Lou Aylward
Lou Aylward (she/her) is a Gestalt psychotherapist practising from a relational, context-aware and non-pathologising stance. Drawing on lived experience and clinical training, Lou provides trauma-informed therapy that honours identity, culture, ecology and attachment systems. Based in the Northern Rivers (Brunswick Heads & Lismore) and online, Lou walks alongside clients through grief, transition and transformation, supporting growth, connection and agency.
Lou’s work is grounded in the belief that who we are emerges in relation—within family, community, culture and ecosystem. They hold a space of curiosity, warmth and attunement, inviting clients to pause, listen and discover new ways of relating—to self, others and the world.
Lou offers support with:
Grief, loss and major life transitionsEcological and existential distressStress, burnout, anxiety and depressionShame, self-criticism, dignity and careIdentity, power, belonging, cultural and social pressuresRelationship work, intimacy and complex family systemsDeepening connection with self, community and the more-than-human world
PRICING
Individual therapy: $150/hr
Lou works in Nth NSW, Brisbane & via Zoom
Monday-Friday
Email: louaylward.emergence@gmail.com
Mobile: 0450 503 544
At the heart of my work is the belief that healing and growth happen in relationship – with ourselves, with each other, and with the wider world we are part of.
I practice from a Gestalt therapy perspective, which is relational, embodied, experiential, grounded in presence, and field-based. This means I pay attention not only to your inner experience, but also to the contexts that shape your life: your relationships, culture, communities, and the world we’re living in.
I see therapy as a collaborative space where we can gently notice what’s unfolding, including the patterns that may once have helped you survive but no longer serve you. Together, we explore your struggles and longings with compassion, curiosity, and honesty.
My approach is also deeply ethical. I care about how power, privilege, and marginalisation shape our lives, and I strive to create a space where all of you is welcomed. I focus on amplifying voices that are too often overlooked, creating an inclusive space where differences are acknowledged, celebrated, and respected.
In this time of global uncertainty and change, many people carry grief, fear, or a sense of disconnection. I see therapy as a place to turn toward these experiences – not to be overwhelmed by them, but to find ways of staying grounded, connected, and responsive.
I am especially passionate about supporting people in these tender places where our inner struggles meet the challenges of the wider world. This includes living with ecological grief, finding ways to honour and move through loss, and loosening the grip of cultural and social pressures on identity and belonging. Rather than a personal “problem” to be fixed, I see suffering as a meaningful human response to the challenges we experience – both in our own lives and to a world in crisis. In therapy we can bring compassion to this pain, explore the meaning it holds, and discover new possibilities for living with greater authenticity and care. My work also extends to the complexities of intimacy, family, and parenting, with awareness of how gender expectations and power shape our relationships. For some, our work can also include reconnecting with nature, place, and the more-than-human world, and nurturing the soulful dimensions of life that guide us toward belonging, wholeness, and beauty.
I practice from a Gestalt therapy perspective, which is relational, embodied, experiential, grounded in presence, and field-based. This means I pay attention not only to your inner experience, but also to the contexts that shape your life: your relationships, culture, communities, and the world we’re living in.
I see therapy as a collaborative space where we can gently notice what’s unfolding, including the patterns that may once have helped you survive but no longer serve you. Together, we explore your struggles and longings with compassion, curiosity, and honesty.
My approach is also deeply ethical. I care about how power, privilege, and marginalisation shape our lives, and I strive to create a space where all of you is welcomed. I focus on amplifying voices that are too often overlooked, creating an inclusive space where differences are acknowledged, celebrated, and respected.
In this time of global uncertainty and change, many people carry grief, fear, or a sense of disconnection. I see therapy as a place to turn toward these experiences – not to be overwhelmed by them, but to find ways of staying grounded, connected, and responsive.
I am especially passionate about supporting people in these tender places where our inner struggles meet the challenges of the wider world. This includes living with ecological grief, finding ways to honour and move through loss, and loosening the grip of cultural and social pressures on identity and belonging. Rather than a personal “problem” to be fixed, I see suffering as a meaningful human response to the challenges we experience – both in our own lives and to a world in crisis. In therapy we can bring compassion to this pain, explore the meaning it holds, and discover new possibilities for living with greater authenticity and care. My work also extends to the complexities of intimacy, family, and parenting, with awareness of how gender expectations and power shape our relationships. For some, our work can also include reconnecting with nature, place, and the more-than-human world, and nurturing the soulful dimensions of life that guide us toward belonging, wholeness, and beauty.
Testimonials
"Working with Lou for the past few months has been a deeply supportive experience for me. I have leaned into her tender and strong presence, and said ‘yes’ to stepping into the mystery, with her invitations to experiment with such things as empty chair work, and using creative art activities as a way of articulating feelings and experience, as well as just sitting with what is arising in the here and now. I have found her way of offering Gestalt Therapy to be very accessible, and I have felt safe enough in her heart-felt presence to experience vulnerable spaces within myself, and to work through personal difficulties both past and present. She is clear and attentive in her communication, both in and outside of our sessions. I would recommend Lou, if you are needing to be held with tenderness, openness, strength, curiosity, patience, and kindness. I feel closer to myself and others in my life due to spending regular time with Lou, and I am very grateful to her for that."
DC.
“Lou is a highly empathetic, open-minded and insightful therapist. She draws from the depth of her own inner work and capacity to sit with difficult feelings in herself and in others. Invaluable in her skills as a therapist is her lived experience in supporting others through addiction, mental health concerns, codependency and working with the issues confronting young people. If you are ready to do the work I recommend Lou as a therapist you can journey with."
MW.
"As a new client of Lou’s, and being a first-time Gestalt client, I knew pretty much nothing about Gestalt therapy and was quite nervous before meeting Lou. But from the first greeting Lou was so welcoming and culturally respectful, as I am of South Sea Islander and Indigenous heritage. Lou’s understanding of my struggles of identity and where I belong made me feel comfortable and safe. All thanks to Lou – she is definitely a special person who has and is still helping me navigate and understand how to work with my emotions and thoughts. I do recommend Lou for anyone who is ready to understand themselves.”
C.