Dan Hales
Counsellor and Mental Health Social Worker
(he/him)
I am currently in my twentieth year as a practicing social worker. I have a Mental Health Social Work
accreditation and a Masters in Counselling and Psychotherapy.
I have worked across multiple sectors including youth services, HIV / STI prevention, numerous roles in the
SA arts sector, and with diverse communities – including LGBTIQA+ folks, migrants, refugees, and
Aboriginal / First Nations communities. Much of my early career was project and community development
based, including a 6-year stint in Northern Thailand working with various marginalised communities.
I recommenced clinical work in 2021 with the headspace Early Psychosis team until I transferred in 2023
across to their general counselling program, where I continue to work today.
Whilst Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and nervous system-oriented mindfulness strategies
drive my therapeutic practice, I am also trained in Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Cognitive
Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Person-Centered Therapy (PCT) methodologies and I love using the
creative arts to stimulate therapeutic conversations. My practice is trauma-informed and remains rooted
in my social work values of client self-determination, systems theory, strengths approach and social justice.
I am highly passionate and experienced working with young people 12 years and older, my own queer
community, including gender diverse and HIV positive folk, as well as all people from minority groups and
diverse cultural backgrounds.
I am a keen meditation and yoga practitioner of 21 years, and a regular at Human.Kind. I’m passionate about
group work, especially involving creative movement practices, and have a strong interest in dance, drama
and expressive arts-based therapies. In my “spare” time I’m a writer and performer who loves the theatre. I
also adore anything that involves travel, adventure, and nature, including camping, hikes and the beach.