BOSS WOMAN 156 | THE UPSIDE OF ME

A TEA WITH LISA FROM THE UPSIDE OF ME COUNSELLING & COACHING

What is your drink of choice?

I love a good French Earl Grey tea and find it’s the perfect weather for it lately!

Tell us a little bit about yourself?

As a qualified counsellor, I’m not often on the ‘sharing about me’ side! I’ve only been embracing Canberra’s weather for 2 years as my family and I have transitioned here from Brisbane. My friends and family describe me as very authentic, driven and passionate and I describe myself as one with FOMOOL (Fear of Missing Out On Life)! I’m happiest travelling and being outdoors. I challenge myself with piano lessons and can only manage looking after succulents.

Tell us about The Upside of Me and how it came to be?

I’ve always been a natural helper and having an interest in psychology, I see people’s strengths and positives. Throughout my degree I wanted to focus my practice on helping women understand themselves better from a positive lens. Using counselling, I give them the space to be open but also work with them through simple mental health and wellness strategies that they can use right now.

After birthing a child that spent time in the NICU unit, I am super passionate about supporting new parents and its varied journeys and adjustments. Last year I created a mothers’ group done differently- Up & About Mothers’ Group – with a team of fantastic allied health boss women. As a blended family, I know the highs and lows of navigating a new Tribe. Building good families is important and has led me to offer a range of evidence-based parenting courses.

When creating my business plan, I saw a woman at my daughter’s school that had a t-shirt that said “the upside” and that where I developed my business brand from.

How can we support The Upside of Me?

As women we often suffer in silence and carry the load. If you find your friends, family or yourself not loving life, help break the stigma around seeking support. By referring them to me, I promise to hold space for them, support them and help them get on the upside of life again.

@theupsideofmecanberra

Any advice for those who are thinking about turning their dreams into a reality?Work with a business coach (I’ve been blessed with mine), even if it’s just for one session. The 60-minutes of your time will give you a plan and accountability.My experience working within a start-up and business development environment plus having formal workplace and business coaching qualifications, I can’t stress enough to put together a simple business plan. I teach my clients to enjoy creating a logo and colours but plan, plan, plan. This process gets you clear on your vision, values and purpose plus saves you a bucket load of money in the long run.

What’s the difference between a counsellor and a psychologist?

This is a question I get asked often. Counselling is a profession with a strong evidence base. Australian Counselling Association (ACA) registered counsellors (like me), have completed an undergraduate or postgraduate counselling qualification and participate in ongoing professional development and supervision.

Counsellors are not providers to the government’s Mental Health Plan program like psychologist are, therefore the wait time to see a counsellor is less and you don’t need to see a GP first. Plus, counsellor’s fees are often the same or lower than the gap fee a Mental Health Plan attracts.

Most psychologists provide assessment and therapy to clients to help facilitate organisational or social change. They also conduct psychological research, or administer psychological tests (like depression tests) to individuals or groups. You will need to see a GP to get a referral and mental health plan.