http://www.lifetherapiesvictoria.com.au/

Life Therapies Victoria, 148-150 Yarra Street, Warrandyte (2026)

04/06/2026

You don't have to wait until you're falling apart to talk to someone.

Life can become complicated. Sometimes it's a relationship that's struggling. Sometimes it's anxiety, grief, stress, burnout, or simply the feeling that you've been carrying too much for too long.

The good news is that our counselling team currently has appointments available and we'd be honoured to walk alongside you.

At Life Therapies Victoria, we believe that healing happens in the context of safe, genuine human connection. Our counsellors offer a warm, compassionate space where you can slow down, make sense of what's happening, and begin moving towards the life you want to live.

If you've been thinking, "Maybe I should talk to someone," this might be the sign you've been waiting for.

Immediate appointments available.

In-person and online sessions.

Reach out today to find the counsellor that's right for you.

Because you don't have to do this alone.

Photo by Nik on Unsplash

20/05/2026

Many of our clients that come for counselling to the Warrandyte rooms spend some time either before or after their session soaking in the atmosphere of the town.

Some things to do while you're here:

* Explore the Yarra River trail

* Wander up Whipstick Gully Road to the State Forest

* Grab a coffee from one of the local cafes. Our favourites are 'Now and Not yet' and 'Cocoa Moon'

* Sit down for lunch at the Grand Hotel

* If you've brought your kids, visit the amazing playground by the river

* Explore the op shops, bakery, second hand book store, lolly shop, and the numerous other business on the main street.

Make your trip to Warrandyte more than your counselling appointment!

(Pic taken on one of recent misty mornings!)

12/05/2026

Out talking about the benefits of time in nature today with the team from Very Special Kids, at one of their "lunch and learn" sessions for staff.

It's probably no secret, but I love telling the stories of not only 'how' to connect with nature, but of the amazing stories that emerge when our clients 'do' connected with nature.

One of my favourites is the guy that went into the forest to meet with a tree. He didn't come out when the time was up, so we had to go and search for him.

We found him.

Standing on his feet.

Leaning back against his tree.

Sound asleep!

The teams from MGA Counselling Services, Forest Therapy Victoria, and Nature Play 4 Kids are available for public speaking at training days, community dinners and corporate events.

Get in touch if you're interested in having one of the team join your event.

We really do like telling the stories…

01/05/2026

The Life Therapies Victoria centre has a couple of rooms available for casual rent in the beautiful surrounds of Warrandyte, Victoria.

Hourly, half day and full day rates available.

Rent includes wifi access and full use of kitchen facilities.

Room one is set up for general counselling, yoga therapy and sand play. Room two for general counselling. Other disciplines are most welcome.

Plenty of free parking both at the community centre or surrounding streets.

For more information, contact Matt via email on [email protected]

Please share with anybody you think might be interested.

28/04/2026

Our first Forest Family event for Nature Play 4 Kids is on this coming Sunday (3rd May) at 9:30am, Warrien Reserve in Croydon North. This will be fun, but it’s more than that.

This will be educational, but it’s more than that.

Our Forest Family program is about connection. Connection with nature, with each other, and with a greater sense of wellbeing.

All of our NP4K programs have been designed from scratch, drawing on our years of experience in the counselling space with MGA Counselling Services, and in nature with Forest Therapy Victoria. The aim is to enhance creativity, enhance wellbeing, facilitate better regulation, stress management and anxiety levels.

And help families make this a normal part of their weekly rhythm.

The central philosophy of NP4K is “Bring nothing. Leave with Everything”.

You won’t need to bring lots of equipment, or spend hours preparing activities. Nature will dictate what we do and how we do it.

Our guides will teach families to do the same.

Come and join us this Sunday for “Forest Families” or join one of our other events in the coming months.

Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/forest-family-event

www.natureplay4kids.com.au
www.foresttherapyvictoria.com.au
www.mgacounselling.com.au

12/04/2026

It’s been a bit of a twisty path for me to get to where I am now, professionally and personally. I love a twisty path. Perhaps that is why creating space for people to explore theirs, is such a passion for me.
My path to becoming a counsellor actually started with exploring twists, literally. As a yoga teacher I spent a lot of time guiding students to explore their body’s wisdom, helping them drop deeper into their own body and mind to observe the space within, to try and find some stillness, some peace. Unravelling from a deep yoga twist offers a release of tension, creating a clearer space to welcome in a new experience. I find it is the same with counselling, exploring life’s plot twists, finding a way to release the tension so that we can welcome in a new way of being that offers more peace and alignment.
For many years I ran a yoga studio and eventually began my counselling studies because I found so many people came to yoga for their mental health. My intention was to have counselling knowledge so that I may be better equipped to assist my students, I didn’t intend to become a counsellor. But plenty of twists later and here I am, a counsellor and a yoga therapist.
Yoga therapy is a wonderful combination of utilising counselling and yoga techniques to address what may be going on in the mind and the body. For example, we can work with the physical manifestation of trauma through somatic body work and utilise the modalities of counselling to explore what is happening mentally and emotionally too. It offers a holistic approach to physical and mental health.
Currently I am enjoying working with a wide range of clients with a special interest in women’s health and couple’s counselling.

I am Tanya Neate and have been part of the Life Therapies Victoria team for over 5 years now and it is such a joy.

27/03/2026

Introducing our newest team member Kylie.

Here's a little of her story.

***

Listening has always felt like a part of who I am, it’s where I find myself most connected to others.

From early on, I found myself drawn to people in their difficult seasons, sitting with them, listening to their stories, and holding space for their pain. In those quiet moments, I began to see how deeply people long to be heard, known, and understood.

Growing up in Hong Kong, I moved to Melbourne during high school, and, like many who move overseas, I experienced the loneliness and confusion that come with starting over. We leave behind familiar faces, family, and a sense of belonging, and step into the unknown. Often, we don’t just bring our hopes, we carry our wounds, too, trying to build a new life while still holding pieces of the old.

Over the years, through pastoral care, I continued walking alongside people in this way. It eventually led me into counselling. I still remember my first term of study, realising that what I had been doing all along had a name, “active listening”, and at its core, “empathy.” These were new terms to me, but not new practices. They were skills that had been quietly formed over time, and I found myself right at home in this work.

Walking alongside others as they reconnect with parts of themselves they’ve long lost means deeply to me. In many ways, I’m on that journey too—learning, healing, growing, and becoming more fully who I am.

20/03/2026

I didn’t set out to become a counsellor.

Like many journeys that end up meaning something, mine began somewhere else entirely—working as a technical officer, then years in pastoral care, walking alongside people in some of their hardest moments. Sitting with grief. Showing up after crisis. Listening to stories that didn’t have easy answers.

Over time, something kept tugging at me. A sense that there was more to this work of sitting with people… that there were deeper ways to help them reconnect with themselves, with others, and with something beyond the noise of everyday life.

That’s what led me into counselling.

MGA Counselling Services grew out of that desire—to create a space where people could feel genuinely seen, heard, and supported. Not rushed. Not fixed. Just met, as they are.

But even that wasn’t the whole story.

I began to notice that some of the most powerful moments in counselling didn’t happen in the room. They happened outside. Walking slowly. Sitting under trees. Letting the natural world do what it does so well—ground us, soften us, remind us that we belong.

That’s where Forest Therapy Victoria was born.

And alongside that, Life Therapies Victoria emerged as a broader expression of the same heart: supporting people through life’s complexity with care, curiosity, and practical tools for change.

These three spaces—MGA, FTV, and Life Therapies—aren’t separate things to me. They’re different expressions of the same calling.

To walk alongside people.

To help make sense of pain, grief, and growth.

To create spaces where people can breathe again.

Looking back, none of it feels accidental. Each step—every role, every conversation, every challenge—has shaped the way I work today.

And I’m still learning.

Still listening.

Still walking.

17/03/2026

The beginning....

Matt and I, who had worked together for a number of years, found ourselves, just as this thing called a pandemic was starting, as colleagues working alongside each other in our individual practises, each being inundated with requests from organisations for support. We collectively realised that what was coming was big, even though neither of us could yet fully comprehend what was ahead.

We sat outside, socially distancing under a gum tree, and formed a formal partnership. We recognised that the requests for Employee Assistance Programs, trauma counselling, and guidance on how we could work with our clients were increasing exponentially, and that individually we could not meet the demands which we were each receiving.

So, sitting under the lemon-scented gum tree, we formed Life Therapies Victoria. Based on a mateship of many years and a collective desire to work with our local community, as well as clients and communities interstate and overseas, we have worked since then to form the team of Life Therapies Victoria and associates that exists today and is still developing. We are proud of our growing team some of whom are seen here having a BBQ last Friday evening.

Its been a fabulous journey so far and we are excited to see where we are yet to go.

06/03/2026

When my family was young we began fostering teens, and family life was wonderfully busy and chaotic. It became apparent to me that all the love in the world for these young teens coming into our home, often with just a garbage bag of their personal belongings needed more than the love my family and I could offer them. So off to college I went.

College was a life changing event that began a life long love of trauma counselling. Starting in a community based counselling practise, where senior counsellors supported and mentored me, to starting my own private practise, to today working with Matt who will share his own story in days to come.

Today we share the practise together in Warrandyte and love to offer opportunity to those coming into the field in the same way we were both supported in our own stories when we were starting out. We would love your support as we support those within our team who are working to build their own practises. We would love you to follow Life Therapies Victoria and if you have been happy with your experience with LTV give us a review. If you have some constructive feed back we are happy to hear this and ask you contact Matt and or I directly. Thank you.

Life Therapies Victoria

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