Darcy Watson-Russell (They/them)Counsellor

Darcy has worked both formally and informally in counselling and peer support with LGBTIQA+ and neurodivergent adults of all ages (18-65+). They love working with a wide range of people, and welcome anyone looking for a place where they will be met with deep listening, curiosity, warmth, and authenticity. Darcy is especially passionate about supporting trans and gender diverse people navigating grief and loss, suicidality, trauma, disability and chronic illness, and autism and other experiences of neurodivergence.  Darcy approaches therapy as a relationship first, taking the time to build trust and connection from the start. They believe in having open, honest conversations that don’t default to risk assessment, and they’re not afraid to be ‘in it’ alongside you, whatever that might look like for you. They bring a calm, grounded presence to sessions, centring your expertise and self-knowledge, and adapting to your needs on the day. Darcy’s values and lived experience lead them to use non-pathologising, non-blaming approaches like Narrative Therapy, Intentional Peer Support, and the Alternatives to Suicide model. They use these approaches to create a safe space to explore and get curious about the problems and hard times that show up in your life, break down big ideas we’ve been taught by our societies and cultures, question unjust systems, and connect with your skills, knowledge, values, and hopes. In a session, this might look like having a supportive chat, sharing stories and reflecting, mapping ideas and possibilities, doing a creative exercise, or something else. Darcy is a disabled, neurodivergent, white queer trans settler on Whadjuk Noongar Boodja (Country). They care deeply about community-building, and social and environmental justice of all kinds. When they're not working, Darcy is probably hanging out with their cats while crafting and watching something silly. They also love cooking and fermenting, music, reading, learning about sea creatures, and being in nature.