Alana Russell

Alana Russell is an AASW social worker with seven years' experience working in Australia. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, career uncertainty, depression and compassion fatigue. Her practice also covers life purpose concerns and related struggles such as workplace issues and attachment difficulties.

Alana often works with first responders, veterans and frontline professionals, and draws on both professional and lived experience to understand those roles. She frames therapy around trauma-informed care and focuses on strengths and practical solutions. Cognitive behavioural therapy techniques are used to address thoughts, feelings and behaviours that get in the way.

Sessions are conversational and practical. She helps people talk through difficult experiences, manage panic or anxiety, and plan steps for career or life-direction changes. For anyone dealing with guilt, shame, or issues after childbirth, Alana offers direct strategies to reduce overwhelm and rebuild routine.

She also supports people coping with relationship changes such as divorce and separation, and those handling the emotional load of caregiving or frontline work. Her approach includes attention to forgiveness, self-love and recovering from post-traumatic stress symptoms.

Alana asks clients to be active participants in therapy. Together they identify manageable goals and try techniques between sessions. The focus is on practical change rather than abstract theory, so people can test small steps and review what works.

To begin, readers should follow the site process to complete the matching questionnaire and schedule a first session. The subscription model used for sessions can be cancelled at any time and costs vary by location.

How therapeutic approaches guide online sessions

Alana uses evidence-based methods in straightforward ways. Cognitive behavioural techniques focus on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviours to reduce anxiety and panic. This approach is useful for workplace stress, panic attacks and depressive thinking patterns.

She also works within trauma-informed care, which means attention is given to the impact of traumatic events and to pacing work so people feel able to cope. That style helps when dealing with post-traumatic stress, first responder experiences and difficult life events such as divorce or childbirth-related challenges.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. Alana collaborates with each person to work out which techniques fit their needs, goals and preferences. She adapts what they try based on how well strategies work in everyday life rather than sticking to a single method.

Session formats are not listed in the biography, so please confirm current online options before booking. In general, remote sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day and can reduce travel time. Phone-only sessions can be helpful when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in suits a work break, while video sessions allow visual cues and longer therapeutic work. Discussing practical needs during the matching step helps pair people with a therapist and a format that fits their routine.