Cara Turnbull, AHPRA

Cara Turnbull is an Australian clinician with 18 years of professional experience supporting people through stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief and loss, motivation difficulties, low self-esteem and confidence, and depression. She works from the perspective that each person is the expert on their own story and brings strengths that can be drawn on to move through challenges and build more workable patterns in daily life.

Cara’s approach emphasises practical strategies alongside compassionate listening, helping clients to identify goals, notice what is working, and try small changes that build resilience and agency. She recognises that starting therapy can take courage and celebrates clients who take that first step toward change and recovery.

Cara is credentialed with AHPRA - the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency - and offers therapeutic support aimed at helping people manage symptoms, restore functioning, and reconnect with what matters to them.

Therapeutic approaches for online care and coping

Cara commonly draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), along with mindfulness-informed techniques, to support people in online sessions. ACT focuses on clarifying personal values and learning flexible ways to respond to difficult thoughts and feelings so clients can live in line with what matters to them. CBT helps identify and change unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns through practical skills and experiments, which can be useful for anxiety, depression and low mood. Mindfulness Therapy cultivates present-moment awareness and acceptance, supporting emotional regulation and stress reduction.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process and Cara works collaboratively with each person to determine what fits best based on their needs, goals and preferences. She tailors interventions and pacing so that therapy is relevant and manageable for each client.

Online therapy offers flexibility and accessibility - sessions can take place by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging, making it easier to fit therapy into busy lives or to access support from different locations. These formats allow therapists and appropriately qualified or registered professionals to deliver evidence-informed approaches while adapting tools and exercises to the online setting.