At Cocoon we offer a broad range of Mental Wellbeing Services delivered by university qualified psychologists, social workers and counsellors. Collectively, our Mental Health team cater for children, adults, gender diverse, neurotypical and neurodivergent folk.
Types of therapy and courses available include:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Mindfulness
Schema Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing
Play Therapy
Prolongued Exposure Therapy
Gottman Couples Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
Parenting support programs including 123 Magic and Emotion Coaching
Attachment focused parenting support programs including Circle of Security
Allow 50 minutes for individual counselling and 90 minutes for couples counselling. Below you will find information about each of our Mental Health Therapists.
OUR PSYCHOLOGISTS
Janelle Nichols - Psychologist & Director
Janelle Nichols (Nel) is the founder and director of COCOON Psychology, formerly known as Huon Valley Psychology. A long-term local, Nel has supported adults, adolescents, and children in the Huon Valley for over 20 years.
Nel works collaboratively with clients and is passionate about helping people gain clarity and direction in their lives. Her approach explores how you came to be who you are, where you want to be, and how to move forward in meaningful ways.
Central to her therapeutic work is building trust whilst identifying and transforming unhelpful - often subconscious - patterns that influence self-concept, confidence, relationships, mood, behaviour, parenting and health.
Sessions are practical and skills-focused, supporting clients to experience greater fulfilment and agency in their lives.
Nel is experienced in a range of evidence-based approaches, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR). She supports people experiencing a wide range of concerns, including:
anxiety, panic, and specific phobias
depression and grief
trauma, dissociation, and derealisation
health conditions and physical impairment
gender and sexual identity
dissociative experiences
interpersonal difficulties, attachment patterns, and psychodynamic concerns
In addition to therapy, Nel provides neuropsychological assessments for ADHD, intellectual disability, giftedness, and learning difficulties such as dyslexia. Nel's professionla qualifications include a Bachelor of Science, a Bachelor of Psychology (majoring in International Studies), and Honours in Psychology. Nel is currently unable to accomodate new referrals for counselling but has spaces for assessments. Outside of work, Nel values time at home with her family and border collies, Lily and Rosie. She enjoys cooking veg meals, getting her hands dirty in the garden, and dreaming about future travels in the family coaster, Myrtle the Turtle. You might also spot Nel wearing a tool belt on a building project, red-faced on a long country run, or balancing mind and body at Bikram Yoga.
COUNSELLING FEES FOR INDIVIDUALS Reduced uninsured private rate: $140-$190. Please contact directly to confirm applicable rate. Reduced NDIS rate: $232.99 Standard rate: $330 (AAPI recommended rate) Medicare rebate: $98.95
To make an appointment text the practice on: Phone: 0432 951 133 Email: [email protected]
Bethany Smith - Clinical Psychologist
Bethany is a caring and compassionate registered Clinical Psychologist with 15 years experience working with adults and adolescents.
Bethany believes person-centred therapy, with a focus on building rapport and trust, is essential to assist people reach their goals. Bethany draws upon several evidence-based therapies, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), in her work to understand the complex issues people face in life. Bethany uses strategies from these approaches to assist her clients to build upon their skills and address their needs in therapy.
Bethany has experience providing care and support to people with the following concerns:
Mood issues including, depression and adjustment to challenging life situations
Anxiety and stress management
Self esteem
Grief and loss
Experiences of trauma
Managing chronic health conditions, including diabetes, chronic heart and lung disease, and pain management
Anger management
Transgender and other identity based challenges
Bethany aims to support clients to improve their coping skills and self-regulation of emotions, to better understand their relationships, and to learn about the links between their thoughts, feelings and actions. Bethany studied at the University of Adelaide and completed her Master of Psychology (Health) in 2009. Since then Bethany has worked in government, not for profit organisations, and private practice in Melbourne and Hobart, including:
The Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (Melbourne)
Southern Health (Melbourne, hospital setting)
Relationships Australia Tasmania
headspace Hobart (youth focus)
When not at Cocoon, Bethany works at the University of Tasmania as a Lecturer and Supervisor to students studying their Postgraduate degrees in Psychology and Counselling.
To make an appointment contact Bethany directly Bethany is available Tuesdays and Wednesdays Phone: 0473 611 479 Email: [email protected]
Dr Sue Crebbin Clinical Psychologist
Sue has worked in counselling, health, and academic settings for many years and uses a person-centred collaborative approach to identify practical changes and strategies that will meet the individual needs of the client. Sue considers psychoeducation, to increase knowledge, understanding and insight into the associations between thoughts, emotions, behaviours, and physiological responses, a good starting point for change.
She draws upon several evidence-based therapeutic interventions in treatment to assist clients with improving coping skills and emotional regulation - Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Schema-focused Therapy, and Mindfulness - to enhance mental and emotional wellness and facilitate optimal functioning. Sue works with young people and adults presenting with:
Anxiety and stress management
Depression/low mood
Health conditions/issues
Self-esteem, confidence, motivation, meaning and purpose
Grief and loss; adjustment to challenging/new life situations
Trauma/PTSD
When not at Cocoon, Sue works at the University of Tasmania as a Lecturer to students studying their master’s degree in psychology and is a board approved supervisor.
To make an appointment, contact Sue directly Sue is available on Mondays Phone: 0407 802 258 Email: [email protected]
Anna Hopwood - Psychologist
Anna is a lifelong resident of the Huon Valley, deeply committed to the wellbeing of people in her local community. She is skilled in supporting people who fear they will not be understood and may therefore hesitate to seek help.
Anna believes that every person should feel valued and heard. She offers thoughtful understanding, a compassionate presence for exploring life’s challenges, and gentle support to foster courage, strength, and contentment.
Anna works with clients from older childhood and early adolescence through to older adulthood, and welcomes people from a wide range of cultural, gender, and neurodiverse backgrounds. She has a particular interest in supporting neurodivergent adults, including those who identify as gifted or twice-exceptional, in exploring wellbeing, identity, and belonging. She has a background in philosophy, which informs her understanding of psychology as both an empirical and reflective discipline. This integration allows her to bring depth and clarity to her work, helping clients connect practical understanding with personal meaning. The principles of Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) run through much of her practice, supporting emotional regulation, self-kindness, and easing the discomfort that can come with therapeutic work. These principles complement and strengthen other approaches, offering particular support for people struggling with shame, self-criticism, or depression that has resisted other treatments. Anna is a registered psychologist with a background in professional counselling and has worked in the Huon Valley since 2017. She is a member of the Australian Association of Psychologists (AAPi) and the Compassionate Mind Foundation, an international organisation dedicated to advancing the scientific understanding of compassion and its therapeutic applications.
COUNSELLING FEES FOR INDIVIDUALS Reduced uninsured private rate: $140-$190. Please contact Anna directly to confirm applicable rate. Reduced NDIS rate: $232.99 Standard rate: $330 (AAPI recommended rate) Medicare rebate: $98.95 To make an appointment, contact Anna directly Anna is available on Wednesdays and Fridays Phone: 0497 386 405 Email: [email protected] Anna's website: https://www.huoncounselling.com.au/
OUR SOCIAL WORKERS
Stephen Fletcher - Mental Health Social Worker
Steve is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, with over 25 years of experience of working within the health and community sector. He enjoys working with young people (aged 16 plus) and adults. Steve works with a sensitive, holistic, solution focused and empathetic approach with all of his clients.
He offers a warm, friendly and professional approach to enabling clients to move forward in their lives. Steve specialises in working with adults who experience anxiety and depression, PTSD and complex trauma, relationship/separation support, grief and loss, anger management, alcohol and other drug support and many other complex mental health needs.
Steve has a strong commitment to client centred therapy and utilises numerous recognised therapeutic frameworks to achieve success such as:
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Schema Therapy, Dialectic Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Prolonged Exposure Therapy and he combines mindfulness skills into every care plan.
In 2018, Steve completed his second masters in mental health - a Masters in Social Work. Whilst Steve has a high level of academic training, Steve has grounded experience, which has developed in varied roles across youth mental health, corrections, and Aboriginal mental health. Steve is available at Cocoon two days a week and spends his other workdays at Open Arms, Hobart, where he supports Veterans and their families. Steve also continues to participate in professional development and is an experienced supervisor.
To arrange an appointment contact Steve directly. Available: Mondays & Tuesdays at Cocoon.
Medicare subsidies are available if a current MHCP and referral is in place.
Services funded by Employment Assistance Programs (EAP) are also available.
High quality supervision to social workers and those working towards their mental health accreditation is available.
To arrange an appointment contact Steve directly Steve is available Mondays and Tuesdays Phone: 0409 469 325 Email: [email protected] Steve's Website: sjfcounselling.com.au
Lili Su - Mental Health Social Worker
Lili’s passion in the counselling space is helping her clients rise from their self-defeating thoughts and behaviours to realise their potential. Lili views her clients as the experts in their lives. As a therapist, she would walk alongside her clients and assist them in tuning into their strengths and resilience. Lili’s therapeutic style is focused on building trusting relationships with her clients through compassion, collaboration, care and respect. Lili believes trust in the counselling space is important to support clients to feel safe emotionally and physically. The therapeutic approaches Lili utilises range from a strength-based approach, person-centred therapy, narrative therapy, solution-focused brief therapy, trauma-informed frameworks, attachment theory, Polyvagal theory, family systems theory, and neuroscience of trauma. Lili is open to hearing your feedback and willing to adjust her approaches to tailor what works best for you.
Lili studied and trained in Australia as a Social Worker. She completed a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioural Science at Monash University. She studied for this degree with a double major in Psychology, History and Politics. Lili studied various units in human behaviours, motivations, developmental psychology, personalities, and research methods.
COUNSELLING FEES FOR INDIVIDUALS Reduced uninsured private rate: $120-$170. Please contact Lili Su directly to confirm applicable rate. Reduced NDIS rate: $193.99 Standard rate: $290 (AASW recommended rate) Medicare rebate: $87.25