About Irene

Relationship and Marriage Counsellor for Couples, Individuals, Families and Children in the Illawarra Region of NSW

I was married and had three children when I began my career late in life. I was attracted to a weekend workshop, which was held in conjunction with the local Tafe College and the University Of Wollongong. It was called “Introduction to counselling” and was one of the most stimulating learning experiences I had ever had.  I developed a ‘thirst’ for more knowledge about working with people and enrolled in a two year Welfare Work Certificate Course, which welcomed mature age students. On completion of this I commenced work in the welfare field working as a co-ordinator for a variety of agencies: Emergency Family Housing, Family Support Service, Group Home for young women, Child Protection Worker with DOCS and a Foster Care Placement Programme.

Becoming a Marriage Therapist

During this time I was encouraged to apply and train as a marital therapist and relationship counsellor with the Marriage Guidance Council of NSW. I completed this training in 1987. I worked as a sessional counselor in their Wollongong office for some time, and then moved back into welfare work utilising the counselling skills I had learned. Finally I made a decision to focus entirely on counselling and  held a counselling position with Centacare in Wollongong  for 13 years.  I also began to work in private practice in the Illawarra region. Over those years and to the present day I have worked with couples dealing with a broad range of issues including separation, conflict, affairs, parenting, grief and blended families.

My Philosophy

Being in a relationship with ‘other’ can be one of the most rewarding experiences of life and is well worth struggling for. I believe that taking the time to reflect on your relationship provides an opportunity of raising your awareness so that you may make the right decision to either work on the relationship or if necessary say good bye to each other. To quote Robert & Rita Resnick “A bird may love a fish but where would they live?” This quote highlights a difficult truth, sometimes it just won’t work out and it is necessary to separate in order to ‘breathe’.

How I Work: Gestalt Therapy

From a Gestalt perspective I hold a strong belief that individuals and couples manage and live their lives to the best of their ability. Sometimes individuals or couples will get ‘blocked’ or ‘stuck’ and they struggle to find balance. They often find their ‘old’ ways of responding to some situations no longer work. Tension arises and will impact on relationships creating a whole range of emotions including anger, sadness, frustration, and often a feeling of ‘going round in circles’. If this is happening for you, seeking the assistance of a experienced and trained counsellor may be the most important decision you make, either as an individual or a couple.

My approach as a Gestalt therapist is a holistic one (Gestalt is a German word which means “whole”).

What this simply means is I acknowledge that you are a unique person carrying your life story, values, needs and wants and attempting to manage ‘the problem’ in the best way you can at this time. It is my holistic approach that I have found to be highly effective for working with individuals and couples

All those years ago when I first attended the original weekend workshop that began my journey in counselling I have been attracted to Gestalt. Unknown to me at that time was the fact that one of the facilitators was a Gestalt therapist. I was touched by how he seemed to be able to tap quickly into the deeper levels of what was important to the person and how that person was moved by this. There are many different aspects of Gestalt Therapy. Here are a few that stand out for me and may be helpful for you.


Gestalt therapy encourages each of us:

  • To tap into who we ‘are’ not who we think we ‘should’ be
  • To take risks to find out what is hidden from our awareness.
  • To accept that we have unfulfilled potential which is available to us
  • That we are not ‘fixed’ like concrete and can be flexible and creative in our lives
  • ‘Knowing’ ourselves increases the possibility of more rewarding relationships

Counsellor Training

I have travelled overseas frequently for specialised training in working with children, individuals and couples:

  • Marriage Guidance Council of NSW Marital Therapist    -     1987
  • Family Therapy Training – Peter Marrington/Roy Richter   – 1986
  • Gestalt Therapy Training – Illawarra Gestalt Centre – 1997
  • Couples Therapy – Joseph Zinker – Gestalt Institute of Melbourne – 1997
  • Individual Supervision Training /Counselling Training Centre NSW – 1998
  • Dr. Violet Oaklander – Institute – Santa Barbara “Working with Children”  – 2001
  • Jansen & Newman – Hypnotherapy & Creative Visualisation – 2002
  • Erv Polster – A Fresh Look at Gestalt Therapy – 2003
  • Dr, Robert & Rita Resnick _ A Bird May Love a Fish, but where would they live” – Couples Therapy 2005
  • Gestalt Associates Training Los Angeles – Copenhagen, Denmark -  2005
  • Gestalt Associates Training Los Angeles – Lithuania  – Couples and Individual Training – 2008

I have attended other numerous workshops, conferences and events related to counselling as learning more about relationships including families and children has become a passion for me.  Understanding the complexities involved in creating healthy relationships is crucial to my professional development. Attending regular supervision attends to my own personal development and growth as a counsellor. This is an ongoing process that is important to me which ensures that you will receive the best possible benefits from our time together.

Qualifications

  • Marital Therapist Certificate
  • Gestalt Therapist Accreditation

Professional Memberships

  • Clinical Member Gestalt Australia and New Zealand


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Irene Dungey, Clinton Power and Felicity Gendun are relationship counsellors and Gestalt psychotherapists who specialise in relationship therapy, marriage counselling and couples counselling. The Centre for Relationship Development serves the Illawarra areas of Wollongong, Figtree, Unanderra, Mt. Kembla, Kiama, Shellharbour, Warrawong, Mt. Warrigal, Oak Flats and Albion Park as well as the Sydney areas Newtown, Sydney CBD, Newtown, the Eastern Suburbs, the Western Suburbs and North Sydney — including Surry Hills, Bondi Junction, Bondi, Darling Point, Woollahra, Edgecliff, Kings Cross, Double Bay, Paddington, Bellevue Hill, Potts Point, Darlinghurst, Central, Broadway, Chippendale, Ultimo, Pyrmont, Redfern, North Sydney, Lavender Bay, McMahons Point, St Peters, Marrickville, Enmore, Erskineville, Botany, Palm Beach, Clareville, Avalon, Bilgola Plateau, Newport, bayview, Mona Vale, Warriewood, Narrabeen, North Narrabeen, Elanora Heights, Naraweena, Collaroy, Collaroy Plateau, Cromer, Dee Why, Wheeler Heights, Oxford Falls, Ingelside, Terrey Hill. For more information contact Clinton on 0412 241 410 or Irene on 0405 586 358 or Felcity on 0438 184 727.