Re-Writing Your Story

Stories are central to everyone’s life. Have you ever noticed that when you ask different people to describe the same event, their versions come out slightly differently from how you’d tell it yourself?

In the same way, we all hold stories about ourselves — stories about who we are, what we’ve been through, and what we believe is possible.

Sometimes these stories lift us up and help us recognise our strengths. Other times, they become limiting narratives that keep us feeling stuck, small, or defined by our struggles.

Exploring your personal story — how you see yourself, and how you believe others see you — can offer powerful insight. Through therapy, you can begin to look at your life through a new lens that separates you from your problems and creates space for new chapters to unfold.

You Are Not the Problem — The Problem Is the Problem

This heading is a tenet of Narrative Therapy. Many of us say things like:

• “I’m anxious.”

• “I’m bad at this.”

• “I’m angry.”

• “I’m the kind of person who always…”

But these descriptions can quietly become the stories we accept about ourselves — even when they’re not the full truth.

In counselling, we gently explore how these feelings or patterns show up in your life:

• When they appear

• What triggers them

• How they influence your choices

• When they soften or lose their grip

Seeing these experiences as separate from who you are helps you recognise that they don’t define you. They are parts of your story — not the whole story. And when you can relate to them in this way, it becomes easier to understand them, work with them, and eventually change them.

Discovering Alternative Stories

When life feels overwhelming, it’s easy for one story — often the painful or limiting one — to take centre stage.

Through counselling, we can gently uncover the other stories that also exist: the moments of courage, care, connection, and resilience that may have been overlooked.

Together, we explore these “alternative chapters” and how they reflect your values, your strengths, and your hopes for the future.

How This Fits With Counselling at Peninsula MindCare

Whether in Face-to-face sessions, Telehealth counselling, or Walk & Talk Therapy along the Mornington foreshore, we approach conversations with curiosity rather than judgement.

You don’t need to fit into a diagnosis or label.We focus on your experiences, your strengths, and the unique ways you’ve responded to life’s challenges.

This approach can be especially helpful for people navigating:

• Anxiety, stress, and emotional overwhelm

• Grief and loss

• Burnout or life transitions

• Relationship or family challenges

• Men’s mental health and teenage wellbeing
  

  

Begin Re-Writing Your Story

If you’re ready to explore a new perspective on your experiences, counselling can provide the space to start re-writing your story in a way that feels authentic and hopeful.

At Peninsula MindCare in Mornington, sessions are available face-to-face, online, or outdoors through Walk & Talk Therapy.