Forward Therapy

22/12/2025

Family events aren’t joyful for everyone.

For some people, Christmas and other family gatherings bring up old wounds. They’re attended out of obligation rather than excitement. Dates of dread quietly counted down until they’re over.

When families come together, familiar patterns often reappear. People pleasing. Walking on eggshells. Silencing your needs to keep the peace.

These reactions don’t mean something is wrong with you. They often reflect experiences where safety, support, or acceptance were missing.

I’ve written more about this here:

Family Trauma and the Hidden Costs of People Pleasing

https://www.forwardtherapy.com/2025/12/family-trauma-and-the-hidden-costs-of-people-pleasing/

Living with family trauma can lead to people pleasing, shame, and estrangement. Learn how to rebuild self-trust through compassion and support.

15/12/2025

Recent Medicare changes mean that accessing a Mental Health Treatment Plan now depends on having a regular GP, not just any clinic.

For gay men, this matters more than it might seem. Many of us move between practices, delay care, or only see a doctor when something feels urgent. But mental health often shows up first as physical symptoms. Sleep problems. Gut issues. Loss of libido. Anxiety after breakups. Burnout that looks like ADHD.

Continuity of care matters.

I’ve written about why having a regular GP for gay men is so important, and what these changes mean in practice. Read more 👉 https://www.gaycounsellor.com.au/mental-health/your-mental-health-deserves-a-gp-for-gay-men/

27/11/2025

Is it ADHD? Or an imposter?

Not everything that looks like ADHD is ADHD. Anxiety, burnout, trauma, sleep loss and nervous system overload can masquerade as attention problems.

Over the past year, “Is it ADHD?” has become one of the most common questions people bring into my Surry Hills and video clinics. Sometimes the diagnosis fits. Often, the story is more complex. 🔍🔍🔍

I’ve written a new article about the hidden imposters that can sit behind a scattered mind and why broadening the lens matters before rushing to an ADHD diagnosis:

Is it ADHD? Hidden Imposters Behind a Scattered Mind: https://www.forwardtherapy.com/2025/11/is-it-adhd-hidden-imposters-behind-a-scattered-mind/

If you’re questioning your focus, overwhelm or emotional regulation, this piece may help you reflect more gently on what’s really going on.

15/09/2025

I work with religious trauma. With people recovering from religion. No one who has experienced religious trauma should be locked into a non-disclosure agreement. It can re-traumatise survivors .

In the streets of suburban Sydney lies the spiritual headquarters of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church — a secretive, ultra-wealthy organisation whose $...

22/07/2025

Daddy Issues: What do they really mean for gay men?

Whether you’re wrestling with anxious attachment, abandonment fears, or stigma around being attracted to older men, there’s no shame in seeking connection, safety, or love.

‘Daddy Issues’ isn’t a clinical term but a pop psychology expression that means different things for different people. Private therapy can help you reclaim your story with compassion.

https://www.gaycounsellor.com.au/attachment/daddy-issues/

Not all daddy issues are about trauma. And not all intergenerational desire is unhealthy. This post explores shame, stigma, and healing in gay men’s relationships.

14/07/2025

Have you ever found yourself doing all the emotional work in a connection (checking in, holding space, trying to make sense of hot-and-cold behaviour) while the other person slowly fades away?

That exhaustion you’re feeling isn’t in your head. It’s the cost of emotional labour in a one-sided relationship.

Ghosting and emotional withdrawal can feel like grief. And often, the people I work with in therapy arrive not because of a relationship ending, but because of the confusing way it just slipped away.

This kind of burnout, anxiety, and self-doubt is common, especially when your emotional needs are unmet, dismissed, or met with silence. Therapy can help you:

✔ Name what’s really happening
✔ Break free from cycles of emotional overwork
✔ Restore boundaries and self-respect
✔ Reconnect with your voice and values

Find out more here:
👉 https://www.lovecounselling.com/emotional-labour

Ghosting hurts. Emotional labour and mankeeping leave you anxious, exhausted, and doubting yourself. Learn how love counselling can help you heal and reclaim your dignity. Medicare rebates available.

10/07/2025

Is “ma********on addiction” a real diagnosis or a reflection of something deeper?
More men are reaching out to talk about habits they feel stuck in: edging, gooning, secrecy, guilt, and shame around ma********on.
But often, what’s really going on isn’t addiction in the clinical sense. It’s the emotional weight behind the behaviour: the loneliness, the anxiety, the need for relief that became a ritual.
I’ve written a new post exploring this topic with nuance and care.
If you’re feeling stuck, you’re not alone.
And you don’t have to figure this out by yourself.

👉 https://www.forwardtherapy.com/ma********on-addiction

********onAddiction

Concerned about ma********on addiction? Therapy can help you break the urge cycle with care, not shame.

16/06/2025

"Adult virgin" isn’t a diagnosis. It’s a cultural story—and one that can be rewritten.

Many men who haven’t had s*x in their 30s or 40s carry deep shame, believing they’ve failed at something essential. But masculinity and intimacy don’t follow a fixed script.

Therapy can support men to challenge shame, gently build confidence, and take meaningful steps toward connection and self-acceptance.

👉 Read the full article here: https://www.forwardtherapy.com/2025/06/adult-virgin/

09/06/2025

🌈 The party’s over. You’re back in your everyday. And suddenly, it hits you.

That low after the high. The regrets. The fog. The feeling that you’re not enough.

This is gay depression after the party—and it’s more common than we admit.

Shame, body image, perfectionism, and loneliness show up when the lights go out. You can move gently toward healing.

🖤 Link in bio

28/05/2025

Betrayal—especially in intimate relationships—can shake your confidence and leave you questioning your worth.
Healing doesn’t mean forgetting. It means gently reclaiming your trust in yourself.

💔

read “Healing After Betrayal": https://www.lovecounselling.com/healing-after-betrayal/

28/05/2025

Healing, Procrastination and Loneliness + hello Medibank! - https://mailchi.mp/998078f06667/keeping-in-touch-may-2025

14/05/2025

If you're lonely as a gay man in Sydney, you’re not alone.
Loneliness shows up in the lives of gay men in many ways. From relationship disconnection to the grief of ageing in a community that prizes youth, it’s time we talked about it.
👉 Tap the link in my bio to read.
Does this resonate with you?