TRAUMA THERAPY, ADHD & PARENTING COACHING, AND EDUCATION

Shani Prideaux - Director

Qualifications: 

BA in Counselling (minor coaching) ~ children and youth, trauma and grief, family therapy, addiction.

Diploma in Positive Psychology & Wellbeing ~ Positive Parenting & Coaching.

Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Level 2 (CCTP-II)

ADHD Clinical Services Provider - ADHD-CCSP

Brainspotting Practitioner - Phase 2.

Mental Health First Aid - Master Trainer

“My passion lies in promoting well-being and fostering post-traumatic growth for people navigating activating events, distressing challenges, or a desire to create meaningful life changes. As a counsellor, I work with individuals from all walks of life, including young people and parents, supporting them through a range of personal and relational issues.

My Journey and Discovery
Talking to people has always been a natural fit for me. Beginning as a hairdresser, I noticed how clients trusted me with their stories—joyful, painful, and deeply personal. This early experience planted the seeds for a career dedicated to listening, connecting, and helping others heal. Later, as I transitioned into health and fitness after becoming a parent, I found myself instinctively drawn to people who were using exercise as a way to navigate mental health struggles, body image issues, and life challenges. My curiosity and drive to help others led me to further study in mental health and well-being, a path that would ultimately lead to a profound realization about myself.

While working in the gym and later in clinical and therapeutic settings, I noticed something remarkable: a large proportion of my clients were neurodivergent, often ADHDers or Autistic individuals. Many would tell me, “No other therapist has explained it like that,” as I adapted the strategies and modalities I was learning to suit the unique needs of their brains. I didn’t realise at the time that my ability to do this so naturally came from being neurodivergent myself.

The questions began piling up: Why had I always struggled with traditional systems, despite being highly intelligent and motivated? Why did it take me seven years to finish a four-year degree? Why did I feel overwhelmed by things others seemed to manage easily? Yet breeze through crises and complicated and multifaceted problems in a way others couldn’t? These reflections, paired with the growing neurodivergent themes in my clients’ stories, eventually led me on my own ADHD journey in my 40s.

Bringing My Experience to My Work
Understanding my neurodivergence has profoundly shaped my approach as a therapist. I now see how much my journey—masked struggles, overcompensating to meet expectations, and battling feelings of being “too much” or “not enough”—mirrors the experiences of many of my clients. This insight allows me to connect deeply with people, helping them find balance, self-compassion, and strategies that honor their unique brains.

Beyond neurodivergence, my work spans a broad spectrum of issues, from trauma recovery to parenting support, and from relational challenges to creating meaningful life changes. Over the years, I’ve worked as a parenting coach with foster networks, in high school well-being teams, and as a mental health educator across Australia and New Zealand. I’ve also served as a program counsellor for Raise Foundation and as a therapist at Tumbelin Farm, a residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation program for young men.

My work is grounded in social inclusion, mental health and well-being literacy, and advocacy for a healthier, more compassionate society. I integrate a variety of evidence-based and embodied modalities tailored to individual needs, including Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Systemic Family Therapy, Mindfulness, Somatic Therapy, and Brainspotting.”

Shani works with people face-to-face in the Gawler clinic, and online.