Congratulations! You have taken the first step towards a brighter future.
About Manuela (Ela) James
For many years I struggled with anxiety and low self-esteem. I forced myself to lock away experiences of childhood abuse and trauma and focused on my goals and plans, thinking this will be enough. For a while it worked.
However, as it often happens, just when I thought I had everything under control, life hit me hard with the loss of a loved one. I was gutted. Everything I kept locked away, came crushing down on me. My life, as I knew it, was never going to be the same again. I felt I did not have the strength to go on anymore.
On the brink of giving up on everything, I reached out for help. After finding a psychotherapist who understood my pain and my struggle, and walked with me at my pace and on my terms, I slowly reclaimed myself and became strong enough to enjoy life again and find a new purpose.
My personal experience led to a burning passion to help others and carried me through university studies and a long career with Lifeline, Queensland Health Mental Health Service, and now private practice.
From my own recovery journey and as a psychotherapist, I know how important it is to get professional support along the way, to keep you focused on your goals and to guide you towards becoming a stronger you. You do not have to walk alone. Reach out now.
My approach to therapy
Psychological Therapy is not a magic wand, and it takes time for issues to be processed, resolved and assimilated into our database of memories and experiences. I see my role as that of a coach with YOU the client as the expert of your situation and agent of change. I am a psychotherapist with focus on anxiety, depression, grief and loss and PTSD. I provide evidence based focused psychological therapies tailored to your needs and your situation.
I will walk with you at your pace, and provide a safe space for you to debrief, self-identify concerns, list your strengths and capabilities, and set goals towards a successful future. I will guide you through each session by reviewing your progress together and assisting you to maintain gains and increase resilience and coping skills.
My focus is to support you to acquire practical skills with real life application to assist you in your journey of recovery and growth. My goal is to empower you to make changes where change is possible and improve distress tolerance where the situation is beyond your control.
Fees:
General psychological therapies - All valid GP referrals with a Mental Helath Care Plan made to this service will be bulkbilled. A gap fee applies for Chronic Medical Condition referrals (EPC), whilst referrals without a Mental Health Care Plan will incur a full fee.
NDIS- No additional charge for self managed or case managed NDIS participants. Will need to provide participant details, plan and funding details, and invoice management options.
WorkCover - referrals will not incur any cost to the client. I am a registered service provider with WorkCover Queensland. Eligible clients will require to provide details of their case manager, consent for billing and participant number.
Victim Assist Queensland - eligible clients will not incur any additional cost. Clients will require to provide contact details of their case manager, consent for billing and participant number.
Reports- will be costed according to the extent of detail requested by the client.
Appointments
By appointment only
You do not need a referral; however it is important to discuss your concerns with your GP, as you may be eligible for a referral under Medicare and rebate for your sessions with a Mental health Care Plan. This will also help us work as a team with your GP to support you more holistically.
To arrange an appointment please phone or text 0402 473 286, or you can use the online enquiry form below and we will contact you on the same day to discuss and schedule your appointment.
If you need to change or cancel your appointment, please give sufficient notice to allow us to fill the hour that has been set aside for yours. A cancellation fee may apply for non attendance or cancellation less than 24 hours before your appointment. Please note Medicare does not provide a rebate for cancelled or missed appointments.
Fees are Payable 24 hrs before your appointment.
What to expect
The number of sessions of therapy varies depending on the nature of your concern, readiness to implement changes and ongoing challenges you might experience in your current situation. If you have a Mental Health Care Plan you will receive Medicare rebates for up to 10 sessions per year with your GP's referral.
Clinic location
BRISBANE
0402473286