Cheryl Tan-Bell
Clinical Counsellor and EMDR Practitioner
Midland - Monday and Friday and Australia wide online
Individuals, Couples and Multiples
I don’t expect anyone to walk in with the right words. People sit with me and don’t speak for a while, I’m not here to judge how you cope, I’m here to help you understand it. Most people I see aren’t broken, their body has just been responding exactly how it had to. I love working with couples, watching two people find their way back to each other once the noise settles. I’ll meet you where you are, and gently challenge you from there.
BOOK WITH CHERYLHow I Work
Before private practice, I worked with children through the Department of Communities. That work stays with me. Kids show trauma before they have the words for it, in play, or in what their body does before they can name what’s wrong. I still look for that in the adults I sit with now. A lot of what gets called “overreacting” or “shutting down” started long before anyone had a name for it.
I trained in the Gottman Method for couples work, but I don’t stay inside one model. We look at how you grew up and what you were taught to expect from people. That’s usually still playing out with the people you love now, whether you’re in the room alone or with your partner. I’ve completed training in neurodivergence, I believe an ADHD or autistic brain doesn’t process trauma, relationships, or overwhelm the same way a neurotypical one does. That changes how I work with you, not just what I look for.
Works With
- Individuals
- Couples
- Complex trauma and developmental trauma
- Sexual abuse
- Sex counselling
- Kink, BDSM, and alternative relationship styles
- Relationship difficulties
- Neurodivergent-affirming support
qualifications
- Masters of Counselling, Murdoch University
- Gottman Method Couples Therapy
- EMDR
- Clinical member of PACFA
- 18 years in practice, including background in child protection (Department of Communities)
Modalities
- Gottman Method Couples Therapy
- EMDR
- Attachment-based therapy
- Family Systems
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Narrative Therapy
- Person-Centred Therapy
- Play Therapy
- Solution Focused Brief Therapy
- Trauma-informed practice
Ready when you are
Cheryl is available Monday and Friday in our Midland office or online
Words from Cheryl
I understand what it’s like to hold things you’ve never said out loud. To keep functioning while parts of you feel exhausted, numb, or shut down.
I’ve been drawn to this work because I know how trauma shapes the way we love, cope, react, and protect ourselves. I’ve lived it. Going through my own life-changing experiences showed me firsthand how trauma weaves its way into our relationships, our intimacy, our sense of self. It wasn’t easy to untangle, but it changed everything about how I show up for the people I work with.
Most people don’t realise they’re not broken. Their body is responding exactly how it had to. I want people to feel less alone in that.
I don’t expect anyone to walk in with the right words. People sit with me and don’t speak for a while. Sometimes they talk around things, or they apologise for crying, or for not crying. I’m not here to judge how you cope. I’m here to help you understand it.
I’ve been working with families, couples, and children for over 15 years, and exploring sex, kink, BDSM, and alternative relationship styles is genuinely something I love. I’m working on a steamy novel, “Cornered”, so yes, I’m right there in the world of kink alongside you. Don’t let my appearance fool you.
My style is validating and gently challenging. I’ll meet you where you are and I’ll walk with you from there.
Introducing Cheryl
When I first met Cheryl, what struck me wasn’t her training, it was her steadiness. She has this way of being fully present without crowding you. Nothing feels rushed or forced. She notices things gently: the way your voice changes, the moment your body pulls back, the part of you that goes quiet before you even register it.
People trust her because she’s real. She doesn’t hide behind clinical language or pretend she has all the answers. She sits with you – all of you – especially the parts you’re scared people will judge. Childhood trauma, shame, sexual harm, grief, relational hurt…… she doesn’t flinch. She holds it with you in a way that feels grounded and human.
Cheryl is one of those therapists who makes the hard work feel possible. That’s why she’s here.
