Alana Thompson, AASW

Alana Thompson is an AASW-accredited social worker with 18 years in clinical practice. She helps people facing anxiety, depression, stress, grief, career uncertainty and ADHD. Her style is warm and interactive, and she aims to make the first step feel manageable for someone who is worried or overwhelmed.

Alana listens without judgement and starts by understanding what matters to each person. She uses straightforward goals and practical strategies so people can notice small changes fast. Sessions focus on building resilience, managing emotions and improving day-to-day functioning.

Her approach blends cognitive-behavioural ideas with attention to emotional experience. That means identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and also working with feelings to create clearer ways forward. She often helps people set safety and management plans when needed to stabilise stress or strong emotions.

Alana has worked in university counselling, child protection and family services, and returned to full-time practice after time in research and teaching. Her earlier roles involved supporting people through complex trauma, emotional abuse and the stresses of student life.

She holds a Bachelor of Psychology, a Master of Social Work and a PhD in Social Work and Law. As an AASW member she also completed Mental Health First Aid training. Her practice aims to be practical, compassionate and focused on real-life improvements.

Approaches that guide online sessions

Alana draws on cognitive-behavioural methods to help identify unhelpful thinking patterns and replace them with more helpful behaviours and routines. This approach is useful for anxiety, depression and everyday stress by giving clear steps to try between sessions.

She also works with emotional insight, helping people name and understand strong feelings so those emotions stop driving unhelpful choices. That focus helps with grief, relationship stress and managing overwhelming moods.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist works collaboratively to match methods to a person's goals and preferences, and will adjust strategies if something is not working. Clients are invited to try practical exercises and feedback is used to refine the plan.

Confirm current session options before booking because the biography does not list formats. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time and let people check in from work or home when needed. It can also allow shorter check-ins or phone-based conversations when that better suits someone’s day. Appropriately qualified therapists can help pick a format that fits each person's routine and needs.