TaylorMade Counselling was established to provide life-changing, meaningful and practical conversations and to be able to connect with people and to support them to reconnect with themselves.
To be a trusted and welcoming counselling service that creates safe, inclusive spaces where every person feels genuinely heard, deeply supported, and empowered to heal, grow, and create meaningful, lasting change.
To provide safe, respectful and supportive spaces where people can engage in meaningful conversations, explore their experiences, build insight, and develop practical ways to navigate life’s challenges—fostering connection, growth, healing, and lasting change.
TaylorMade Counselling is committed to wellbeing by embedding the following values in its culture: curiosity, courage, compassion, integrity, kindness and respect.
We are committed to the principles of social justice through reflective conversations and we aim to ensure every individual is treated with dignity and respect. We provide a safe and welcoming space for all.
TaylorMade Counselling is the creation of Linda Taylor, and is now home to a small team of clinicians who share one thing in common: trauma-informed, evidence-based, person-centred care, delivered in a genuinely safe and welcoming space.
Linda Taylor (she/her) founded TaylorMade Counselling with one goal: to connect with people and support them to reconnect with themselves. With over 20 years' experience, Linda is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (Bachelor and Masters of Social Work, registered with the Australian Association of Social Workers) and a Panel Family Court Consultant, writing Family Reports for the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
Before TaylorMade, Linda worked within Victoria Police, giving her a first-hand understanding of frontline trauma, not just a textbook one. She's recently trained in Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR), and has extensive experience across emergency services and front-line workers, victims of crime, PTSD, youth justice, family violence, sexual assault, refugee communities, Aboriginal communities, the ADF and veteran communities, health, international development, education and child protection.
Linda is also a registered Parenting Coordinator with Parenting Coordination Australia, and practises from our West Melbourne space.
Linda's Credentials at a Glance
• Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (Bachelor & Masters of Social Work)
• Panel Family Court Consultant/Private Family Report Writer
* Registered Parenting Coordinator, Parenting Coordination Australia
• Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) trained
• Former Victoria Police professional
Brie Beard (she/her) is our registered psychologist at TaylorMade Counselling with a Bachelor of Psychological Science with Honours from the University of Adelaide.
Brie has experience in supporting and counselling people across the lifespan in diverse areas including mental health, behavioural intervention, symptom management, rehabilitation, and executive and leadership coaching. Brie focuses on providing contemporary care that is safe and respectful of each person’s unique fabric.
Brie works to build a strong therapeutic alliance with clients by providing person-centred care and collaborative approaches to therapy. Brie’s therapeutic approaches include CBT, DBT, and solution focused therapy.
Brie provides a calm and comfortable environment to process, learn and heal together.
Outside of work, Brie follows creative pursuits and always has a project on the go. She also enjoys the outdoors and regularly travels in Australia and around the world. Brie has a keen interest in understanding cultural models of care and has lived and worked in Sweden and briefly Mexico as part of an ongoing education in diversity.
Brie works for TaylorMade part-time. and offers both in-person and online sessions to meet your needs.
Claire Mann (she/her) is a Social Worker, with extensive experience in the social work sector spanning over 30 years. Almost half of her career has been spent working with current and former serving ADF members and their families.
Claire has an extremely broad skill set and a range of expertise including, but are not limited to, trauma, PTSD, mental health, grief & loss, self-esteem, relationship issues, parenting concerns, stress and career difficulties.
Claire’s warm and empathetic personality immediately puts clients at ease and her primary aim is to work with clients to enable them feel less stuck and more empowered, by gently challenging and supporting them to achieve their goals.
Claire has an evidence-based holistic approach to counselling, drawing on a range of practices including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), cognitive-behavioural therapy, crisis intervention, grief and loss, attachment and trauma-focused therapy, developmental approaches and solution-focused therapy.
Claire is a current member of the Australian Association of Social Workers.
Claire practices at a lovely counselling space in North Warrandyte.
Sahithi Chintakunta, our lovely counsellor will be returning to work with TayorMade Counselling in 2025. We very much look forward to having her back. Sahithi will be doing online session on a Monday and in person-sessions every second Wednesday.
Meet Sahithi (she/her), an ACA registered level 3 counsellor, self-published author and above all, an empathic and kind human. She began her work at TaylorMade Counselling in November 2022 and has returned after a short hiatus. She comes from a background of behavioural therapy, school counselling and culturally diverse work experiences. Her practice brings an eclectic, trauma-informed and sensitive counselling space into her therapy room, often led by the needs of the client.
When she is not counselling at TaylorMade or working in schools, you might find her travelling, dancing or trying out a new restaurant in the city!"
When seeking mental health support, it can be hard to work out which professional is best for your needs. Mental health professionals, no matter what the qualification, can all play a vital role in creating a collaborative care model for families and individuals. Social workers, Accredited Mental Health Social Workers (AMHSWs), counsellors, and psychologists are all professionals who can help to facilitate and foster active mental health support, with differing specialisations.
At TaylorMade Counselling, our team includes professionals from different disciplines who share a common commitment: providing trauma-informed, evidence-based, and person-centred care in a safe and supportive environment.
Social workers are university-trained professionals who specialise in understanding people within the context of their relationships, environments, and life experiences. To become an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, they have to complete additional mental health training, supervised clinical practice, and a formal competency assessment. This means that they are recognised providers under Medicare’s Better Access initiative, meaning clients can receive rebates for therapy with a GP referral.
Psychologists complete accredited psychology training and supervised practice through qualifications. They are also registered with the national health practitioner regulator. General psychologists often conduct assessments and provide therapy across a range of mental health concerns, in the same way as other mental health professionals. Clinical psychologists differ as they have to complete additional postgraduate specialist training in specific mental health disorders and presentation, and thus may attract a higher Medicare rebate. Psychology training often places greater emphasis on psychological assessment, diagnosis, and research-based treatment models.
Counsellors are trained in therapeutic communication and psychological interventions, often through diploma, bachelor’s, or master’s level qualifications. Many counsellors opt to develop specialist expertise in areas such as victims of crime, family, or children. While counsellors can provide highly effective and holistic therapy, generally Medicare rebates are not available unless the counsellor has obtained further mental health training.
One of the most common misconceptions is that certain therapies belong exclusively to psychologists. In practice, many evidence-based interventions are used across professions. For example, clinicians at TaylorMade Counselling draw from a wide range of therapies, including:
Competence depends on the clinician’s experience and ongoing professional development — not simply their degree title. Accredited Mental Health Social Workers, psychologists, and counsellors all contribute important expertise. When matched appropriately, each can provide effective, meaningful therapy that supports healing and long-term well-being. There is no single “best” profession in mental health care.
Instead, the most helpful question is: what do you feel would most benefit you in this part of your mental health journey?