- Thoughts and habits
- Calm practical support
- 36 years experience
About Vivien
Vivien Ridgway is an AASW social worker with 36 years of practical experience. She offers calm, steady support for people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, grief or big life changes. Vivien meets each person with respect, sensitivity and compassion. She tailors conversations and plans to each person's situation.
Vivien helps people with relationship and parenting concerns, gender identity questions, and recovery from trauma and abuse. She also supports those facing addictions, career strain, low self-esteem and sleep or eating difficulties. Her practice includes work on intimacy-related struggles, ADHD, bipolar issues and the fallout of difficult life events.
Her style is collaborative and down-to-earth. Sessions focus on what you want to change and the small steps that make a difference. She uses practical tools to manage unhelpful thinking and daily habits, and supports exploration of how attachment and patterns shape relationships.
She blends talking with concrete skills practice. Techniques draw on client-centred listening, cognitive behavioural exercises, mindfulness and elements from dialectical behaviour and attachment-based approaches. The aim is clearer thinking, steadier moods and better everyday routines.
If you are looking for coaching on leadership or help with family stress, Vivien adapts the plan to your goals. Taking that first step can feel hard, and she offers steady support as you try new ways of coping and relating.
Vivien helps people with relationship and parenting concerns, gender identity questions, and recovery from trauma and abuse. She also supports those facing addictions, career strain, low self-esteem and sleep or eating difficulties. Her practice includes work on intimacy-related struggles, ADHD, bipolar issues and the fallout of difficult life events.
Her style is collaborative and down-to-earth. Sessions focus on what you want to change and the small steps that make a difference. She uses practical tools to manage unhelpful thinking and daily habits, and supports exploration of how attachment and patterns shape relationships.
She blends talking with concrete skills practice. Techniques draw on client-centred listening, cognitive behavioural exercises, mindfulness and elements from dialectical behaviour and attachment-based approaches. The aim is clearer thinking, steadier moods and better everyday routines.
If you are looking for coaching on leadership or help with family stress, Vivien adapts the plan to your goals. Taking that first step can feel hard, and she offers steady support as you try new ways of coping and relating.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
AddictionsFamily conflictsGriefIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderCoping with life changesCoachingCompassion fatigueADHD
Additional focus areas
AbandonmentAging and geriatric issuesAntisocial personalityAttachment issuesAutism and Asperger SyndromeBlended family issuesBody imageCaregiver issues and stressCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDivorce and separationDomestic violenceDrug and alcohol addictionEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesForgivenessGender dysphoriaGuilt and shameHIV / AIDSHospice and end-of-life counselingImmigration issuesImpulsivityInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMoney and financial issuesMood disordersMulticultural concernsNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksPersonality disordersPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthPrejudice and discriminationSelf-harmSelf-loveSexual assault and abuseSexualitySocial anxiety and phobiaTraumatic brain injuryWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapySystemic Therapy
Experience
36+ years
Credentials
AASW · Australia
Languages
English
How Vivien’s approaches translate to online care
Attachment-based work looks at how early relationships shape current patterns. In practice this means talking about how you connect with others and noticing repeated interaction styles that cause pain or distance. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings and actions; sessions use simple exercises to test unhelpful thoughts and build new daily habits. Mindfulness Therapy teaches practical attention and breathing skills to reduce reactivity and improve sleep, focus and mood.Finding the right approach is part of the process. Vivien will work with each person to decide which methods fit their goals, needs and preferences. That decision is collaborative and can change as therapy progresses.
The practical benefits of online therapy can include easier fitting of sessions into a busy week and fewer travel demands, which helps maintain regular work on thoughts and habits. Specific session formats are not listed here, so please confirm current options before booking. Many people find online work makes it simpler to keep momentum between sessions and to try new coping steps in everyday life.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does Vivien help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression and grief along with relationship and parenting issues, trauma and abuse. She also supports people dealing with addiction, sleep or eating concerns and life transitions.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Vivien uses a collaborative, down-to-earth approach that combines listening with practical strategies. Sessions focus on clear steps you can try to change thoughts, habits and everyday routines.
How much experience does she have?
She has 36 years of professional practice as a social worker, bringing long-term experience with a wide range of life and relationship issues.
What credentials and location does she have?
Vivien is registered with the Australian Association of Social Workers, AASW, and she practises in Australia.
Which languages are offered for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside Australia work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How much do sessions cost?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with Vivien?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule a time based on her availability.