A Simpler Path Forward Through Life Starts Here
Are you or your staff facing stress, trauma, depression, anxiety, major life changes or other mental health related obstacles? I offer practical tools and compassionate guidance to help you break down and simplify challenges, and create traction in life.
Empower Yourself Through Simplicity
The more complex our lives become, the more an individual need for stabilising and simplifying life arises. Unfortunately, there seems to be an un-ending increase in complexity and information overload, combined with added pressures from employers, financial commitments, social expectations and physical and mental health issues.
As a result, depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship issues and various other mental health concerns have been steadily on the rise. In Australia, nearly half the population will experience mental ill-health or a mental illness that requires counselling at some stage of their lives (statistic: Black Dog Institute).
Eastern Mindfulness orientated wisdom has long been beneficial in restoring and maintaining mental health, and Western psychology and counselling approaches are more and more integrating advances in brain-science with Mindfulness based interventions -with excellent clinical results.
After first spending nearly 10 years as a litigation lawyer, I have made it my career’s purpose since 2004 as counsellor to assist clients with:
- Individual and group counselling to effectively alleviate symptoms of -specifically- depression, anxiety and panic, stress and mental ill-health, using mindfulness-based approaches such as Mindfulness-integrated CBT (MiCBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
- Resolving trauma-experiences and trauma memories, including PTSD, in individual and group settings, using Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR).
- Regaining a sense of (work-life) balance, both in professional and personal lives.
- Working through interpersonal issues (partners, children, employers, etc.) by learning effective communication and conflict resolution skills.
- Increasing levels of happiness, contentment, calm, peace and other positive emotions, using Positive Psychology approaches.
- Mindfulness-based practices to develop a calm, steady mind (no matter ‘how bad the storm’).
- Grief & loss counselling and meaning-making.
- Developing practices to deal with strong, overwhelming emotions effectively by learning to understand the connection between brain, body, feelings, thoughts and behaviours.
My Services
Personalised counselling, coaching and education & training to help individuals and organisations navigate mental health challenges with clarity, balance and purpose.
My Products
Explore practical resources, including workshops and eBooks, designed to support clients’ mental and emotional wellbeing at their own pace.
My Articles
Read insights, tips and reflections from Marc on living and working with more intention, clarity and ease.
About Me
Marc de Bruin
Your Counsellor, Coach & Mentor
I have been a Registered Counsellor (ACA Level 4), Counselling Supervisor, Life Coach and Educator since 2004. I’ve worked with individuals and organisations in many countries to improve people’s mental health. I have also taught Diploma level counselling from 2015, and still work as sessional counselling tutor and marker at the University of the Sunshine Coast. I graduated from this Uni with a Master of Counselling myself. Aside from this, I worked close to 10 years as a barrister/solicitor in my former home country, the Netherlands, which helps me understand the more ‘corporate’ side of life.
I’ve spent my time in mental health on finding out HOW to effectively make lasting changes in life. In this role, I’ve worked with individual and corporate clients in Australia and globally, to help clients transform their personal and professional lives in seemingly simple, yet highly effective ways. As far as I’m concerned it’s all about ‘Simplifying Life’ and truly understanding the connection between brain, body, thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Once you do, you will regain a major amount influence over the direction of your life. You will no longer feel your ‘ship’ is without an engine and/or rudder.
Overcoming challenging situations in our personal and professional lives can seem impossible at times. Marc can assist you with making the seeming impossible possible.
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A Quite Different Approach to Counselling
Here’s a caveat: if you’re looking for a ‘run of the mill’ counsellor or mental health professional, you would be better off contacting one of my very capable colleagues. I look at life through a different lens, with a transpersonal, spiritual (but non-religious) filter. Expect to look at your life from a bigger perspective, while still being very practical. And expect to work from the inside out: YOU will change, first, and then your circumstances will.
I focus on ‘simplifying life’, using Mindfulness-based (and other evidence-based) modalities. Mindfulness integrated Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (MiCBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Narrative Therapy (NT) and Solution Focused Therapy (SFBT) are four of the main counselling modalities I work with in my practice. Since 2024, I also work as EMDR practitioner, a powerful, evidence-based modality that can assist with working through traumatic memories, traumatic experiences, and PTSD.
Aside from the evidence-based modalities listed above, my personal worldview has been strongly influenced by the teachings of (for instance) Michael Singer, Eckhart Tolle, Dr. Joe Dispenza, Dr. John Demartini, A Course in Miracles, the Seth Material, Dr. Viktor Frankl, Byron Katie, Dr. Deepak Chopra and many, many others. I don’t use these teachings in-session per se, but they have definitely influenced my personal “lens”. This means they definitely CAN be used in our sessions if that is something you think could be helpful in your specific situation.
I will always work together with you on what YOU feel and think is most useful. This is the foundation of Profs. Mick Cooper and John McLeod’s Pluralistic Framework to counselling: the client is in charge of their journey. Yet: the client and counsellor work together on the most helpful approach for the client, because they both make valuable contributions.
With a background in Business and Commercial Law, I also work with organisations, providing Counselling and Mindfulness Training, Critical Incident Debriefing, Rapid Onsite Support, Employee Assistance Programs Counselling, Employability Skills Training and Vocational Counselling.
Employee Assistance Programs
If you are employed, there is a good chance your employer has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) in place. This program allows you to have a number of counselling sessions each year at NO COST to you.
I work with a number of leading Australian EAP providers, among which Converge International, Spring Health, Wisdom Wellbeing, Workplace Options, Acacia Connection, Drake Wellbeing, Uprise, TELUS Health, AccessEAP and LifeSkills Australia. Even when your employer is linked in with another EAP Provider, you might be able to engage my counselling services under their EAP program by me onboarding with them. Definitely check with your employer if an EAP counselling program is available; this way, we could work together more affordably!
Private Health Cover
Also, I can provide counselling sessions that could attract a rebate from the following Private Health Insurance Providers:
- Medibank Private
- AHM
- HCF
- Bupa
- Doctors’ Health Fund
- Australian Regional Health Group
- GU Health
- Police Health
- Emergency Services Health
- St. Luke’s Health
- Phoenix Health
The level of rebate (if at all!) depends on your level of cover for extras, so please check your policy.
Lastly, I am licenced to work as a counsellor for WorkCover Queensland. If you have an active Worker’s Compensation Claim, with counselling included, you can nominate me as your counsellor at no cost to you. I will invoice WorkCover Queensland for your sessions (depending on their approval and session limits).
Let’s have a chat. Contact me to make an appointment.
Contact MeSupport For Your Mental Health
Discover self-guided resources: workshops, eBooks, and tools – created to support your mental and emotional wellbeing.
Explore the range of digital resources – designed to simplify your life and support your mental and emotional wellbeing. These self-paced tools, including eBooks and workshops, offer practical guidance for everyday challenges. A variety of real-life and current mental health challenges are being discussed.
What My Clients Are Saying
A glimpse into the journeys I’ve been honoured to support. Their stories could be the start of yours.