Paula Brunning

Paula is a Canadian Certified Counsellor. She holds a Master of Social Science in Counselling from the University of South Australia, a Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University in Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Spanish from Trent University, Canada. In addition, she is a Break The Worry Trance trained coach for living free from anxiety, a Positive Discipline parent workshop leader, holds a Workplace Coaching certificate from ILM (UK), and has training as a culturally competent disaster mental health counsellor. She is also certified as a crisis responder by the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA), USA. Paula also has specialised interest and training in supporting globally mobile individuals and families, including Third Culture Kids (TCKs), Cross Culture Kids (CCKs), and Adult TCKs.

Paula has worked internationally with children, teenagers, adults, and families from diverse cultural backgrounds for more than twenty-five years, initially as a teacher and since 2001 as a certified counsellor. Her previous experience includes serving as a youth specialist in a clinic supporting Singapore’s American community, as well as working as a school counsellor in Qatar and China across all grade levels. As a mother of five with extensive international living experience, Paula brings both professional expertise and lived understanding to the challenges of parenting, emotional wellbeing, cross-cultural identity, relocation, and family life within internationally mobile communities.

Paula works with children, teenagers, adults, and families experiencing anxiety, depression, emotional regulation difficulties, relationship challenges, grief and loss, adjustment stress, behavioural concerns, and life transitions. She has particular experience supporting parents and children navigating ADHD, neurodiversity, special needs, eating disorders, international school transitions, cross-cultural adjustment, and emotional wellbeing within expatriate family life. Her calm, practical, and emotionally attuned approach is especially supportive for parents feeling overwhelmed, families under stress, and individuals seeking grounded support during periods of change and uncertainty.

Paula practices from a humanistic, strengths-based, solution-focused, and trauma-aware perspective. She believes counselling should offer not only support during difficult periods, but also a safe space for reflection, healing, growth, and empowerment. Clients often experience Paula as warm, steady, compassionate, and easy to talk to, creating an environment where both children and adults feel emotionally safe, understood, and supported.