Counselling Services
We understand that upon diagnosis there are many unknowns.
Living with uncertainty can trigger feelings of helplessness, anxiety and depression. By providing access to funded counselling and face-to-face/ online support groups we can help build a strong community to prevent patients and families from feeling isolated and dis-empowered.
Peace of Mind offers face-to-face support groups and funded counselling to help patients and family members navigate their way through their diagnosis and continue to find joy in life when faced with uncertainty.
Counselling can be face-to-face or online depending on your location and Peace of Mind can offer funded and/or discounted sessions to our preferred professionals below.
Please note: Any families experiencing financial hardship may be eligible for funded sessions via Peace of Mind Foundation, please enquire today to find out more information.
Counsellors
Cherrie Adams
Registered Counsellor
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Mrs Havachat Counselling
In 2010 I retired from my lifelong job as a Travel Agent and began to volunteer for Lifeline as a phone support worker. I did that for 2 years and then another 3years phone support for FDS a support organisation for families with loved ones suffering with addiction.
This work led me to career change. In 2013 I began a 2.5 year Advance Diploma of Counselling. My final task was to find 130 hours of placement and then submit my final assignment in December of 2015. I was on track to graduate in early 2016.
January of 2015 began with devastating news however. Our then 25 year old son, Christopher, (but called Critter), was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour. His world was shattered and those of us around him could only wonder at his determination and courage to stare down this insidious and unwanted intruder.
His prognosis was perhaps for 3 to 5 years and we were optimistic that we would find a trial for him to enter and buy him more time, or dare we hope, a cure!
I wanted to abandon my studies but the words of the mother can come back at you from the mouths of the children!
One night I told Critter I was going to throw in my course so I could focus on him and his wellbeing. He looked at me with his gorgeous blue/green eyes and said:
“Mum, you don’t get to use my Cancer as an excuse to not finish. You're a ‘Gunna,’ and you are NOT gunna bail on this. You are too close. Get the bloody thing done!”
And there it was. My future career was locked in.
Our dear Critter only survived 11 months from diagnosis. He died on 19th November 2015, but his impact on us and all who knew and loved him was profound.
I did graduate in early 2016 and in 2017 with the love and guidance of my family and friends, opened my own business….MRS HAVACHAT COUNSELLING.
It is a privilege to hold space for my clients in their most testing times and to be trusted with their vulnerability is a gift that I do not take lightly.
So how do I work?
I prefer to see my role as the conduit to reconnect you with yourself. Many issues arise from living a life that is not congruent with your truth. We become a version of ourselves based on others needs. We get caught in the “shoulds”. Always looking at the needs and will of others imposed upon us by family of origin, school, work, societal demands, all of which may result in the loss of self.
It’s hard to comprehend that self care and self love does not equate to being selfish. So many problems in relationships arise from the loss of self. We can feel unseen, unheard, unworthy.
In my sessions I work with you to seek that reconnection with self. It’s such a joy to watch a client work through the fog and begin to see the sunlight.
When dealing with grief, there can be survivor guilt, the loss of a loved one, but also of the life planned, or the life taken too soon. We gently explore your story and hopefully find a place for you to lay down your pain for a time.
The opportunity to work with Peace of Mind is a treasure that I hold dear.
Through all of this I am reminded that:
You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it
Love and light
Cherrie
Kate Barber
Registered Counsellor
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Counsellor
Hi, I'm Kate and I am the founder of Bloom Counselling Cancer Support.
After almost 30 years as a Registered Nurse, working in the cancer space, I recognised there was a need for specialised support for those experiencing a life-limiting illness and their loved ones, from someone who understood what they may be going through.
From the huge shock of a diagnosis, managing hospitals and treatment, being a carer, survivorship, end-of-life care, decision making and everything in between, a cancer diagnosis can turn your life upside down.
Everything has suddenly changed and there are a lot of adjustments to make - physically, mentally, sexually, emotionally. It can affect your relationships and those around you. It can also feel like a very lonely time and can be hard to find someone to talk to who understands what this is like. I do.
I have experienced this upheaval firsthand, with the huge shock of the diagnosis and then caring for both my mum and sister while they lived with brain cancer. This experience led me to go back to study, to become a Counsellor and to start my own practice, specialising in supporting those with a life-limiting illness, anxiety, life adjustment, grief, loss, and bereavement.
This is also where my passion and dedication to working with Peace of Mind Foundation was formed.
It is a privilege for me to work with, sit in the space with and help clients make sense of what is going on for them and to help them find some joy and meaning amongst the many emotions a cancer diagnosis brings.
I look forward to meeting you and providing support throughout your experience.
Kate
You can contact Kate directly on 0431 218 373, via email at support@bloomcounselling.com.au or through the website www.bloomcounselling.com.au
With rooms in both Brighton East and Highett, Kate will warmly welcome your enquiry
Kristy Plenter
Registered Counsellor
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Counsellor
Originally from Colorado, USA, I moved to Australia in 2020 to be closer to my husband’s family and now call Victoria home. With over two decades of experience in social work, I bring a deep understanding of the emotional, psychological, and practical challenges faced by patients and families navigating complex health journeys.
Since earning my Master of Social Work in 2001, I’ve worked across hospital and community settings, giving me a broad perspective and a compassionate lens. Currently, I serve as the senior social worker in Community Palliative Care at Barwon Health, where I’m part of the Supportive Care Team providing holistic, person-centered support. I am an Accredited Member of the Australian Association of Social Workers.
My approach is simple: it’s guided by you. I work from a strengths-based framework and draw on therapeutic modalities including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Brief Solution-Focused Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Together, we’ll explore what matters most to you and find a path forward that feels right.
Outside of work, I enjoy camping, gardening, and spoiling our dog Lilly — who’s convinced she runs the household.
You can contact Kristy directly via email at kristyplenter@gmail.com
Peace of Mind Foundation is proud to partner with the Australian College of Applied Professionals (ACAP) to offer free counselling and psychology support to brain tumour patients across Australia.
Through the ACAP Clinic (a national teaching clinic providing psychology, counselling and social work services at no cost) individuals can access ongoing, compassionate care with no session limits, and no Medicare or GP referral required.
This partnership ensures that anyone affected by a brain tumour can receive timely, professional emotional support to help navigate the challenges of diagnosis, treatment and daily life.
https://www.acap.edu.au/applied-psychology/psychology/psychology-clinic/