Matthew is a leading trauma and relationship counsellor and psychotherapist, with a background in teaching earlier in life. Having worked as a counsellor for clients of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and for a victims of crime programme, he has extensive experience in helping both short and long term with complex and simple trauma, and all the life difficulties that go with it.Having been on a personal journey of healing for over 30 years, Matthew can empathise with sufferers of complex trauma and their struggles to find peace, meaning and connection.Matthew's speciality as a relationship counsellor is using his trauma counselling expertise to help people notice how their inner woundedness, often carried from childhood, affects the dance of their relationship, sometimes in ways beyond their awareness.As a Focusing Oriented Psychotherapist, Matthew is trained in helping people work with the mind as it is experienced in the body, an aspect of psychotherapy that has emerged as a key component in effective trauma therapy. Matthew is adept in explaining and leading experiential learning in mindful, body-oriented healing.Matthew also brings a rich awareness of how culture intertwines with the healing process. Matthew lived for 3 years in Japan and has worked extensively with and learned much from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including on the community of Palm Island.In his work with the Blue Knot Foundation, Australia’s leading trauma education and support foundation, Matthew trains other counsellors, psychologists and social workers in trauma awareness and the latest trauma counselling approaches.