Angie Laussel (She/Her)

BSocWk(Hons), AMHSW, GradCertFamTher, GradDipTherChildPlay, MPlayTher.

If you are new to The Counsellors Academy - Welcome! 

My passion is helping therapists expand their clinical skills AND thrive in their own successful private practice.  

I'm a Social Worker, Family Therapist and Play Therapist who specialises in working with children and grown-ups who are neurodivergent..... which includes understanding how trauma, gender fluidity, sexuality, health issues and stigma can intersect with this. My private practice is neurodivergent led, with an "all brains are welcome here" approach.  This translates directly into our work as trainers and our private practice coaching model. 

So what is "all brains are welcome"?   

This means ideas, behaviours and ways of communicating that are often stigmatised elsewhere, are very welcome in our spaces.  We know that the busy brains of ADHD'ers can spark infinite tangents in conversations, and we delightedly accompany them.  We understand that hand flapping and spinning may be about excitement too big to hold inside, or it could be a way of regulating in an overwhelming environment.   We definitely understand that many neurodivergent people, especially girls, women, trans people, and "atypical" presentations, often go under the radar even into adulthood, so may be unaware or unsure of their neurodivergence.  And because ALL brains are welcome, many neurotypical people come and see us because they feel welcome too!   

How our training developed ....

The more we worked in this neurodiversity affirming space, the more other counsellors, therapists and allied health practitioners became either curious and interested in our approach, or defensive and concerned when it challenged their ideas about 'disorders' and 'deficits'.  And of course, this just prompted us to share more, especially with those who were looking for alternatives to the behaviourist, mainstream therapeutic approaches they realised were ineffective and even traumatising.  Our direct work in this area expanded to clinical supervision built on a neurodivergent affirming foundation, and this grew to include training in more and more aspects of the work we love. The Counsellors Academy is now moving these trainings online, excited about the growing demand from counsellors and therapists who no longer want to work in ways that shave square pegs so they fit into round holes. 

How our private practice coaching developed ....

At the same time, I was also working with other therapists who were wanting to move into private practice, or who were already in practice, but either not successful or feeling unfulfilled.  My own experience in private practice had been a chequered one.  As a sole practitioner, I had plenty of clients and felt competent in my role, yet never seemed to have time when I wasn't working.  Running a practice in partnership with others can have serious downfalls too: when I was co-Director of a group practice we subcontracted over a dozen practitioners and 'looked' a success, yet behind the scenes was a different matter. 

By the time I extricated myself from all that, I had learned the hard way how to run a successful practice and I was determined others didn’t need to make the same mistakes. Counsellors who came to me had often tried the "let's get more clients through your door" approaches of other private practice growth clinics, finding that not only did they not work, they also felt hollow, value-less and too distant from their original reason for becoming a counsellor, therapist or mental health professional.  I enjoyed helping counsellors take the leap into private practice, and then helping them grow their business, and feel OK about making a good living doing the work they loved.  Not surprisingly, the practitioners who benefited most from my coaching were those who also wanted to feel more authentic in the work they did.

So supporting people's authenticity has become a theme - for clients and practitioners, in our direct service work, our training and our coaching!

You are welcome to join us in The Counsellors Academy, to explore how you can expand your clinical skills and client engagement practices so that "all brains are welcome" in your space.  Or to explore where you are in your private practice journey, and how I can help you flourish as your authentic therapeutic self. 

TESTIMONIALS