Mary Forbes

About me

I have been working with individuals, couples, children, adolescents and families here in Victoria since 1971. My work is based upon systemic concepts and theories. My aim is to develop a therapeutic relationship as a safe place from which to relieve specific symptoms. My object is to promote insight and coping strategies. I focus on moving to action-based solutions using people’s strengths and abilities to find new ways of feeling, thinking and behaving. As I work with individuals of all ages, couples, children, teens and whole families, I specialize in working with traumatic stress, stroke, and acquired brain injury and dealing with issues such as job stress, loss and grieving, life transitions, aging, recovery from physical, sexual and/or emotional abuse, anger management and substance abuse recovery. How I Can Help - Recovery from Traumatic Injury: Helping families in their recovery from traumatic brain injury or stroke. Sessions by appointment in my office or in your home with any or all family members. - Divorce, Separation, Custody, Access, Blended Families: Your needs and your children’s needs, addressing unresolved issues and addressing common issues for blended families. - Relationships: Marriage, your parents, workplace relationships, building positive communication - Conflict: Finding wise solutions to shared problems - Stress Management: Lifestyle, workplace, life transitions - Anger: Understanding emotion, managing behaviour - Depression and Anxiety: Understand, coping, surviving, thriving - Grief and Loss: Healing in the context of illness, accident, brain injury, abuse, loss - Aging: Addressing independence, retirement, loneliness, care-giving and loss due to aging - Parenting with Authority and Compassion: Parenting yourselves, your children and your aging parents, bring out the best in your children and yourselves.