Val has worked in the counselling field for the past 34 years and has qualifications in Psychology, Human Services, Psychotherapy, and Mediation and has a Master’s Degree in Psychology Counselling.

She has worked for The Divisions of General Practice where she was the Western Australia Aged Care and Counselling State Manager.   During her 4 years in this position she was an accredited Royal Australian College of General Practitioner trainer.  Her role involved training GP’s throughout WA in Aged Care and Counselling. At this time she developed an interest in the often unreported suicide of the aged in care. She has presented at 7 National Conferences and 1 International Conference on topics ranging from aged care, to suicide, to gambling.

Val currently works with children and adolescents, gamblers, and men in relationships.  As a co facilitator of a Women’s domestic violence programme, she understands and counsels the men involved in domestic violence, many of whom have suicidal ideation.

Val is an experiences group facilitator, with an interest in trauma training.  She has been involved in training large organisations in dealing with Trauma, from bushfires to the aftermath of a suicide.

Val has a keen knowledge of the FIFO lifestyle, having been called in to various mine sites for crisis intervention, involving injury, accident, suicide and redundancies.  She is passionate about caring for the many young men and women who are involved in the FIFO lifestyle and supporting them to stay healthy and safe.

Val has worked as a trainer on the One Life Gatekeeper programme.