http://www.mgacounselling.com.au/

MGA Counselling Services, Warrandyte and Croydon Hills, Melbourne (2026)

31/08/2026

Five Memorable Moments in the Counselling Room
Memory 1: Client 1, Session 1

I’ve struggled a little with this post.

Mostly because there have been so many memorable moments over fourteen years of counselling.

I could have chosen the moment that the results of the marriage equality plebiscite was announced. I may have shed some tears with the gay client sitting in front of me when the ‘Yes’ vote came through.

I could have chosen the session when I was working through a trauma story with a client and an earthquake hit. It was the strongest both my client and I had ever experienced. At the end of our session, she looked at me with a cheeky smile and said, “I can honestly say the earth moved for me in that session Matt”.

I could have chosen the first session where I had to introduce myself as ‘divorced’ instead of ‘married.’

I could have chosen the first time a client came to counselling as a result of reading one of my books.

Or the first day that I employed somebody.

Or the first email that came through saying ‘Thank you.’

Or the day I quit my job and started working for myself full time.

But, really, there is one moment that stands out.

At the time of writing I have conducted just over 17000 counselling sessions.

The stand out: Client 1, Session 1.

My very first client, having there very first session.

I was equally excited and petrified at the same time.

I was finally starting the next chapter of my working life.

But what if they hated me?

What if I was no good at it?

What if? What if? What if?

It went well.

They came back for a second session. And a third. And ended up having twenty or so sessions.

Recently I saw their name pop up on LinkedIn. They are working in an industry that they were dreaming of when we were doing counselling. They had overcome the blocks and achieved the goals we had set way back then.

So have I.

30/08/2026

It was a beautiful "almost spring" morning in the Dandenongs last Saturday morning.

Every so often we give one of our sessions a theme. For this walk, the theme was learning to use nature to manage high sensitivity.

Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) make up about 20% of the population. High sensitivity is a personality trait, not a flaw or a defect, but it does present some challenges in our culture. Because a HSP has a super charged central nervous system, they can be easily overstimulated or overwhelmed in every day situations.

Nature is an important part of regulation for the highly sensitive person.

Here's a snap shot of some of the things we did during our three hours under the trees.

Note: For more information about high sensitivity, visit www.highsensitivity.com.au)

25/08/2026

* Forest Therapy Event *

Using Nature to Manage Your High Sensitivity
Eagles Nest Picnic Ground, Olinda
Saturday 29th August, 20269:30am - 12:30pm

TO book: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/using-nature-to-manage-your-high-sensitivity-eagles-nest-olinda-mg-tickets-1992474362454

Join us for three hours of nature based activities designed to enhance the wellbeing of the Highly Sensitive Person.

Matt Glover is the Lead Guide at Forest Therapy Victoria and the director of MGA Counselling Services. He is a trauma informed counsellor, working with individuals and couples to achieve a full and abundant life. He is Australia's first qualified counsellor to be accredited with the International Nature and Forest Therapy Alliance.

This walk is designed for those who have recognised the high sensitvity personality trait within themselves and are wanting to learn how to use nature to fill the HSP tank.

Along with Erica Webb, Matt is the cofounder High Sensitivity Australia, an organisation to promote awareness and understanding of high sensitivity. For more information, see www.highsensitivity.com.au.

Join Matt for a time of healing under the trees.

23/08/2026

Five Memorable Moments in the Counselling Room
Memory 2: Opening lines

These are some of the more memorable lines that clients opened with in their first session:

“You’re shorter than I thought you would be.”

(I never claimed to be tall!)

“My pastor told me I should never speak with you.”

(I’ve had this a fair bit. It still happens)

“I don’t like counselling. I don’t like counsellors. I probably won’t like you.”

(They came back for about ten sessions and achieved the result they were after. Didn’t like me at the end though!)

“Would you like some ‘shrooms?”

(I declined)

“I have breast cancer in my arse and I’m going to die.”

(A privilege to work with this client until the end)

“My friend said you were a bit of a hippie and would be a good match for me.”

(Possibly true. We were a good match)

“I give your beard a seven out of ten.”

(I think it may be and 8.5 now)

“You’re wearing boots. We’ll get along fine.”

(The Doc Martens are still my footwear of choice.)

“I know I’m here for counselling, but is it ok if we just sit here and watch the rain?”

(We did. And it was just what they needed)

“I’m really nervous. I’ve never done this before.”

(Really common, but generally we settle into our groove pretty quickly.)

And then, there was the kid who came into the counselling room and sat there in total silence, staring the wall, for a full 45 minutes. Never uttered a word.

(I didn’t charge the family. Never saw him again)

21/08/2026

Five Memorable Moments in the Counselling Room
Memory 3: The Hardest Stuff

*** Trigger Warning: Mention of child s*xual abuse ***

Sometimes moments in the counselling room are memorable not because they are good, but because they are bad. Very bad.

Confidentiality in counselling is one of our highest priorities. Therapists work hard to ensure that the space is safe for clients, and this means making sure that whatever is spoken about in session, stays in session.

However, there are limits to that confidentiality.

If a client is in danger from themselves or someone else, I will break confidentiality to make sure they are safe.

If a court subpoenas my notes, I am legally required to break confidentiality and hand over the material.

The most difficult is mandatory reporting. This law states that I am required to report any disclosure of child s*x offenses.

In fourteen years, I have made multiple reports. Some have resulted in children being removed from their families for their safety. Three have resulted in my clients going to prison. One of those clients will die behind bars.

I know it’s the right thing to do.

I would (and will) do it again in a heartbeat.

But it leaves you feeling awful. You question yourself and wonder if you’ve read things properly. You ruminate for days about whether you have followed correct protocol. And what if I’ve got it all wrong?

When I do my intake talk, I mention the reasons for which I will break confidentiality. It is also on the intake form that my clients must sign before we have our first session. I also wonder if the guilt has eaten them away to the point that they are ready to face whatever consequences are coming their way – they just need me to set it all in motion.

I really don’t know.

Once things settle down after a report and I’ve had time to reflect, I don’t feel bad about it. There’s little I can do to help their victims, but at least I may have stopped there being any more.

It’s an awful part of being a counsellor.

It’s never something you forget.

19/08/2026

Memory 4: Forest Song

(This is part of the ‘Five memorable moments in the counselling room’ series)

I have been taking my clients outside for sessions for over a decade now. The results my clients achieved were unexpectedly good, and eventually this led to the formation of Forest Therapy Victoria.

Once FTV was formed, people started to request outdoor sessions more often, with some never setting foot inside the therapy room at all.
A few years back a woman came to counselling to do some work on childhood trauma. Her story was complex and difficult, but she was determined to get on top of it and stop the paralysis she was experiencing in everyday life.

We had a few sessions in the rooms to begin with and charted out a course of trauma treatment that would take the better part of 18 months. This included doing some nature-based regulation work.

We had weekly sessions for a while and then decided to do our first outdoor session.

I was seeing this client at my counselling rooms in Warrandyte. Despite its proximity to the city, Warrandyte is often seen as a country town, surrounded by a State Forest on one side, and the Yarra River on the other. The eucalyptus trees tower above you, kangaroos are frequent companions, the sound of the water cascading over the rocks is calming, and if you are lucky, there is the thrill of seeing a platypus out looking for lunch.

I walked with my client to the State Forest, only about five minutes from the counselling room. It was a Spring afternoon. The sun danced between the leaves. As we sat on some logs, our patch of forest was quiet and still.

We started to do some of the regulation work, but then my client when quiet.

She looked down for a moment.

She looked up and asked, “Is it ok if I sing?”

It sounds cliched to say she had the voice of an angel. But she did.

She sang a song that I didn’t know. But that didn’t matter. It felt that I faded into the background and was given permission by nature to simply observe. She was bathed in sunlight. I could see little insects buzzing around her. The trees seemed to lean into her. Birds started to land on the branches above her. Two kangaroos came out of the bush and stood by her and listened. It all felt very surreal. The forest gathered to listen to her sing.

She finished her song and the forest went on its way.

My client smiled and said she hadn’t felt peace like this for years.

But to this day I think that experience still had a more profound impact on me than it did her.

18/08/2026

* Forest Family (NP4K) Event *

Urban Forest, East Malvern
Sunday 23rd August, 2026
9:30am - 12:30pm

To book: https://events.humanitix.com/forest-family-event-urban-forest-malvern

Connect, Play & Explore—Together

Our Family Nature Play Sessions are a chance to step away from the busyness of everyday life and reconnect; with nature and with each other.

Designed as a semi-structured 2.5-hour experience, these sessions invite children and their caregivers to explore, create, and play side by side in a relaxed, supportive outdoor environment. Whether you join in the play, observe, or simply enjoy being present, there is space for every family to engage in their own way.
At the heart of our program is connection between children and caregivers, within families, and with the natural world. Shared play, exploration and outdoor experiences help strengthen relationships, build trust, and create lasting memories.

Nature supports not only physical development, but also emotional wellbeing as being in nature with curiosity, enthusiasm and observing with our senses can calm our nervous system and support emotional regulation. Nature invites us to slow down and tune in. Through sensory experiences, feeling textures, listening to birds, and observing details, families can become more present and connected to the moment.

There is no pressure to participate in any particular activity—this is a space to simply be, together.

16/08/2026

Memory 5: A Reunion

(This is part of the ‘Five memorable moments in the counselling room’ series)

There are two things we are supposed to avoid when working with clients in therapy.

One is making sure there is no conflict of interest. I can’t see somebody who is feeling bullied by their boss if the boss happens to be a friend that I have known for years and go walking with every weekend. It would be too hard for me to believe the client. Or I just wouldn’t want too.

The other is what we call ‘dual relationships.’ A client can’t have some other relationship with you as well as being your client. Obviously, I can’t have family members as clients. But I also couldn’t see my doctor for his burnout issues, the guy in the café who make my breakfast every Tuesday for relationship counselling, and basically anybody else that is a part of my world in some meaningful way.

Several years ago, a man came to see me as his daughter had come out to him as le***an.

He wanted to support his daughter in whatever way he could, but he was also a person of faith and belonged to a conservative church that was not affirming of diverse expressions of s*xuality or gender.

Supporting and loving his daughter was more important, and so this man was coming to counselling for help to deal with the grief of leaving his church, the challenge of deconstructing his faith, and learning to be a better ally.

In about the third or fourth session, he was talking a little about his childhood and how he had moved around a lot and had completed his education in many different schools.

As he listed them off, one caught my attention.

“I did some of my primary schooling in Hoppers Crossing”

So had I.

I asked what school.

Same as mine.

I asked what years.

Same as me.

I asked him if she recognised my name before coming to counselling.

“I thought it was familiar, but I just assumed it was because I’d heard about your story on the news.”

I told him we went to the same primary school at the same time.

He mentioned some of his friends. They were my friends as well.

He mentioned his teachers. But they were all different. Then he mentioned some of the sports he played.

We were in the same teams.

We laughed about our common history and continued working on what he came to therapy for.

Technically a dual relationship, but not one I was concerned about.

I went home that night and got out my primary school photo albums.

And there we were.

Posing together in the purple and gold of our school sports uniform.

We hadn’t seen each other for 45 years.

An unexpected reunion in the MGA Counselling rooms.

* Shared with permission.

12/08/2026

A Forest Therapy story.

When clients complete my intake form, they tick a box stating whether they consent to having some of their counselling sessions outside.

Some people tick ‘no’. They generally have a very good reason for that.

Others tick ‘yes’ because they don’t want to do any work in the room – they want it all in the outdoors.

Some tick ‘yes’ because they are curious and want to see what impact nature might have on their grief, or anxiety, or whatever they are coming to counselling for.

The client in this story fell into the last category. She was coming for trauma counselling and was curious about forest therapy.

We had a few sessions inside to begin with and after a few weeks, decided to take the therapy outside.

With this client, her body carried her trauma in several ways – including losing her sense of smell.

We walked down to the wetlands and I took her through a couple of forest therapy interventions. They were quiet, meditative techniques, designed to reduce cortisol levels and calm the central nervous system.

After about twenty minutes, her eyes sprang open.

Her face was shocked.

She stared at me.

“What did you just do?”

“Um, I took you through a forest therapy technique that….”

“No. I know that. But what did you just do?”

“I’m not really sure what you are asking me”
“You did something. What was it? I can smell!”

Before I could answer, she ran over to the nearest shrub and smelled the flowers.

She crushed some gum leaves to smell the eucalyptus.

She ran over to the fence of one of the neighbouring houses. “They have a pool – I can smell the chlorine!”

And for the rest of that session she ran ahead and took in all the aromas of nature.

I didn’t see her for many sessions after that. I didn’t need too.

The trauma was being processed. It was finding its place in her story.

Nature had become her therapist.

11/08/2026

FOREST THERAPY EVENTS

Grants Picnic Ground, The Dandenongs
Saturday 15th August, 9:30am - 12:30pm

Urban Forest, East Malvern
Saturday 15th August, 1pm - 4pm

To book either event, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/forest-therapy-victoria-26777657619

We've got TWO events happening this Saturday!

Whether you want to leave the suburbs for the mountains, or seek solace in the suburbs, there is something for you!

Forest Therapy Victoria is at the leading edge of incorporating nature-based interventions into it’s offering of private individual counselling, wellbeing days for community groups, corporate organisations and the general public.

Come on your own or bring a friend.

The popular 'Forest Therapy Journal' is available at a discounted rate with the purchase of any ticket.

See you under the trees!

MGA Counselling Services

31/08/2026

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