Ms Duda Baldwin
Relationship Therapist, Counsellor
Kick Ass Muse
St Leonards, Sydney NSW 2065
In Person + Telehealth
Philosophy & Vision
Duda works with couples and individuals experiencing challenges in their relationships. Duda is insightful, culturally sensitive, empathic and yet brings humour into her sessions, too. Duda helps clients create long-lasting change and works collaboratively with clients to establish new sustainable routines.
Duda offers a FREE 15 mins consultation before initial session.
Background
I'm a skilled therapist working with couples and individuals who want to thrive in their relationships and life in general. I encourage and support my clients in facing the challenges in order to heal the wounds and create the change that they need.
My clients feel safe to express themselves fully. Honesty, insight and humour best describe our sessions. Our joint focus is on long-term results.
I specialise in couple counselling with on-going positive feedback from clients.
My know-how comes not only from my formal training but also from lived experience, which is relevant to my clients' issues.
Services
FACE TO FACE COUPLES AND INDIVIDUAL THERAPY. AFTER HOURS & WEEKENDS. NO WAITLIST.
Couple therapy (incl. LGBTQ+)
Parenting & Step-parenting (blended family issues)
Divorce / Separation / Co-parenting issues / Custody court case anxiety
Single life and dating
Lack of clarity and purpose
Dissatisfaction, Procrastination, Motivation, Lack of clarity and purpose
Work stress, Burnout, Imposter Syndrome
Stress Management, Time Management
Quality Provision
I am a registered counsellor and member of the ACA (Australian Counselling Association). The ACA is the leading counselling body and its membership guides and informs the ethics and professionalism I bring to my practice.
Areas of Special Interest
Accreditations
- Cert. Trainer and Assessor - 2021 - Connect Training and Education
- Reg. Counsellor - 2020 - Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors
- Masters Degree in Sociology - 2003 - University of Zagreb, Croatia, EU
Modalities
ACT - Buddhist Psychotherapy - CBT - Compassion-Focused Therapy - Gottman Method - Marriage and Family - Meditation - Mindfulness - Person Centred - Solution Oriented - Trauma-Informed
Therapy Approach
I combine interventions from a number of approaches such as Gottman method, ACT, CBT, RBT, Mindfulness, trauma-informed therapy.
I am committed to on-going professional and personal development, keeping up to date with the latest research and therapy.
Professional Associations
- Australian Counselling Association - Level 2
Practice Locations
Suite 3, Level 4
66 Pacific Highway
St Leonards NSW 2065
2 mins walk from St Leonards Trains stations. Opposite from bus stop with a number of buses routes. Street parking.
Appointments
Friday 7am - 6pm
Saturday 7am - 3pm
Fees & Insurance
Free 15 mins consultation to address any questions.
Couples counselling: $220 per session (50 mins)
Individual therapy: $165 per session (50 mins)
Languages
English
Croatian
Serbian
Payment Options
Online payment, credit card.
Contact Duda
Please contact me to book a 15 minute free initial consult
A conversation with Duda Baldwin
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Since I was a young girl I was drawn to human behaviour. I went on to study sociology in Europe, where I am originally from, as it gave me a broad education on both social behaviour and psychological aspect of individuals. I later trained as a counsellor and couple therapist.
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I have been influenced in my personal and professional life by the Stoic philosophy and Tibetan Buddhism. I personally practice both but do not call myself religious, rather spiritual.
I have been raised and educated in Christianity as well. Part of my studies involved philosophy and ethics.
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Relationships, including work relationships, family dynamics, friendships or romantic relationships are the filed I am most invested in. Healthy boundaries and living an authentic life is part of the relationships and I bring the social context into my work when supporting clients finding their own truth.
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I use an eclectic approach as no person is the same. There is no one fit all model.
I often combine ACT, Mindfulness, CBT and Gottman method approaches in my work.
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My clients often feel elevated and more aware of the underlying causes of their distress after their first session. As my counselling is an active process in which clients commit to do the work, they see results as soon as they get home. As they describe it: "I could feel a shift and things started to make more sense."
Progress is incremental but significant. It gives client hope at times of doubt.
Deeper work and more long-term progress is often felt between the 3rd and 6th session.
The same goes for couple therapy and family sessions.
The crucial part is that the client engage in their own inner work between the sessions as that is where the change happens. -
I personally attend therapy when needed and it always helped me finding clarity when I doubted my own experience and perspectives. I personally seek a therapist who can challenge my ego and perspectives. This has made me a more tolerant and patient person and most certainly more forgiving to myself.
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Clients bring their own stories and wisdom with them. I am humbled to be trusted to guide them.
In addition, this work requires me to constantly develop in both my professional and personal life and I am thrilled to continuously learn. -
Totally having a few "bad hair" days. I learnt to be kind to myself and not to beat myself up.
I am a therapist who likes to share my own flaws with clients in order to create a space of two equals, where they feel like there is nothing "wrong with them" and their self-esteem is elevated as a consequence. -
There are a number of new issues but the old issues that existed for thousands of years are still not resolved.
Greed and selfishness have led to constant overload in consumerism (excess) and building a (false) reputation. This puts many people under enormous pressure and most of my clients feel they aren't being themselves due to these pressures.
Loneliness is another big issues, amplified by over-usage of social media and lack of social face to face contact.
I would like to see more solidarity and compassion amongst humans, wether that's in our families, friendships or workplace. -
BOOKS:
As a book addict (and writer) I cannot single out a book. I have hundreds of books on my bookshelf that I share with clients in sessions.
TRAVEL:
Travelling inspires me the most. I have traveled to over 50 destinations and counting.