Stylianos 'Stel' Papastratis, ACA

Stylianos 'Stel' Papastratis welcomes people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, depression, relationship strain or grief. He is described as a counsellor with more than 21 years of experience in mental health and works in Australia. Stel aims to make the first step easier for someone thinking about help.

Stel uses straightforward conversation to help people notice how their thoughts and everyday habits affect mood and behaviour. He creates a calm space for people to talk about difficult feelings without judgement. The focus is practical - identifying small changes that can make daily life easier.

His background includes work in non-profit organisations, government services and private clinics across Australia, the UK and continental Europe. He holds a Bachelor and Honours degree in Psychological Sciences, a Graduate Diploma of Counselling, a Diploma of Professional Counselling and a Diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy. He also completed Basic and Advanced Certification in Emotional Freedom Technique. He is listed with the Australian Counselling Association, shown as ACA.

Stel has supported people with a wide range of concerns such as bipolar disorder, mild intellectual disability and psychosocial disability, alongside more common issues like anxiety and depression. He also helps people navigate relationship problems, grief, caregiving strain, chronic illness and changes linked to ageing.

Sessions emphasise collaboration - working out what matters most and setting manageable goals. Stel encourages practical strategies you can use between sessions, and he adapts his approach to each person’s needs. If you are unsure whether this approach fits, he invites a short conversation to discuss next steps.

Approaches that focus on thoughts and daily habits

Stel uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques that help people understand how thinking patterns and routine behaviours affect mood. One common approach looks at how automatic thoughts influence emotions and behaviour, helping people recognise unhelpful thinking and practise clearer alternatives. This can be useful for anxiety, depression and stress.

Another approach involves teaching small, repeatable daily habits that support mood regulation and coping. These practical strategies help people build steadier routines, manage grief and reduce overwhelm from caregiving or chronic illness.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Stel treats this as a collaborative process and will discuss options based on your goals, needs and preferences. Together you decide which techniques to try and adjust them as progress is made.

The profile does not list specific online or in-person formats, so please confirm session options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life - for example, saving travel time, allowing shorter check-ins during a work break, or offering alternatives when bandwidth or camera use is limited. Appropriately qualified therapists can adapt exercises to suit remote sessions and help you use practical tools between meetings.