I’m Bella, a social worker and trauma therapist based in Melbourne’s inner east. I completed my Masters of Social Work at Monash University and my career has spanned the areas of sexual assault, family violence and mental health.

Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside people in moments of profound challenge and growth. These experiences have shaped my belief that healing happens through safety, compassion, and genuine connection.

My practice, The Gentle Path, was born from both professional experience and personal insight into the courage it takes to rebuild trust in yourself and others. This perspective helps me meet clients with empathy and authenticity, while maintaining a strong evidence-based foundation in my work.

I’m passionate about supporting people to understand themselves more deeply, heal from what’s been holding them back, and create meaningful, lasting change.

In my sessions I utilise approaches such as Somatic Awareness and Processing, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), and mindfulness-based practices. My style is calm, collaborative, and paced to meet you where you are, without pressure or judgment.

Somatic work is something I am very passionate about and through my career I’ve come to see how trauma lives not only in the mind, but also in the body, shaping how we think, feel, and relate to the world around us. Somatic work invites us to listen to the body’s wisdom and respond with curiosity rather than judgment. By integrating body-based awareness into therapy, we can gently process and release what has been stored, fostering a deeper sense of regulation, safety, and self-trust.

The Gentle Path is a space for those ready to reconnect with themselves, explore their experiences with curiosity, and move toward a more grounded, embodied, and self-trusting way of being.