Testimonials

Working with Parents and Families

Tegan - Psychologist & School Counsellor
I was very impressed by Jacqueline’s approach and clear techniques she uses in practice. This will be very helpful to implement in my current role as school counsellor.

Sarah - Youth Care Coordinator
I really enjoyed the practical tips and strategies that I can now take back and build on my practice.

Mandy - Counselling Coordinator
The presenter was very knowledgeable and engaging. The most helpful part of the workshop was using real case studies and valuable strategies.

Melinda - Clinical Psychologist
This workshop was so useful for my practice – Jacqueline’s no-nonsense approach was refreshing and I imagine is what makes her such a successful practitioner.

Therese - Counsellor & Group Worker
This one day program synthesised Family systems, clinical work and was a great refresher for me of this approach. Worthwhile and presented in a stimulating way.

Skills Training in Couple and Family Work

Doreen Jones - Counsellor and Trainer
I valued the encouragement to be more directive, to keep a session more focused and to take control more.

Jan Harvey - Counsellor
A brilliant seminar. So helpful in identifying the differences between individual and couple / family work. I am now taking away clear templates I can use in my practice and a greater confidence in working in this field.

David Sokol - Senior EAP Consultant
An excellent balance of concept and exercises to come away with knowledge, experience and tools to use with clients.

Coaching Couples to Communicate

Liat Liling-Deutsch - Counsellor, Couple Therapist and Psychotherapist
Very relevant to my work with couples. Jacqueline's presentation was very captivating, engaging, well organised and informative.

Jody Hey - Student
Jacqueline is very engaging and I'm looking forward to the next seminar!

Sue England - Counsellor and Psychotherapist
I took away so much in sequencing, listening dialogue. Jacqueline is an engaging presenter, knowledgeable and practical.

Working with Difficult Couples

Christina Peak - Counsellor Catholic Care
Great practical applications – as someone new to couples counselling I found this very valuable.

Cath Leask - Counsellor
Excellent presentation - very clear and practical - thank you.

Denny Edwards- Social Worker - Family Therapist & Practitioner Lifeline
It has been very refreshing to listen and learn from a presenter that has systemic therapy as the foundation for counselling with couples.This presentation has extended my current knowledge in this area (systemic approach).

Peter Upton - Counsellor
Interesting and engaging seminar and extremely well facilitated.

Working with Affairs and Other Betrayals

John Manteit - Counsellor
This seminar on Affairs and Betrayals both informed and enhanced my skills so much because it was so practical and interactive and Jacqueline was so willing to engage with us and answer questions.

David Sokol - Counsellor
Interactive, non-threatening training with good case studies to help explore the theory

Warrick Allan - Clinical Psychologist
Very well presented. Thanks! Jacqueline's skills in the field is very evident.

Carol Nedov - Relationship Specialist
I really like how Jacqueline designed today’s seminar. It was well balanced in terms of content, group participation, practical exercises and sharing of knowledge between the presenter and participants. Thank you!  

Emma Taylor MBM, BSW - Therapist
Terrific Presenter/Trainer - Thank you! Great balance between sharing tools/offering statement to use whilst also offering practice through role plays.

Colleen Hurll- Counsellor and Psychotherapist
Excellent presentation!! Interesting all the time! Informative. Stimulates ideas/perception and useful strategies. 

Elaine Carey - Clinical Psychologist Salvation Army
Thank you for adding some valuable tools to my toolkit.

Joyce Henry - Counsellor
Excellent. Very informative and able to be implemented into my practice.

Cassie Howse - Psychologist and couple and Family Therapist
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience in a relevant, practical and interesting way. I felt challenges and affirmed and have gained useful ideas for my practice.

Jan Harvey - Counsellor
The clear structure in the presentation was most helpful in giving me something to take away and apply to my practice. I mostly work with individuals and there was much that I could apply to that part of my practice but most significantly, I picked up on some differences in how I need to be as a Therapist when doing couples work. 

Michele Elsom - Counsellor
JM is a mine of information. Seminars are engaging, informative, practical and extremely valuable. 

Subhana Barzaghi - Psychotherapist
Wonderfully clear presenter. Well organised, very experienced Therapist and educator. Well balanced theoretical and practical skills with couple work.

Stephen Hobden - Clinical Social Worker
My first session with your training centre.  Jacqueline is a very engaging presenter.

Meeghan Bourne - Counsellor/Psychotherapist
I have now attended 3 seminars on couples counselling facilitated by Jacqueline.  I always learn something new from these seminars and look forward to implementing new ideas/strategies into my practice for couples.  So thank you!

Liat Liling Deutsch - Psychotherapist and Counsellor
A very informative and well presented seminar which gave me a clear and structured outline of working with affairs - very thought provoking and very relevant and helpful to my work with couples - strongly recommend.

Jodi Hey - Student
Yet again a fabulous seminar.

Elke Andrees - Psychologist/Psychotherapist
A very useful, practice-orientated workshop.  Extremely relevant and well presented.  Very useful examples.  "Being curious" and looking to understand underlying determinants (rather than focus on behaviours) is very much aligned with my way of working.  Thank you!

Donna Piromalli - Counsellor and Mediator
Enjoyed the day!

Working with High Conflict Couples

Dr Siham Yahya - Clinical Psychologist
Jacqueline is an excellent presenter. She engaged very well with the attendees, answered all questions clearly and explained material thoroughly. The examples she used were excellent and very helpful. Thank you!

Kerryn Armor - Counsellor, Psychotherapist
I now wish I had done this course earlier in my career. I know I am a better counsellor now for having been here.

Gavin Crosisca - Sober Living Housing
I thought it was very informative and a well run seminar that has enhanced and confirmed the work I do with families in the A&D section.

Trevor Good (Masters Gestalt Therapy)
Jacqueline facilitated he course in a very warm and inclusive manner. Her ability to convey ideas and methods was very clear and she encouraged participants to engage in the process. The course matched exactly how it was advertised. Very good seminar which I would highly recommend.

Clinton Power, Gestalt Therapist
Jacqueline is an engaging and knowledgeable presenter who shares practical and helpful ideas and information to help you deepen your clinical skills and develop your confidence when working with couples.

Beverley Aronstan - Psychologist
Interesting and dynamic brought together learning and practice in a short space of time.  I was reinforced in my practice as well as updated on my skills as a couples and family counsellor.

Bernadette Fitzgerald - Psychotherapist/Counsellor
Wonderful.  Thank you so much.  I will be coming back for more.

Nerida Dunkerley - Psychotherapist/Counsellor
Venue good.  Enjoyed networking.  Great to hear case studies.

Basic Counselling Skills

Christine Everett – Student Co-ordinator
I feel that I now have the tools to deal better with students in different situations. I found the examples of actions to take really helpful and clear…..for a moment I was considering becoming a counsellor

Clients in Crisis

Melissa Madonis – Psychologist
One of the best workshops I have ever attended. I loved the amount of practical tips that were given and the use of personal experiences. I will definitely be applying this knowledge in practice with my clients.

Kaye Coates – Counsellor
This seminar was excellent. Well presented, clear informative subject matter. The presenter was warm and friendly – she put everyone at ease and welcomed questions and comments. Well done.

Couples Observation – Post-Milan Work

Liz – JNI student
Extremely interesting, thought provoking and engaging. The ability to observe this couple in relation to their genogram and have all of the background knowledge to try and hypothesize is very valuable and worthwhile. 

Andrea Croft – Psychologist
First time seeing a “live”couple session. Very enlightening and made even richer by the accompanying group discussion. I would recommend this session for anyone who is interested in couple therapy.  

Cathy Clancy – Counsellor
Reinforced systemic thinking and it was truly valuable to observe someone else counselling. A worthwhile, important method of learning – I did not have enough of this style in my masters. 

Kerryn Amor – Social worker
The session was very insightful in that I became aware of my own issues and how I need to be able to put them aside. Also great to observe how an expert runs a session and how to be relaxed with people.

Alex Weber – Psychologist
The experience was one of a kind – thank you so very much.  

Working with Couples in Crisis

Ron Dowd – Psychotherapist
I found this course very practical. Jacqueline’s style is informal, inclusive and encourages learning. I came away feeling energised about her approach to working with couples. One of the best PD course I’ve done.

Teresa Sanchez – Counsellor
It will help me contain client reactivity in sessions, particularly those with multiple issues and high volatility. Sue Murphy, Relationship & Family CounsellorIt was a wonderful revision of previous learning, plus really useful new information and strategies.

Fiona – Psychotherapist
It was accessible information, a nice relaxed atmosphere and a good way to refresh and revise knowledge.

Rev Edmund Kenny – Catholic Priest/Aged Care Chaplain I found the business-like delivery and examples from personal experience most useful.

Chrystine Denney
I liked Jacqueline’s direct style, her knowledge, and the fact she shared real case examples.

Working with Separated Couples and Families

Adriana Villar - Psychotherapist in private practice
Very grateful, it was full of practical tips and examples - great theory, followed by practice.

Sharon Turton - Counsellor
Great presentation, interesting and highly useful information.

Lennie Watts - Counsellor and Psychotherapist
Found the course to be easy to engage with, relevant, thought provoking and educational.

Sarah Mercier - Clinical Psychologist
This was a really useful 2 days with plenty of practical ideas and suggestions to use immediately in my practice.  The space to reflect on the work I currently do with families and how to improve it was great. "Boundaries and Clarity"

Elke Andrees - Psychologist
I gained a lot from the workshop.  A theoretically sound and practice focused learning experience. Thank you 

Sandi Hill
Thank you Jacqueline.  You provided a well designed course and delivered it professionally with warmth and honesty.  Loved it!

Amy Tucker
Thank you for creating a warm and inclusive learning environment.  I am reminded of the breadth of skills required in family systems work.

Mary McLeod
This seminar gave me more insight yet again.  Thank you Jacqueline for your dedication to your very important work.  Families are the fabric of society as you know so well.

Anna Scrimshaw - Counsellor and Psychotherapist
Really enjoyed it!  It was concise and interesting.  I learnt a lot about couple and family therapy including how to effectively manage the couples relationships and dynamics of couples and family systems.  Thank you!

Working with School Refusal

Kelly Rae - Team Lead/Family Therapist. Functional Family Therapy - Child Welfare
Terrific workshop today thanks Jacqueline. I am walking away with a 4/10 anxiety level around school refusal (as opposed to a solid 8.5/10). I'm also feeling  supported around some of the things we are doing in FFT-CW that you mentioned as useful e.g. approach the issue as a team, parents do need to be unified and firm, sometimes it's just appropriate to push through feelings of discomfort.

Amy Tucker - Youth Counsellor
The learning outcomes were clear. The theory was linked to professional practice. Reviewing the case studies was helpful. Thanks Jacqueline, for another great training.

Bernadette McCarthy - Psychologist
The information was practical and immediately implementable. It was quite easy to ask questions despite being via Zoom. 

Tania Rugiero - School Psychologist
Combined my current knowledge and reinforced current practices whilst providing additional information to consider when working with school refusal. The idea of working collaboratively with other mental health professionals is important. Thanks Jacqueline.

Sarah Bays - Adolescent and Family Counsellor
Great case studies and practical strategies for a step by step approach to dealing with school refusal.

Francesca Harvey - Psychologist
Good flow of information. Great practicable examples and case studies. Loved the ability to send questions through and to have the opportunity to hear from others.

Alicia Halls - School Counsellor
It was really practical and honest. I appreciated how Jacqueline explained how she works with different professionals- like OT, psychiatrist and school Counsellor’s. The strategies were helpful over multiple age groups which was really helpful too. I liked that there weren’t too many slides with plenty of opportunities for discussions and questions.

Michelle Fitzgerald - Counselling & Psychotherapy Service’s
Everything. Case studies awesome

Angela Brooks-Horn - School Psychologist
The practical nature of the seminar with the case presentations was helpful. Hearing from others about their case eg's and listening to presenters feedback was very helpful.

Roslyn Romanous - Adolescent and Family Therapist RAPS Team RA
Gave me a solid sense of my existing current approaches and methodology. Loved the interactive ability. Trainer was very knowledgeable and responsive. Loved the case studies they were very relevant to my client group. I now feel more likely to try to involve more stakeholders e.g school, psychiatrist etc.

Jessica Dwyer - Clinical Psychologist
I liked the case formulations and the different perspectives on how/what the problems were and discussion about this.

Wynne Wong- Counsellor
I like the case studies and how Jacqueline gave comprehensive answers to the questions asked. The seminar was also fairly interactive. It was good to hear the different experiences and cases encountered by other practitioners.

Kate O'Flaherty - Case Manager Anglicare Reconnect
Jacqueline's lived experience was really helpful for practical application.

Karsten Hansen - School Counsellor, Catholic Care
I thought the content was highly relevant and addressed the issue of school refusal extremely accurately. It gave me a lot of insight and very practical steps on how to work with school refusal. I feel a lot more confident in approaching the parents and the teachers here at the school with precise steps we need to take when presented with emerging school refusal problems. The day went by so quickly and I really enjoyed spending my time learning about his important topic in an highly effective manner. Thank you very much

Working with Couples in Crisis - High Conflict Couples

Belinda Gold - School Counsellor
It was very clear with hands on practical skills. I also liked that it's very evidence based. The flow of the day worked well. Even though it was on zoom it still felt personal.

Ros Pratt - Counsellor with CatholicCare Nowra
I liked the totally relevant information and the practical application of the information. I liked the step by step approach with the theory attached. I liked the Gottman and sequencing refresh.

Kelly Rae - Site Lead - Functional Family Theraoy - Child Welfare (FFT-CW)
Jacqueline just has a knack for training. She is very clear about what will be taught, how it will be taught and how best to communicate during the day. I learn from her experience and the case studies.

Wynne Wong - Counsellor
I like how Jacqueline highlighted some of the common mistakes made and illustrated them by the case studies. I used to do a lot of individual adults and children's works. Recently, I have started doing more couples' work and find myself being intimidated by couples who always fight during sessions. Today's seminar has been very helpful and inspiring. I like the questions raised by my fellow colleagues as well.

Mr Nigel Jones
Jacqueline gave us real world experience, evidence based theory and a professionally engaging workshop.. Thanks J

Rhonda Crosbie - Counsellor (BCouns)
The presenter was very informed about the topic and presented in an interesting and relevant manner

 

An Introduction to Family Therapy

Rhonda Crosbie - Counsellor (BCouns)
Jacqueline is a very experienced practitioner and knows her subject very well. She also presented in an engaging manner. Learned so much.

Tracey Mulvihill
I liked the use of the case study throughout the seminar, the interactive quality and that breakout rooms were not used.  I thought the seminar was great. Jacqueline is very knowledgeable, therefore the session was very interesting.

Denise Sullivan
I liked the way the information built up from the start to the end. It was a refresher for me and I found it very beneficial.

Tania Krecek, Clinical Psychologist
I liked that it was a introduction to family therapy well and truly covering all areas of what a therpaist would need to know going into a first session with a family. It was interactive and there were opportunities for learning to be consolidated in case studies and group tasks. Nothing to improve this introduction course.

Wynne Wong, Counsellor
I like the case studies and how we spent the time in small groups to share our ideas and hypotheses. It was also useful to learn about the practical aspects such as setting up the session, confidentiality etc.

Loren Robinson, Clinical Psychologist
I found it very helpful to present a case study as a way of introducing family therapy to us and demonstrating how powerful genograms and circular questions are when done correctly.

Diana Ginty, Couples Counsellor
The practical advise around case studies and break out discussions. This solidifies the learning. Also the very clear discussion around how therapist collect their income

 

Working with Parents, Teens and Children

Mrs Liezel Stewart - Psychologist
Interactive, very relevant and practical as well as good structure. 

Eliane Mathiuet - Registered Clinical Counsellor and Artistic Therapist
Jacqueline McDiarmid is very knowledgable and was generously sharing.  She was responding to all questions and provided a great diversity in her presentation.  The case study was very comprehensive. 

Charlotte Handford - Clinical Psychollogist, Couple and Family therapist
Very helpful in terms of practical considerations when working with families.  

Susan Lancaster- Stepfamily Counselling
It has given me more confidence in working with all family members, especially children.

Fiona Thomas - Counsellor
Loved gleaning from Jacqueline’s experience. I felt more reassured how to set boundaries around the work I engage in. Jacqueline also made the training engaging and interactive for the online platform.

Matthew Massey - Family and Relationship Counsellor
It was very practical in nature, providing a good guide on how to approach families looking for therapy – what to offer depending on what they are presenting with and looking for.

 

Working with Family Cut-offs and Estrangements

Julie Pert - Director Open Arms GNSW
I really enjoyed Jacqueline’s style, warm, calm, well paced and very interesting. Felt focusing on one case study was very helpful and really looking at the contributing factors from a systemic lense, but also not assuming gender issues were the primary cause of estrangement, and how we can become easily trapped in thinking this from the outset.

 

Ethical and Best Practice Training

Ms. Yvonne Grant - Counsellor/Mediator/Parent Coordinator
The presenter generously shared her practical experience working as a therapist over many years while at the same time encouraging participants to share their individual experiences.