Ms Kerri-Ann Batchelor Counsellor

Welcome to “Live Life Well Counselling”. I offer care and support to individuals, family members and care givers in Ballarat and regional Victoria. My passion is empowering individuals, couples and families to live their lives well, from this ethos and dreams of my own private practice “Live Life Well Counselling” was born. I am a regionally based ACA accredited counsellor. I am a genuine Ballarat local who grew up here. I have always lived and worked in the Ballarat/Grampians region. My background is working in community services across Ballarat and regional Victoria, in palliative care, dementia care and child and family services. I provide counselling to individuals, spouses, carers and their family members. I am a specialist palliative care counsellor, Dementia specialist counsellor and Specialist Grief and bereavement counsellor. I am particularly passionate about supporting carers of people living with a life limiting illness and assisting with managing changing roles, recognising loss, coping and managing carer stress, relationship changes and feelings of being overwhelmed. I can support individuals diagnosed with a life limiting illness and support you to process strong emotions, feelings of loss and assist you to live life well. I am a specialist in Grief and loss and have extensive experience supporting individuals. I have completed professional training in numerous areas including; Elder Abuse, Responding to behaviour in residential aged care, Neuroscience and Neurobiology basics for Therapists, Understanding Dementia, Preventing Dementia, Strengths Based Theory Training, Respecting Patient Choices Advance Care planning, ASSIST suicide prevention training, Group facilitation training, Cultural Diversity & Equity training I have worked and presented in many project, focus and working groups and have assisted in the development of Grief and loss training, Diversity and Equity Toolkit, Grief & Loss for individuals working in Residential Aged Care, Palliative Care Q & A I have extensive group facilitation experience and have provided carer education, professional education and support to individuals, families and professionals Summary of Counselling Services: -Specialist counselling Support for carers -Specialist palliative care Counsellor -Specialist In dementia counselling -Counselling for End of life support -Counselling to support individuals to live life well with a life limiting illness -Counselling support to individuals who are transitioning a family member in to residential care -Grief and loss specialist counselling -Counselling for individuals experiencing family separation -Individual relationship counselling Types of Therapy, counselling theories and approaches Humanistic: Humanistic counseling theories hold that people have within themselves all the resources they need to live healthy and functional lives, and that problems occur as a result of restricted or unavailable problem-solving resources. Humanistic counselors see their role not as one of directing clients in how to address their problems but, rather, as one of helping clients to discover and access within themselves the restricted resources they need to solve problems on their own. Some currently preferred humanistic counseling therapies include person-centered, existential, emotion-focused, Gestalt and positive psychology. Cognitive: Cognitive counseling theories hold that people experience psychological and emotional difficulties when their thinking is out of sync with reality. When this distorted or "faulty" thinking is applied to problem-solving, the result understandably leads to faulty solutions. Cognitive counselors work to challenge their clients' faulty thinking patterns so clients are able to derive solutions that accurately address the problems they are experiencing. Currently preferred cognitive-theory-based therapies include cognitive behavior therapy, reality therapy, motivational interviewing, and acceptance and commitment therapy. Along with psycho education, support and reassurance I will regularly utilise some of the follow therapies, tailored specifically to your individual needs: ⁃ Solution Focussed ⁃ Person centred ⁃ Emotion Focussed ⁃ Strengths Based ⁃ Narrative ⁃ Cognitive Behavioural ⁃ Motivational I pride myself on creating a safe, supportive and non judgmental counselling space for individuals to share and explore the barriers that are preventing them from living life well.