About Debra Bragança

Redlands Counselling Professional

Hi, I'm Debra

As an individual, I have been in a supportive and loving relationship with my husband for more than 25 years and I am also the mother of two amazing sons plus two very cute fur babies. I am originally from South Africa and have also lived in New Zealand before moving to Australia which gives me a good understanding of both the challenges of immigration as well as the ability to work with different cultures.

As a Counsellor, I work from a person centered approach that is relational, compassionate and respectful. Building a strong therapeutic alliance with you helps to develop trust, rapport and openness creating an environment you can feel comfortable to share in without fear of judgement. Research supports that it is the interpersonal connection that makes the most difference to therapy outcomes.

In conjunction with my work experience and training, I also have lived experience in most of the areas I work with. Research shows that lived-experience practitioners are uniquely situated to understand the difficulty involved in engaging in therapy and may use their experiential knowledge to connect with patients. Their insights into suffering allow them to become highly understanding, compassionate, and empathetic practitioners (Adame, 2014; Gelso & Hayes, 2007; Gilbert & Stickley, 2012; Goldberg et al., 2015).

I work with a variety of concerns which include trauma, anxiety, depression and chronic illness and I have a particular interest in pre-marital, couples and marriage counselling. My primary therapeutic approaches draw upon the following evidence-based modalities: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) and Gottman Couples Method. I am also Trauma trained and use the Three Phased Approach.

You will find my practice office warm and welcoming as it has been designed to create a non-clinical environment. This allows for a more relaxed and comfortable space.

While privacy is not important to everyone, if it is important to you then you will also find the location is a quiet residential part of Cleveland where you are less likely to bump into someone you know.