Vivien Ridgway, AASW

Vivien Ridgway is an AASW social worker with 36 years of professional experience based in Australia. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties, parenting challenges, trauma and abuse, and issues related to gender identity and addiction. Vivien uses straightforward conversation and practical strategies to help people manage day-to-day pressures and difficult transitions.

Her background includes long-term practice in social work and leadership coaching. She draws on Attachment-Based Therapy to look at how past relationships affect current patterns. She also uses Client-Centred Therapy to keep sessions focused on the person in front of her. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and DBT skills are used when people want hands-on tools to change thoughts and behaviour.

Vivien pays attention to practical matters such as sleep, eating, parenting routines and workplace stress. She can talk through coping strategies for grief, compassion fatigue and managing strong emotions like anger. She also addresses longer-term concerns such as bipolar conditions and substance use, offering structured ideas alongside reflective conversation.

Sessions are presented as an opportunity to set clear goals and try things between meetings. Vivien emphasises straightforward language and concrete steps rather than technical jargon. She encourages people to bring specific situations to sessions so they can work on real problems that affect home and work life.

Her approach suits adults who want a mix of talking and skill-building. People who prefer clear tools and an emphasis on relationships and attachment often find this useful. To begin, readers should confirm current session options before booking.

How Vivien combines approaches for online work