Online Counselling, Performance Coaching, Mindfulness/Meditation Classes
Melbourne-based - providing evidence-based trauma-informed online counselling,
performance coaching and meditation classes
Helping people become unstuck with Gentle Changes
Appointments now available
To make an appointment with Minna, you can either
Call or text: 0480 742 926
or click on the button below.
Becoming unstuck
It is a clunky phrase, but I like it.
As we go through life, we develop unique strategies to cope or deal with what happens. Over time, we can become stuck in a pattern of behaving or reacting that no longer works for us.
Becoming unstuck means developing different coping methods and strategies—neuroplasticity in action.
Using the phrase - becoming unstuck - removes the idea that 'we have failed and need therapy'. We haven't failed. We have survived with the tools available to us.
Imagine if we could say,
"I'm just a little bit stuck, and I need some assistance".
Take the first step to becoming unstuck.
Book now for online counselling, performance coaching and Mindfulness/Meditation classes.
Approach
My approach to online counselling is holistic, trauma-informed, evidence-based and collaborative. We are so much more than our diagnoses. We are individuals, with likes, quirks, preferences, strengths and we have survived the only way we know how to get us to the present day. Maybe these old survival strategies aren't working as well any more.
Let's work together to identify goals and develop a personalised treatment plan that works for you.
Performance Coaching
Does the thought of public speaking or performing make your
- voice clam up?
- heart start racing?
- stomach churn or sink?
Book an appointment for performance coaching to learn some strategies to relax your body so that the physiological impact of stress does not impede performance.
Public Speaking, Singing, Performing, Exam Preparation
one of the hardest things we can do is ask for help
Carers
You cannot pour from an empty cup.
Taking on the role of carer during my mother's cancer journey was one of the most difficult yet rewarding things I have ever done.
Were it not for the cancer years, I would not have embarked upon the attainment of the Master of Counselling (University of Canberra).
Carers can grieve in advance, grieve the life that could have been, grieve the sense of self and who they are.
Mindfulness & Meditation
How can this help me?
Regular mindfulness practice and meditation classes can help the body to lower the base level of stress that we carry around with us. Stress creeps up on us, day by day, and we think it is normal (for us). and it may well be. Learning how to relax the body helps to re-set the brain. The practice of returning to a relaxed state helps us to regulate stress that life inevitably brings our way.
Webinars & Seminars
Available for community and corporate groups - delivering psychoeducation about the importance of psychological flexibility; learning emotional regulation techniques like mindfulness and meditation to handle the the difficult days where we feel overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, frozen.
By appointment only.
performance coaching online counselling meditation classes Please contact minna@gentlechanges.com.au
Minna Ikonen is a master's-qualified counsellor, ACT therapist, and internationally accredited mindfulness teacher with a passion for helping people reconnect with what truly matters.
She works with her clients in a collaborative, respectful partnership — exploring values, setting meaningful goals, and learning to respond to life’s challenges with clarity and intention rather than simply reacting. Minna offers compassionate support across a wide range of concerns, including grief and loss, providing space to honour pain while nurturing resilience.
She is experienced in working with neurodiverse clients, tailoring her approach to affirm each individual’s strengths and unique way of experiencing the world. Her practice also warmly welcomes LGBTQIA+ clients of all ages, creating safe, inclusive spaces where authenticity is celebrated.
With a grounding in mindfulness and a heart attuned to the rhythm of music, Minna brings presence, empathy, and a calm confidence to every therapeutic relationship.
UNLOCK YOUR POTENTIAL WITH GENTLE CHANGES
Welcome to Gentle Changes Counseling
Change is possible.
In its simplest form - repetition creates consistency.
We learn to survive by the methods available to us. Over time, these survival patterns become our go-to coping strategies.
Neuroplasticity means the brain can make new patterns, new strategies. Your neurons love making friends with other neurons. Your brain tries to short-cut patterns that it identifies. This is how habits form (both good and bad). Sports people refer to this as 'muscle memory'. I refer to his as a solidified neural pathway.
Learn to identify your patterns and you can decide whether these patterns still serve you. Do they still help? Perhaps you would like to learn some new strategies.
Change is possible, but it does take time.
Repetition creates consistency.
