Eddie Barry

~ 2 minute read ~

Hi, I'm Eddie Barry.

I didn't come to counselling by the usual path of high school to psychology degree. I spent 18 years as an inner city emergency paramedic and training officer, then 12 years as a Mental Health Crisis Team clinical specialist and educator. Alongside that sits the healing I've sought, and been fortunate to find, from the trauma of the work and from some significant family-of-origin experiences. What I learned along the way shapes everything I offer.

Training

I'm a dual-licensed Mental Health First Aid Instructor (Adult and Youth) with more than 85 workshops delivered. The session I've run most, and care about most, is De-escalating Aggression, using a trauma-informed care model.

It starts from one idea: that no human behaviour comes from nothing. Over two hours we dig into what that "something" actually is, including our feelings, our thinking and the way we see each other. Then we turn it into a confident, practical strategy you can use in any situation, from a genuine emergency to a Christmas dinner that has taken a sudden turn.

People leave with tools that work in awful situations and a deeper understanding of the human condition. Some tell me it stays with them for life, and I like to think it can change how we see people more generally.

A colleague once told a room of recertifying paramedics, "Eddie speaks their language," meaning how I work with people who are agitated, intoxicated or psychotic. That comes from compassion more than high-end theory. I grew up in a home where adults "losing it" was common, and I learned early that patience and acceptance do far more good than rejection, moralising or judgement.

This training has supported many people and organisations, including Parramatta Children's Court, Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD Mental Health Service, The Personnel Group, Lives Lived Well and the Shoalhaven MH Hub. It can be folded into a two-day MHFA workshop or delivered as a stand-alone two-hour session. Training is by appointment only, with economy-of-scale pricing for voluntary groups, community organisations, sporting clubs and charities. I generally train outside my counselling days and I'm flexible with enough notice.

Counselling

I'm a Founding Member of the International Strategic Psychotherapists Association. I love the ISPA model, but my baseline is still psychodynamic, for the same reason: no behaviour comes from nothing.

My first job is to meet you exactly where you are, not where some theory says you should be. So I'm adaptable and happy to break with tradition for a good result. If you can't sit, we can walk. If you still can't relax, we can ground (I promise my socks won't smell).

My background with first responders, trauma, and people navigating alcohol and other drug concerns means I can be trauma-informed and solidly pragmatic, whichever the moment calls for. I've studied, and lived, both PTSD and Complex trauma, years of 12 Step recovery, and then a 2.0 version of CBT abstinence through LifeRing Secular Recovery. No single approach fits everyone, and my job is to help you find YOUR way, whatever has or hasn't worked for me.

Many of the people I see have been squeezed by a society built for wealth and power rather than for the people it should serve. The idea that maybe you are not the problem can be quite enlightening. It usually means it isn't 100% your fault that you're struggling. It's my absolute joy to help you take responsibility and practical steps, not just to survive this system but to start thriving within it.

Counselling is on Thursdays and Fridays at Nana Muru in Nowra, with teleconference and phone also available.

What people have said

"Eddie is the real deal. Draws on real life examples that helped me understand things on a deeper level."

"Set a very kind tone which gave me the confidence to speak about personal things."

"Eddie's ability to turn complex situations into manageable, compassionate solutions, blows me away."

📞 0483 205 909
Eddie Barry, MH/AoD/Trauma Specialist
Counselling & MH Education