The basic step in achieving inward freedom is 'choosing one's self.’ -Rollo May
Welcome! I’m Ria Hutchison, an integrative psychotherapist and yoga teacher offering a holistic approach to mental health and wellbeing on the Gold Coast, Australia. My practice weaves together evidence-based talk therapies with somatic and contemplative techniques to support healing across the mind, body, and soul. Informed by neurobiology, trauma theory, and phenomenological inquiry, I centre each client’s lived experience while translating research into practical, compassionate care. I welcome people from all backgrounds, and offer a collaborative space where growth, resilience, and authentic connection can flourish.
Therapeutic Approach
My approach to therapy is relational, trauma-focused, and grounded in compassion. I believe that healing happens in the presence of safety, curiosity, and genuine connection, and that therapy can be a space to feel seen, supported, and gently challenged.
As an integrative psychotherapist, I draw from a range of evidence-based modalities to support your process. Depending on your needs, we may also explore mindfulness, nervous system regulation, parts work, or meaning-making processes to help you reconnect with your sense of self.
You won’t be expected to follow a set structure: our work will unfold collaboratively, in response to what matters most to you. Whether you’re navigating anxiety, grief, burnout, relationship challenges, or a deeper search for purpose, our work together will be tailored to honour your story, your strengths, and your unique path forward.
Integrative Psychotherapy
Integrative Psychotherapy is a collaborative and adaptive approach that draws on a range of evidence-based modalities to respond to your unique needs. Rooted in a deep respect for the complexity of human experience, this way of working considers the interplay between your thoughts, emotions, body, relationships, and past experiences. Rather than applying a fixed method, therapy is shaped by our evolving understanding of who you are, your strengths, challenges, and hopes for change. This approach values the whole person, offering space for reflection, healing, and the development of deeper self-understanding. Through our collaboration, we’ll support psychological flexibility, self-compassion, and meaningful, lasting growth.
Somatic Work & Yoga Informed Therapy
Your nervous system is the silent storyteller of past stress and present resilience. Somatic interventions, ranging from gentle breathwork and body-based awareness to trauma-sensitive yoga practices, help regulate autonomic arousal and restore a felt sense of safety. Yoga offers structured, evidence-supported movement and mindfulness techniques that can complement talk therapy, deepening your capacity to inhabit your body with greater ease.
Neurobiological & Phenomenological Lens
Modern neuroscience explains why therapeutic practices such as mindfulness, compassion, and intentional movement can rewire neural pathways for greater emotional balance.
A phenomenological lens places your lived experience at the centre of the work: attuning to how emotions, memories, and meaning are felt and held in the body and mind. This approach is especially important when working with trauma, where traditional talk therapy alone may not reach the deeper layers of experience. Underpinning this is a philosophical inquiry into what it means to live well, inviting reflection on your values, purpose, and capacity to relate to yourself and others with care.
This lens helps us move beyond symptoms, toward a deeper understanding of what it means to be human- within yourself, your relationships, and the world around you.
Framework for Our Work
Therapy is a shared process; one that unfolds through trust, curiosity, and intention. While each journey is unique, our work together is guided by the following principles:
Relational Safety – A confidential, non-judgemental alliance where trust and authenticity can flourish.
Trauma-Focused Practice – Recognising how stress and adversity shape the brain, body, behaviour, and your sense of self.
Embodied Awareness – Integrating interoceptive skills to ground insight in the body and support emotional integration.
Evidence & Experience – Balancing peer-reviewed research with respect for the richness of your lived experience.
Collaborative Goal-Setting – Co-creating meaningful therapeutic goals, with space for regular reflection and feedback.
Therapeutic Gains
While outcomes will differ for each person, many clients describe the following benefits emerging from our work together:
Enhanced nervous system regulation, supporting steadier moods and greater capacity to manage stress.
Deeper self-understanding through a blend of psychological insight, emotional processing, and embodied awareness.
Strengthened metacognitive and practical skills that support everyday life, including mindfulness strategies, body-based practices, cognitive flexibility, perspective-taking, and values-based decision-making.
Improved relationships as clearer boundaries, emotional attunement, and compassionate communication emerge.
A renewed sense of agency and purpose, supported by ongoing integration of mind, body, and values.
Contact Us
Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!