About
Alana Hawke
One of the most important lessons life has taught me is that true healing does not come from the outside,
it awakens from within.
Background
I grew up in an environment where belief and fear were closely intertwined. From a young age, I was exposed to strong ideas about the end of the world and the importance of getting things “right”, which had a lasting impact on how I saw myself and the world.
This led to a deep sense of anxiety, confusion and pressure to be good, alongside a growing disconnection from my own thoughts and feelings. Much of my inner life became shaped by trying to manage fear and avoid getting things wrong.
Over time, through therapy and inner work, I began to understand how these early experiences had shaped me, and how it was possible to build a different relationship with myself.
This continues to inform my work, particularly with people navigating shame, anxiety and the lasting impact of religious or relational experiences.
Qualifications
I hold a post-graduate qualification in Counselling and Psychotherapy from the Metavision Institute and am a current trainee in the Conversation Model of Psychotherapy with the Australia and New Zealand Association of Psychotherapy (ANZAP).
Research for these models supports their effectiveness for anxiety, depression and a variety of other emotional challenges.
My work draws on relational, somatic and experiential approaches. This may involve working with thoughts and feelings as they arise, paying attention to the body, or using image and creative processes to access experiences that can be difficult to put into words.
Approach
My approach is grounded in the belief that each person holds their own inner wisdom. My role is to help bring that wisdom into awareness.
I work gently and without judgement, offering a space where thoughts, feelings, and sensations can be explored as they arise.
As this connection deepens, people often find they are able to move through life with less struggle and more flow. A sense of ease can return, alongside a feeling of being more present and alive.
Why Pshychotherapy?
For most of us, there comes a time when we stop and take stock of where, and more essentially who, we are.
This may result from a big shock that shakes us to our very core. Or it may just be a gnawing sense that there is something more to life than what we are currently experiencing.
These big shocks or subtle gnawings can erode our sense of happiness and fulfilment. We may experience depression, anxiety, a sense of isolation, confusion or feel deeply overwhelmed.
During these times, many people turn to therapy.
Take the first step towards a different relationship with yourself
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting–
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
Mary Oliver | Wild Geese