About Me

Carol-Anne Howlett is the founder of The Red Chair Therapy.  She holds a Masters of Counselling and Applied Psychotherapy, a Bachelor of Counselling and Human Change, along with further qualifications in Human Resources and Training. 

 

She is a Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner (FDRP), helping couples separate amicably.  Carol-Anne is a registered member of the ACA (Australian Counselling Association), a Clinical Supervisor with the ACA College of Supervisors, ANZ Mental Health Association, International Holistic Health Association - Art Therapy.  She sits on the Consumer Reference Council Committee with the Sleep Health Foundation of Australia in conjunction with Flinders University, Sleep Health College of Medicine & Public Health.

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She has worked in Human Resources for over 25 years and is well versed in mediation, investigations, coaching and behavioural psychoeducation in the corporate arena and regularly gives talks on mental health.  In 2016, Carol-Anne launched ‘The Red Chair Therapy’ which has quickly become a successful business, with rooms on the NSW Central Coast. 

 

Carol-Anne favours an eclectic approach to her work, using a range of modalities including Solution Focused Therapy, Family Systems, Psychodynamic /Psychoanalytic, Narrative, Person-Centered Therapy and Gestalt, as part of her 'toolkit'. She believes that this approach lifts the restrictions of being aligned with one therapeutic technique.  This ensures the best treatment for the client and the problem, reflecting the uniqueness of our personalities.  Carol-Anne places great importance on transparency and the relationship between therapist and client, believing this to be the most powerful agent of change. 

 

She is passionate about her work with individuals, couples and families, working through relationship issues, trauma and mental health.  She also offers a number of support groups throughout the year and delivers educational seminars in soft skills such as 'Assertiveness', 'Building Confidence' and 'Stress Management' to schools and businesses.  

 

Carol-Anne is known for her practical, down-to-earth approach which is why her clients stay with her for years.  She tackles issues holistically, considering physical health also.  Clients describe her as '...full of character, quirky and a sense of humour.  We laugh a lot, in our sessions, and homework is great fun, it's not all doom and gloom' (Anon couple).  She quickly deals with the initial crises, after which clients realise the need to work on their personal development.  

 

Carol-Anne has two adult children and a wonderfully tolerant husband, all of whom came to Australia 23 years ago, from Ireland.  She dotes on her two incredibly cheeky but loveable dogs, Lilly (Spoodle) and Charlie (Cavoodle).

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The Red Chair Therapy provides in-person consultations with a therapy room located on the Central Coast.  Consultations are also provided over a phone call, online via Zoom, Google Meet, Facetime, What'sApp  or any other method as we understand each person benefits in different ways and everybody feels comfortable with different options. 

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You can contact us via phone, SMS, leave a message, email or simply fill out the form below and we can get in contact with you.