can't have the rainbows we out the grey skies and sunshine both are part of life.

Are you able to sit with shadows?

22/07/2025

What’s behind the mask?

It’s legal, right?

When the target is in their late teens, the groomer, generally a very much grown adult, justifies their actions by saying it is legal.

They work to build trust with families, friends, colleagues, and society to create delusion.

The defence is always the same:
"But it’s legal."

When challenged, they continue to hide behind the "But it's legal" mask.

When questioned, they want to be seen as the victim.
They want sympathy.
They want support.
But mostly, what they truly want is silence.

This is not about love.
It is about control.
It is about manipulation.
It is about avoiding accountability.

Those behind the mask choose their words carefully:

"It is legal. You’re making a big deal out of nothing."

"You don’t know them. They were so mature for their age."

"They pursued me. I’m the victim here."

These are not explanations.
They are tactics to control the narrative.

A scholarly article,
Sexual Grooming: Integrating Research, Practice, Prevention and Policy
by Winters and Jeglic (2022), states:

"An adult seeking to commit a child sexual offence may spend time and effort grooming the family and community, manipulating the surrounding environment."

These behaviours hide behind charm, likability, and legal loopholes.

The mask remains.

It is normalised because the law says it is legal.

But how comfortable would any of us truly feel
if it were our own child being targeted
by someone hiding behind this mask?

Would we still say it is acceptable
simply because the law allows it?

What about morals?
What about values, integrity, and a clear understanding
that a teenager’s brain is still very much developing?

Legal does not mean right.

The picture is much bigger than the word legal.

12/07/2025

We are shaped by what we are raised in right??

Yes our environments plant powerful core beliefs within us. They shape how we see the world, what we believe about ourselves, and how we learn to respond to life.

But as adults, we get to ask

Are these beliefs still serving me?

Are they enriching my life, or have they clouded it with fear, mistrust, and shame?

For years, I would have said the world was unsafe.

That it was frightening, unkind, and that I didn’t belong in it.

I carried the belief that I wasn’t enough not strong enough, not worthy enough, not loveable enough.

It took years of healing to unravel those inherited wounds.

To see that they weren’t mine to carry.

To understand, I had value.

To finally stand in the truth that I am enough and always was.

One of the greatest honours of my life beyond giving birth to my beautiful sons has been becoming a mother to my daughter.

Not by biology, but by heart.

Seven years ago today, I adopted her.

Seven years ago, I chose her.

In every way that matters, I became her natural mother a title I carry with pride, humility, and deep reverence.
Motherhood isn’t just about birth.

It’s about who shows up.

Who stays.
Who sees.
Who loves without condition.

I knew becoming a parent meant becoming a "cycle breaker"

It meant doing the work not just for me, but for her.

So, I chose to love differently.

I chose connection over control.
Respect over fear.

Curiosity over criticism.

I learnt to become the kind of mother I longed for.

I leant into what I would have needed and gave that to her.

And every day, I keep showing up to love, guide, and empower her to become the extraordinary woman she is meant to be. I am so proud of the amazing adult she is i all the choices she made.

Respect is a two-way street and it begins with us, the parents.

Not through demands or fear.

But through presence, patience, and a fierce kind of love that says:

You are worthy, you belong, and you are deeply loved 🩷

It may of just been 7 years, but it's truly been 24 years of knowing my beautiful daughter.

02/07/2025

ULTIMATE GOAL...

HAPPINESS RIGHT?🤔

🗣 “If I’m happy, I’ll be content.”
🗣 “If I’m happy, I’ve made it.”
🗣 “If I’m happy, life will be on point.”

But here’s the thing while happiness is a beautiful feeling, it’s not the only one that matters.

In fact, a 2017 Harris Poll in the U.S. found only 33% of people considered themselves happy.
So… is happiness the right thing to chase?

🔍 What if the deeper goal is meaning—a sense of purpose that anchors us in life’s storms, rather than fleeting moments of joy?

Some research suggests that constantly pursuing happiness can actually make us feel less fulfilled. It can distract us from what really matters: truth, wholeness, and emotional honesty.

💬 In my work as a trauma-informed counsellor, I often say:

"All emotions are messengers. Happiness is one, but so is sadness, anger, grief, awe, and calm."
When we stop performing happiness and start connecting with our truth, we create space for something richer: a life that feels aligned, grounded, and meaningful.

🌀 Balance is everything.

Let’s stop striving for constant happiness, BUT instead seek WHOLENESS.

You matter.
You always have.

THIS is YOUR reminder that CHOICE is your superpower!

🧠 Want to read more?

Here are a couple of thought-provoking ltitles I recommend:
🩷Four Pillars of Meaning

https://hackspirit.com/psychology-says-finding-meaning-in-life-comes-down-to-4-basic-pillars/

🩷Trying to Be Happy Could Be Making You Miserable

https://time.com/5356657/trying-to-be-happy/

01/06/2025

It’s not just the abuse.
It’s everything that follows.
For survivors of sexual assault, the trauma doesn’t end when the abuse stops — it echoes through their lives, often in silence.
👉 The shame that makes speaking feel unsafe
👉 The discomfort others feel when they do speak
👉 The minimising: “It was a long time ago.”
👉 The betrayal of being told to “let it go”
👉 The abuser pretending they’re the victim
👉 The questions: “Are you sure that’s what happened?”
👉 The silence in rooms where there should be outrage
👉 The protection of reputations over truth
👉 The pressure to heal on society’s timeline
👉 The nervous system, still carrying what the mind wants to forget
👉 The fear that if they speak up, they’ll lose people — again
💔 Many want survivors quiet — because it makes them more comfortable.
But silence was never safety. It was survival.
✨And still — survivors rise.
They are among the most powerful warriors you’ll ever meet.
They rebuild themselves from the inside out.
They fight for healing their nervous system, their voice, their joy.
They speak not just for themselves — but for the ones still too afraid to.
The abuser hopes they’ll stay silent.
But we are done making silence the safest option.
Hold space. Listen. Believe.
Because speaking is an act of rebellion, healing, and power.

👇 Here’s a critical article shedding light on truths too often ignored:
https://amp.smh.com.au/national/the-shocking-number-of-australian-men-sexually-attracted-to-children-and-teens-20231117-p5ekum.html

05/05/2025

If I had a DeLorean time machine…

Would I direct myself down different paths?

Absolutely. I often ask myself that question.

There are moments I wish I’d screamed the truth,
avoided certain situations,
stood in my courage more.

I wish I hadn’t carried other people’s baggage.

I wish I’d stood boldly in my boundaries.

The endless list of should’ve, could’ve, wished I hadn’t…

Of course I’d love to reconnect with loved ones who’ve passed.
Tell them how much I love them,
how deeply important they were.

But we all saw what happened in Back to the Future…

Changing the past robs us of our HUMAN side.
The part that didn’t ask for storms.

The part that never wanted the tragedy, the betrayal, the bullying…

Oh yes, I would’ve wanted that DeLorean during those horrendous chapters—
what I call the life TORNADOES.

But when the storm passes, and you look at the damage—
honestly, the soul damage—it’s overwhelming.

That’s when I breathe.
Because the tornado reminds me:
life is unpredictable.
In the depths of trauma, in the chaos I never asked for…
yes, I’ve craved the magic of a time machine.

But it wouldn’t have been organic.
It wouldn’t have taught me wisdom.

Without the storms,
I’d be clueless about empathy.

I wouldn’t understand LOVE,
or the essence of hard work and its quiet rewards.

That little girl—exposed too early to harsh truths—
had no idea what lay ahead.

Sure, the DeLorean could have delivered me to safety.

Helped me outrun the unsavoury souls.
But how would I know JOY,
if pain never showed up?

How would I comprehend
GRATITUDE,
GROWTH,
EMPATHY?

Truth is—I wouldn’t.
Someone once told me,
"Everything happens for a reason."
And I remember looking at them—horrified.
The audacity to suggest that the horrendous acts inflicted on children, youth, adults… had a reason?

No.

Nobody asks for the TORNADOES.

We just hope to find the glimmers—
and hold on to something that looks like hope.

01/05/2025

Then there were humans like us...
Where fear no longer chained us to perfectionism.
Where we became REAL.
We hurt.
We cry.
We scream, shout, and grow weary.
We get it—
We gave up on chasing perfect a long time ago.
And what even is perfect?
Unattainable. And that... is so beautiful.
As we stepped into our realness,
we stopped pretending to be bulletproof.
No more “invincible warrior” masks.
Instead, we wove resilience through the threads of our soul.
To those who threw stones,
who labelled us,
who flung mud—
We say:
DO YOU.
We learned to let go.
To wash away the mud.
To peel off the labels.
An opinion?
It’s just a word.
Perfectionism is fantasy.
We don’t always need answers.
We don’t need to pretend to face the world.
We get real.
We get vulnerable.
We get courageous.
And in that courage,
we meet REALISM—
every day,
every hour,
every minute.
No more hiding.
We relish being ourselves.
BE YOU.
DO YOU.
FOR YOU.
The beauty of imperfection...
Choose to accept yourself—
All of you.
Your body.
Your personality.
Your beautiful, messy, glorious self.
Some days you’ll ROCK this world.
Some days you’ll crawl into bed wondering why you couldn’t.
Choose it all.
And always—
Look for the gold nuggets,
The lessons,
The growth.
And grow.
And grow.
Into the unique,
A M A Z I N G
YOU.

27/04/2025

Worth measuring...

How do you do it?

Me, in my life — well, I no longer measure my worth based on whether someone accepts me or not.

The truth is, for years I tortured myself, my self-worth, using the acceptance method.
It went something like this:
If people like me, I must be good.
If people dislike me, I must be bad.
Does this resonate?
There were years I yearned to be loved by others — and honestly, who doesn’t?
Love is amazing.
But chasing it that way?
It’s soul-draining.
Years of tears and heartache, wishing to be accepted — within family, amongst friendship circles...
I became haunted by the feeling that something was wrong with me.
That I was flawed, simply because someone decided they didn't like me.
But this?

This is what can appear when you've lived a trauma-based life.

Healing brought insight.
I began to measure me by what I bring to the table:
Am I being the best version of myself?
Am I growing?
(Some days, honestly, I don't always bring my best — because I am human.)
The truth is, some people will never like you.

Jealousy, control, their own unresolved issues — it’s often not even about you.
It’s about them.

We cannot control what others feel or do.

So letting go of those suffocating measurements —
those old indicators of whether I am "good" or "bad" based on others —
they needed to be thrown onto the same pile shame sits on.
Left there to rot alongside shame.
For a long time, my life was nothing more than surviving and dying inside.
Something had to give.

So, I chose to start believing in me.
I chose to challenge myself each day:
Be true to my values.
Live my beliefs.
Hold my integrity.
We can’t help it if our uniqueness, our essence, isn’t for everyone.
We have to anchor ourselves back to our core.

Bringing it back to:
What is in my control.
Chaining our self-worth to the opinions of others?
Exhausting.
Damaging.

Choice truly is a superpower.
***de

20/03/2025

Be courageous, they say!

Courage isn't just showing up.

Courage is investing in you!

It is an ultimate investment of self-love, self compassion.

I honestly believe those who take the step to sit and talk about their problems, their struggles, how to navigate healing...

This quote speaks volumes by Maria Consigilo

"That part of myself I respect the most is the survivor in me. I keep going, even when so many would quit a long time ago. There is a special place in my heart for all the survivors out there who are still here and still trying. I honour you, and I salute you."

That is courage at its finest.

Don't dismiss that courage within ..

It generally is the first step to begin to take your life back and steer it to that path called healing...

You matter you always have.

Choice truly is a superpower...💛

***de

Address

Melbourne, VIC
3910

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 8pm
Tuesday	10am - 8pm
Wednesday	10am - 8pm
Thursday	10am - 8pm
Friday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

0414968932

Website

https://www.jodiemyintoocounsellor.com/

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