Alana Russell, AASW

Alana Russell is a therapist who specialises in supporting first responders, veterans, frontline professionals and their families. She combines professional and personal insight to understand the particular stresses and challenges that come with those roles, recognising the strengths and resilience clients bring to therapy.

Alana values trauma-informed care and uses evidence-based techniques to help people move forward. She draws on strengths-based and solution-focused strategies alongside cognitive behavioural therapy to assist with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, career concerns, depression and compassion fatigue. Her training covers a broad range of needs including mental health, psychological injuries, motherhood and parenting, addiction and couples counselling, and she has experience working with people of all ages.

Clients work with Alana to explore attachment and control issues, relationship change such as divorce and separation, challenges related to first responder and veteran work, grief and forgiveness, panic and postpartum difficulties, and finding life purpose and self-love. She encourages clients to view themselves as the expert in their own lives and to build on existing strengths as part of the healing process. Alana is listed with AASW - the Australian Association of Social Workers - and offers compassionate, practical support for those seeking greater balance and wellbeing.

Therapeutic approaches and online support

Alana commonly integrates trauma-informed care, cognitive behavioural therapy and strengths-based techniques to address the issues clients bring. Trauma-informed care means recognising how past and work-related traumas can affect current thinking, feelings and behaviour and adapting sessions to minimise re-triggering while building coping resources. Cognitive behavioural therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and testing new behaviours to reduce anxiety, panic and depressive symptoms. Strengths-based and solution-focused work helps clients draw on their existing resilience and practical skills to set achievable goals and make concrete changes.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Alana works collaboratively with each person to determine which techniques fit their needs, goals and preferences, and adjusts methods over time in consultation with the client. This collaborative stance helps tailor care to individual circumstances, including the demands faced by first responders, veterans and their families.

Online therapy offers flexibility and accessibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging, making it easier to schedule sessions around shift work and family commitments. Working with appropriately qualified or registered professionals in this way can make consistent support more achievable while maintaining the therapeutic focus needed for progress.