- ACT and client-centred
- Faith-integrated options
- Parenting and attachment
About Irene
Irene Hughes is an AASW social worker with 15 years of experience in Australia. She works with adults carrying stress, anxiety, relationship pain, trauma and abuse, parenting pressures and shaken self-esteem. She also helps people dealing with guilt and shame alongside issues like attachment, body image and isolation.
Irene brings Christian faith into sessions when clients want that. She uses Scripture, prayer and spiritual conversation alongside psychological work for people who ask for faith-informed support. She describes therapy as steady, paced work that honours each person’s beliefs and life story.
Her clinical approach draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which looks at values and practical steps for moving forward, and on client-centred methods that focus on the person’s own experience. In practice she listens for what matters to the client, then offers short exercises and ways to notice unhelpful thoughts without judgement.
Sessions often include talking through painful memories, practicing small changes, and testing beliefs about shame, guilt or identity. Irene pays attention to how family, faith and relationships shape the story a person carries. She aims to help people find clearer thinking and steadier ways of acting in everyday life.
People who prefer faith-integrated care can ask for it; others receive psychological approaches without spiritual elements. To begin, she asks clients to describe what they want to change and what matters most to them.
How her approaches translate to online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people clarify what matters to them and take small, practical steps in those directions while learning to notice difficult thoughts. It is commonly used for anxiety, stress, relationship strain and for moving on from guilt or shame.Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening closely to the person’s experience and following their priorities in session. This approach supports people who need someone to help them sort through feelings and decide what matters next.
Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Irene treats that as a collaborative process. She will talk with clients about their goals, test ACT exercises or client-centred ways of reflecting, and decide together which methods fit best with the client’s beliefs and daily life.
The therapist’s original profile does not list specific session formats, so confirm the current online options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, allow a shorter check-in when time is tight, or remove the need to travel. A faith-integrated approach can still be used in online sessions for those who request it, and adjustments can be made to match technology, attention spans and practical needs.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
15+ years
Listed in
Australia
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of issues does she help with?
Irene works with stress, anxiety, relationship problems, trauma and abuse, parenting struggles and self-esteem concerns, including guilt and shame.
How does she approach feelings of guilt and shame?
She uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy techniques and client-centred conversation to notice painful thoughts and test new ways of responding without forcing forgiveness or outcomes.
What is her professional background?
She has 15 years of clinical practice in Australia and describes her work as integrating psychological approaches with Christian faith when clients request that.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is an AASW social worker based in Australia.
Does she offer sessions in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English and she does not accept international clients at this time.
What session formats are available?
The original profile does not specify session formats; please confirm current online or in-person options before booking.
How are sessions paid for?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the See online therapy options button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and scheduling a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.