Convenient Location & Telehealth
Easily accessible in-person consultations at neighbouring Turner rooms, plus secure nationwide telehealth options for East Canberra residents.
Counsellor & Psychotherapist Serving East Canberra, ACT
Elmarie Bekker Counselling is proud to serve East Canberra residents with warm, professional, and personalized mental health counselling, psychotherapy, and relationship support. As its own distinct district within the ACT, East Canberra clients can benefit from the easy access to Turner where the office is located or from flexible telehealth sessions designed to fit around busy schedules. Whether you live near the Airport, work in Symonston, or reside in surrounding pockets like Beard, Pialligo, or Oaks Estate, Elmarie provides a safe supportive space for you to express yourself authentically and develop your own coping skills.
East Canberra is one of Canberra’s more distinctive communities, home to apartments on the foreshore, small business owners and workers connected to Fyshwick’s commercial precinct, and those living in quieter surrounding areas near the airport. Managing everyday life in a busy commercial district or navigating family dynamic in nearby residential pockets can carry its own unique stress from work-related burnout and financial pressure to relationship conflict, grief, trauma, and neurodivergent challenges. Elmarie combines person-focused care with proven therapeutic models to tailor support to your specific lived experience.
For East Canberra
Individual Therapy
Tailored one-on-one sessions supporting adults and adolescents (aged 12+) to process emotional pain, improve self-awareness, and overcome anxiety, depression, or self-doubt.
Couple & Family Counselling
Focusing on strengthening communication, rebuilding trust, resolving conflict patterns, and creating a safe emotional environment for couples and families.
Anxiety & Depression
Stress Management
Trauma & PTSD
Self-Esteem & Confidence
Relationships
Grief & Loss
Counselling & Psychotherapy Support for East Canberra Communities
Life in East Canberra can look quite different depending on where you live and work. People connected to Canberra Airport and the Majura business areas may have demanding work schedules, changing routines, and little time to switch off. Families in areas such as Pialligo and Oaks Estate may be dealing with parenting pressures, relationship changes, or the challenges of balancing family life with work. Major life changes, anxiety, grief, stress, and feelings of being overwhelmed can affect anyone, even when life seems to be going well from the outside.
Elmarie Bekker Counselling provides a safe and confidential space for East Canberra residents to talk about what is happening in their lives. With her background in social work and psychotherapy, Elmarie looks at the person as a whole, including their relationships, family situation, work pressures, and personal experiences. Her approach is tailored to each client, helping them make sense of what they are going through and find practical ways to manage difficult emotions, strengthen relationships, and move forward.
Why can attending accessible counselling in Turner work for East Canberra Residents?
Dedicated care tailored to your individual needs and lifestyle
Support Across Life Stages (12+)
Dedicated, age-appropriate mental health support for teens, adults, couples, and family units.
Qualified & ACA-Registered
Level 2 ACA-registered Counsellor holding a Bachelor of Social Work and a Master of Counselling degree.
Safe & Inclusive Environment
Warm, empathetic care welcoming individuals of all cultures, genders, sexual orientations, faith groups, and neurodivergent profiles.
Integrative Approaches
Tailored therapy drawing from Schema Therapy, Family Systems, CBT, Gestalt, and trauma-informed nervous system regulation.
Complimentary Discovery Session
Free initial 15-minute telephone consultation to discuss your needs with zero pressure or commitment.
Understanding how the process to get counselling will work for East Canberra Clients:
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1. Request Discovery Call
Call 0426 761 877 or complete our online contact form to schedule a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation to discuss your situation.
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2. Plan & Schedule
Choose between in-person appointments at our Turner clinic or convenient online sessions from your home in East Canberra, setting a timeline that fits your routine.
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3. Therapeutic Journey
Engage in collaborative, confidential sessions where you explore emotional patterns, develop coping strategies, and work toward meaningful personal change.
Book a Free 15-Minute
Consultation in East Canberra
Contact Elmarie Bekker Counselling today for a confidential, no-obligation discussion about your mental health goals. Initial discovery calls are scheduled within 48 hours.
Counselling is a type of talk therapy that promotes mental health, well-being and self-understanding. No formal diagnosis or mental health condition is needed to benefit from counselling.
Counselling focuses on understanding the client’s life story from their perspective. It is a collaborative process of exploring the client’s issues and experiences, acknowledging the client as the primary source of intimate knowledge about their life. The process is person-centred, confidential and non-judgemental. Whether it is a one-off session or long-term psychotherapy, I will listen with empathy and respect to facilitate change.
A psychologist generally provides psychological assessment and therapy for mental health and emotional concerns. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can diagnose mental health conditions, prescribe medication, and provide medical treatment. A counsellor supports people through emotional, relationship, life, and personal challenges using talking therapies. The right choice depends on your needs, and sometimes people work with more than one type of professional.
No referrals are needed. Counselling does not presently fall under Medicare-rebated mental health plans, and therefore no doctor’s referral is required. Despite no Medicare rebate, counselling is a cost-effective mental health service due to overall lower fees. There are indications that this might change in the near future.
My current individual session fee is $140, and sessions are 50-60 minutes long. For Couple counselling and Family counselling, the current session rate is $200 per session (regardless of the number of people attending) and is usually 90 minutes long. If individual sessions for members of the couple or family are necessary, the fee is currently $175.
I offer Brief Therapy sessions to clients who have been on the waiting lists for mental health services for an extended period of time. (To learn more, click on the Brief Therapy link here). My current Brief Therapy session fee is $200. Sessions are approximately 75-90 minutes long.
For more information about the costs of other services I offer, please enquire using the contact form.
East Canberra Suburbs We Serve
Providing dedicated mental health care to every corner of the East Canberra district: