Just as plants will instinctively grow under optimal conditions, I believe humans will not only heal, but flourish if given the chance.
LGBTQIA+ Therapist in Brisbane for Perfectionism, High-Functioning Anxiety & Identity
Hello! My name is Jack Kelly (he/him).
I’m a Brisbane-based therapist and Certified Practising Counsellor with the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA), offering in-person therapy in Greenslopes and online across Australia. I work with high achievers, perfectionists, and people who tend to overthink or hold themselves to high standards.—alongside a strong focus on supporting LGBTQIA+ clients navigating identity, relationships, and emotional wellbeing.
Many of the people I work with feel like they’re coping on the outside, but struggling underneath — often shaped by perfectionism, overthinking, people-pleasing or the pressure to hold everything together. I aim to create a supportive, relational space where deeper emotional change can take place. Rather than focusing on quick fixes or coping strategies alone, our work centres on understanding the patterns that keep you stuck and building the capacity to relate to yourself differently.
Engaging in therapy, I believe, is one of the bravest and most beneficial things anyone can do. I approach each client with care, curiosity, and a genuine belief in their capacity for growth and change.
If you’re someone who tends to push through, get things “right,” or hold yourself to high standards, therapy with me can offer a different way of relating to yourself.
You’re welcome here.
Providing you with a safe space to talk
I’m committed to creating a warm, inclusive space where diversity in all its forms is respected and valued. I offer LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy, and work with people from a wide range of backgrounds, beliefs, and lived experiences.
In this space, you’re invited to show up as you are. You don’t need to have the right words, have it all figured out, or present yourself in any particular way. The aim is to support you in feeling understood, accepted, and able to explore what’s going on beneath the surface at your own pace.
The Areas I Focus On
I draw on Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT), attachment theory, and humanistic approaches to support clients in understanding their emotional experiences and the patterns that shape them. Rather than focusing on rigid techniques or step-by-step strategies, I offer an experiential, relational process that helps you explore what’s happening beneath the surface—supporting meaningful emotional change, greater self-understanding, and increased self-trust.
LGBTQIA+ Affirming Therapy
My heart lies with supporting my LGBTQIA+ community through the specific challenges we face. Coming out, dealing with societal or familial rejection, managing internalised stigma, engaging in healthy romantic relationships or exploring gender and sexuality are difficult to understand on our own. Having someone who understands the unique experiences of our community and the weight of those challenges can make a meaningful difference.
Perfectionism & High-Functioning Anxiety
Many of the highly driven people I work with experience what is often described as high-functioning anxiety. This often shows up as perfectionism, overthinking, people-pleasing, difficulty switching off, and putting others’ needs ahead of your own. While these patterns can help you cope in the short term, they can also leave you feeling drained, anxious, or disconnected from yourself. In our work together, we explore the roots of these patterns—often shaped through earlier life experiences—and begin to develop self-compassion and a different way of relating to your inner world. This is especially relevant if you’re someone who feels driven to get things “right,” often at the expense of your own wellbeing.
Feeling Stuck or Disconnected
Sometimes people come to therapy feeling like they’re “getting by” but not truly living in a way that feels aligned or fulfilling. This might show up after a relationship ends, during a transition, or as a general sense that something is missing—even if it’s hard to name what that is. In these moments, therapy can provide a space to slow down, make sense of what’s happening internally, and reconnect with your values, strengths, and sense of direction.
How I Work as a Therapist
The simplest way I can describe my work is this: enhancing awareness + fostering self-compassion = building capacity. Capacity to endure more, to be ok with more, to say ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I know I’ll be ok’.
I work with people experiencing perfectionism and high-functioning anxiety—often those who are used to coping, but want to understand themselves more deeply. Because if you’re too focussed on the ‘how to solve this problem’ you may end up just layering on more strategies and further avoiding YOU.
We need to slow down. To be very still with ourselves. By staying with our discomfort long enough to be changed by it we create capacity. We stretch ourselves. We stop asking ‘how do I fix this’ and instead ask ‘what part of me can’t sit with this’. Then we listen. We learn to hold our pain and grow from it, not away from it.
Answers and insight are helpful, but this never-ending treadmill of solutions that we’re so often fed in today’s success-society is often the very thing that’s blocking us from real change—acceptance. Not all solutions come in the form of answers. Some come from new questions and new discomforts. So we can show up for ourselves in ways we never have.
Clients often leave our work feeling as though they’ve revisited key moments in their lives with new clarity and understanding, freeing them to move beyond old patterns of self-protection.
To learn more about me, my qualifications, and my approach, click below.
The Basics
In-Person Counselling | 749 Logan Road Greenslopes Brisbane
Online Counselling | Google Meet
First Session - 75 mins | Returning Sessions - 50 mins
Weekly | Fortnightly | Monthly - Thursdays & Fridays
$150 per appointment
I also offer a limited number of discounted spots for those in need. If cost is a barrier, please reach out to discuss available options.
The Steps To Your First Appointment
1.
A Free 15-Minute Consultation
Use the online booking system to schedule a free consultation. This is your chance to share what’s brought you to therapy, ask questions, and see whether working together feels like the right fit. There’s no pressure to book after this.
2.
Scheduling & Contracting
If we feel like the right fit and once you’re ready, we’ll book your first counselling session. You’ll be asked to complete the Client Intake Form, Informed Consent & Service Agreement along the way.
3.
Your First Appointment
In your first therapy session, I’ll explain how counselling works, including confidentiality and your rights as a client. After that, we’ll begin your work together.
Before booking, please take a moment to review my Informed Consent & Service Agreement, which outlines how I work, confidentiality, fees, cancellations, and your rights as a client.
Still feeling a little unsure?
Take a moment to read through what to expect from therapy and how it works. Understanding the process can help you feel more confident as you begin your journey.