Tessa Day Counselling

09/04/2026

Growth isn’t linear, even for these gums.

We’re actually a lot like trees; many parts and branches, twisting and moving, reaching for light and connection, held by deep root systems with stories of their own.

Our sessions together allow for all of this. We follow trains of thought, circle back to old moments, wander into tangents that don’t always seem connected. A memory here, a feeling there, a reaction that suddenly makes sense. At times it can feel like we’re going nowhere… and then something quietly links together.

Our minds don’t organise life neatly, so healing rarely does either. Given enough space, the pieces take shape.

The work we do together is long-term, because your life is big, and big things deserve time.

31/03/2026

Ahhh therapy. It's a wild ride. But honestly, it's usually when it looks like this that we do our best work. Will forever cheer from the treetops: there's something deeply healing about the silly!

Thank you for continuously reminding us of this.

24/03/2026

When was the last time you looked up?

Go outside, feel your feet on the ground, take a breath and look up. What do you see?

15/03/2026

What would you do differently if the goal wasn’t to win the argument, but to understand the person in front of you?

Could you ask before assuming? Pause before defending?

What if there was a way to disagree and still stay connected? What might that look like? And what happens when you turn inward and ask yourself, “What does being right mean to me in this moment?” Is it about feeling respected? Heard? Safe? Can you express that need instead of proving the point?

Could you decide, together, that the relationship matters more than the argument? That you’ll explore the tension without letting go of each other?

10/03/2026

Ever notice how you can want completely opposite things at the same time?

Part of you says go for it.
Another says absolutely not.
And suddenly even small decisions feel like they're too much.

You're not alone. The thing is, there are many parts that make up who we are, each with its own strategy to keep us safe. And honestly… thank goodness for them. They help us get through all kinds of hard things.

The trouble is, parts don’t always agree. So inside it can feel like a tug-of-war, direction gets foggy, decisions stall, and needs can accidentally go unmet.

This is where our work together comes in. Instead of choosing a winner, we slow down and listen to each part so it doesn’t have to shout, fight, or take over to be listened to.

When the inside stops battling, clarity tends to show up on its own.
Inner harmony isn’t forcing silence. It’s all parts finally getting space to be heard.

05/03/2026

First things first, it makes sense! Solutions feel useful, productive, and big-breath-out relieving. Problem-solving really can help!

That is, until it doesn't (insert nose-scrunch frustration here!). When problem-solving becomes the first response, something else often happens quietly: parts of us feel brushed past. Not heard. A bit incapable. Like our experience needed correcting more than understanding.

I hear this a lot with the couples I work with. One reaches quickly for the answer while the other is still inside the feeling. And the moment gets missed, because sitting in the emotion is part of the repair. Before we can climb out, we usually need someone willing to climb in with us.

What would it be like to sit in the weeds together, (maybe a little muddy, a little unsure) so neither of you has to be there alone?

24/02/2026

It doesn't always look this good, huh? Often, the place between here and there can feel hard. We're battling with wanting change now(!) while simultaneously recognising that real change takes time. If this is you, notice yourself in this moment. See if you can get curious about the part of you that wants it different right away. Let it know you hear it, without needing to fix anything yet. Remember, even in stillness, there's growth.

23/02/2026

Home is the nervous system feeling safe enough to exhale. It’s the relationships where you don’t have to edit yourself. It’s the spaces that let you soften instead of brace.

Notice what home feels like for you right now. Where invites calm, and where puts you on edge? Who helps you drop the mask, and who keeps it firmly in place? Which spaces invite the breath out? Which people bring out what’s real? And what rituals help you recharge?

Home matters. How can you cultivate more of it?

23/02/2026

One of my favourite things about being a counsellor is that every day I get to witness courage in action.

People arrive carrying shame, doubt, grief, pain, anger, and still choose to show up. I watch them sit with things they once avoided. I see them loosen their grip on limiting beliefs they once held tightly. I watch clarity slowly form where everything once felt foggy and impossible to navigate. I witness the moment a part of them feels understood rather than criticised, when another feels seen rather than ignored, and accepted rather than rejected. And then I get to see how that shift doesn’t just stay in the room, but ripples outward into relationships, families, workplaces, communities and beyond.

This work reminds me, over and over again, that growth isn’t some rare, random exception. It’s built into us. Given enough safety and space, people organically move toward healing. They soften. They take responsibility. They repair. They try again.

And maybe most special of all, beneath the defences, the coping strategies, the armour, I see daily that humanity is inherently good. Protectively wired, sometimes messy, often scared… but deeply oriented toward connection.

It’s big, beautiful, raw, real, human change. And I’m all kinds of big-time lucky to do it.

23/02/2026

Online counselling across Australia for people who are ready to do the deeper work.

Together, we slow things down, make sense of the patterns you’ve been living inside, and gently untangle the parts of you that learned to cope the only way they knew how.

My approach is holistic and trauma-informed, drawing from Internal Family Systems, somatic awareness, Polyvagal theory, and relational therapy. That means we don’t just talk about the problem, we get curious about what’s underneath it. We work with your nervous system. We listen to the parts of you trying to protect, push, please, avoid, achieve, or hold it all together.

If you're navigating trauma, challenging relationships, loneliness, low self-worth, or big life transitions, I can help. You don't have to do it alone.

To find out more or to book an initial consult, reach out through the link in my bio.

15/03/2022

When creating new habits, begin with this question: what kind of person do I wish to become? Habits then reinforce the kind of person you want to be; they cast votes for a certain kind of identity...

When creating new habits, begin with this question: what kind of person do I wish to become? Habits, therefore reinforce the kind of person you want to be; they cast votes for a certain kind of identity.