Paula Borges

Paula is an independent registered counsellor with the Australian Counselling Association (ACA Level 4) and has a background from Brazil, where she commenced practice in 2014 as a psychologist.

She brings over ten years of experience supporting adolescents and adults experiencing emotional distress, trauma-related concerns and life transitions.

In Australia, Paula has worked within the education sector supporting children, families and culturally diverse communities, before transitioning fully into counselling and psychotherapy practice. She currently provides both short-term/goal-focused and longer-term therapy, depending on client needs and presentation.

Paula is currently undertaking her postgraduation in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with an emphasis on Functional Narratives at the University Center of Technology of Curitiba (Brazil) and she is an active member of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) Australia & New Zealand, reflecting her commitment to evidence-based approaches.  Her work is evidence-based and trauma-informed.

With international training and lived experience of migration, Paula has a strong background in culturally responsive practices and works sensitively with clients experiencing challenges related to identity, belonging, and intergenerational patterns.

Therapeutic approaches Paula focuses on include:

• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
• Process-based cognitive behavioural therapy (PB-CBT)
• Eye movement desensitisation reprocessing (EMDR)
• DBT-informed emotional regulation skills
• Functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP)
• Attachment-based and person-centred approaches
• Behavioural interventions
• Trauma-informed and culturally responsive care

Areas of practice Paula focuses on:

• Emotional impact of persistent or long-term health conditions, including complex or medically unexplained symptoms
• Ongoing anxiety, low mood or emotional overwhelm
• Sustained stress or past experiences that have gradually reshaped how you see yourself or your future
• Migration, cultural identity shifts, or prolonged uncertainty
• Relationship and family dynamics
• Coping strategies such as pornography, gambling, or alcohol use that have become repetitive, distressing or difficult to shift
• Grief, loss and significant changes
• Impact of unwanted sexual experiences

Paula welcomes adolescents (from age 12) and adults into her counselling space, offering both telehealth and in-person sessions. She is committed to creating an inclusive and culturally safe environment for clients of all backgrounds and identities.

Paula is fluent in English and Portuguese.