Herath Abeysekara, AASW

Herath Abeysekara is an AASW mental health social worker practising in Queensland, Australia. She has six years of experience supporting people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, low mood or life changes. Herath aims to make the first step easier by offering a calm, non-judgemental space to talk through what is happening right now.

She focuses on everyday concerns such as relationships, self-esteem and motivation. She also helps people coping with chronic illness, caregiving strain, adoption and foster care issues, ageing, and attachment concerns. Herath adapts her approach to what each person brings to the session.

Herath draws on approaches like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Attachment-Based Therapy. Sessions typically look at practical skills, values-based goals and ways to manage difficult thoughts or feelings. She explains tools simply and encourages small steps that fit into daily life.

Herath aims for a warm, collaborative style. She listens first, then works with the person to set realistic goals. The therapy process is paced to each client, and she encourages feedback so the work stays relevant.

People who are anxious about reaching out often find a short initial conversation helps them decide if the style feels right. Herath invites prospective clients to start by describing what they most want to change, so together they can agree on the next step.

How her therapeutic approaches work online

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and commit to actions that match their values. It is useful when someone wants clearer goals and ways to act despite difficult feelings. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on spotting patterns of thinking that keep problems going and learning practical strategies to change them. It often suits anxiety, low mood and stress. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships affect current trust and connection and can help with issues like attachment concerns and relationship patterns.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Herath will talk with each person about their needs, goals and preferences and then recommend a way of working. That choice is revisited as therapy progresses so methods can be adjusted if something isn’t helping.

The biography does not list specific online formats, so please confirm available session options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when that suits. It also makes it possible to use practical exercises, worksheets and goal-setting tools between sessions to keep momentum going.