- Client-centred therapy
- Mindfulness therapy
- Parenting support
About Saijel
Saijel Dheda is an ACA counsellor with five years' experience working in Australia and New Zealand. She trained to a Master's level in counselling at the University of Auckland. Her practice focuses on family concerns, intimacy-related issues, parenting, coping with life changes and compassion fatigue.
Saijel has worked with people from diverse cultural backgrounds and on issues connected to identity, migration and intergenerational trauma. She also supports people dealing with abandonment, attachment and blended family challenges. Her work includes parenting concerns, domestic violence recovery and caregiver stress.
Her approach draws on client-centred therapy and mindfulness therapy. Sessions tend to focus on listening closely, naming how guilt and shame show up, and practising simple mindfulness skills. She uses straightforward conversation and practical strategies to help people manage intense feelings and improve communication.
Saijel's background includes work with adolescents and adults across family and individual settings. She has training in trauma-informed practice, family therapy and cross-cultural counselling from her master's studies. This informs how she thinks about the effects of colonisation and migration on identity and relationships.
In sessions she pays attention to safety and clarity, and she aims to be consistent and reliable for the people who come to her. People often bring worries about commitment, codependency, body image and control issues. Saijel helps people talk through those concerns and consider small, manageable steps forward.
How her approaches translate to online work
Client-centred therapy focuses on listening and reflecting what matters to the person. In practice that means the therapist follows the client's pace, asks clarifying questions and helps the person name feelings and values. This approach suits people who need a steady, respectful listener for guilt, shame or family conflict.Mindfulness therapy teaches attention skills to notice thoughts, body sensations and emotions without immediately reacting. Simple breathing and grounding practices are used so people can build tolerance for difficult feelings and reduce reactivity in relationships. It often helps with rumination and intense self-criticism.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Saijel will discuss goals, try approaches in session and check in about what feels useful. That decision is collaborative and can change as needs evolve.
The profile does not specify which online formats she uses, so confirm session options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit conversations into a busy life, shorten travel time and allow more frequent check-ins when needed. It also supports people who prefer not to be in a clinic setting for practical reasons rather than wellbeing claims.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
5+ years
Listed in
Australia
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she work with?
She works with family issues, intimacy-related concerns, parenting, coping with life changes and compassion fatigue, plus related areas like attachment, abandonment and communication problems.
How does she approach feelings of guilt or shame?
She uses client-centred and mindfulness approaches to help name how guilt and shame appear and to practice skills for sitting with difficult emotions.
What is her professional background?
She holds a Masters degree in counselling from the University of Auckland and has five years' clinical experience in Australia and New Zealand.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is an ACA counsellor and works in Australia.
Can I work with her if I live outside Australia?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not currently accepting international clients.
Which session formats are available?
The original profile does not list specific session formats; please confirm current session options before booking.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
What do I need to do to get started?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.