Cheryl Tan-Bell, PACFA

Cheryl Tan-Bell is a PACFA counsellor with 15 years of practice in Australia. She supports people facing relationship strain, trauma, grief and major life changes. Cheryl aims to make the first step less daunting and to help clients feel heard and understood.

She works from an attachment-based and client-centred perspective. That means she pays attention to how early relationships shape current patterns and focuses on each person’s experience in the room. Sessions are practical and conversational, with space to express feelings and to try new ways of relating.

Cheryl also uses cognitive behavioural ideas and emotionally-focused work to help people manage distressing thoughts and to repair connection with others. She offers tools for anxiety, low mood and stress, and practical ways to cope after loss or trauma. Her approach combines short-term problem solving with deeper exploration as needed.

People bring many concerns such as parenting stress, intimacy-related issues, career strain, or challenges linked to ADHD and compassion fatigue. Cheryl listens for what matters most and helps set achievable goals that fit everyday life.

She encourages a collaborative pace and clear feedback during therapy. If you want straightforward support to sort relationships, cope with change, or work through painful events, Cheryl offers experienced guidance and steady support.

Approaches that translate well to online counselling

Cheryl blends attachment-based work, emotionally-focused therapy and cognitive behavioural techniques in ways that suit talking remotely. Attachment-based therapy looks at how early connection patterns influence current relationships and helps people notice and change repeating patterns. Emotionally-focused therapy focuses on feelings and the moments of connection or disconnection between people, which can be especially useful for repairing trust and intimacy. Cognitive behavioural therapy offers practical strategies to manage unhelpful thoughts and reduce anxiety or low mood.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Cheryl will talk with each person about goals, preferences and the problems that matter most, then suggest which methods to try first. This is a collaborative process and can be adjusted over time based on what helps most.

When booking, please confirm the available session formats before you schedule. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed. Some people find phone or video sessions let them keep continuity of care during life changes, while others prefer longer face-to-face style conversations; Cheryl will help match the format to your needs.