I'm Wayne, a qualified counsellor with a Master of Counselling, Bachelor of Psychology and Bachelor of Education. But my experience of working with people began long before I became a counsellor. Over the years, I've worked across some very different environments - from the military and emergency services to education, business and relationship services. Those experiences have shaped the way I approach counselling and reinforced my belief that people often have far more strength and resilience than they realise.

I began my working life serving in the Royal Australian Air Force before moving into education. At Wesley College, I worked as a secondary school teacher and held pastoral leadership roles including Head of House and Year Coordinator. I later became the co-owner of a Veterinary Hospital, experiencing first-hand the pressures of running a business for 14 years, managing staff and balancing work with family life. I have also served for 12 years as a Volunteer Firefighter in Fire and Rescue, where I learned a lot about teamwork and backing up your mates. These roles have given me experience with people from very different walks of life and an appreciation of how differently we can respond when life doesn't go according to plan.

More recently, I have worked with Relationships Australia WA as a Community Education Facilitator, delivering programs covering Anger Management, Understanding Angry Emotions, Healthy Conflict, Managing Conflict for Couples, Fathering After Separation, Parenting After Separation, Bringing Up Great Kids, Dads and Daughters and Dads and Sons. I've also been involved in developing programs relating to parenting and FIFO relationships. This work has strengthened my particular interest in relationships, fatherhood, separation, emotional regulation, communication and helping men navigate significant changes in their lives.

Men experience relationship breakdown, fatherhood, loneliness, grief, anger, anxiety, depression and questions about identity in ways that are influenced by expectations around masculinity, responsibility and self-reliance. Many men have spent much of their lives being expected to cope, provide, solve problems and keep going. As a result, sitting down with someone and saying, "I'm struggling" or “I need a hand” may not come naturally. I want Men Moving Forward to be a place where men don't feel judged for that - and where counselling feels practical, relevant and genuinely useful.

I also don't approach separation and divorce purely from an academic perspective. My own marriage ended after a 27-year relationship, and the separation that followed was the hardest period I have ever experienced in my life. I know what it's like when the future you thought you had suddenly disappears. I know that rebuilding isn't necessarily quick or straightforward. My experience isn't your experience, and counselling isn't about me telling you how I dealt with mine. But it does mean that when someone sits across from me struggling with the end of a long relationship, I understand something of just how profoundly life can change.

My approach to counselling combines evidence-informed therapeutic practice with practical strategies and real-world experience. I'm particularly interested in person-centred, trauma-informed, cognitive behavioural, narrative and attachment-informed therapies. I don't believe counselling should simply involve talking about problems week after week. Understanding why we think, feel and behave as we do is important - but so is deciding what we're going to do next. Wherever appropriate, we'll work on strategies and tools you can actually take away and use in everyday life.

I've served my country, been a teacher, pastoral leader, business owner, husband, father, firefighter, facilitator and counsellor. I've experienced success, failure, responsibility, major change and times when life has been considerably harder than expected. I don't pretend that this means I know exactly what you're going through. Your story is yours. What it does mean is that I bring more than qualifications into the counselling room. I bring life experience, curiosity, respect and an understanding that sometimes moving forward starts simply by having somewhere safe to work out what comes next.

Men Moving Forward is built around a simple idea - you don't have to have everything figured out before asking for help. Whether you're dealing with separation, relationship difficulties, fatherhood, anger, anxiety, low mood, stress, burnout or simply wondering where your life goes from here, counselling can provide an opportunity to understand what's happening, recognise your strengths and start working towards the life you want to build.