Welcome!  I'm so glad you are here...

Hi, I'm Monique Rutherford (she, her, hers).  I'm a trained and experienced Somatic Psychotherapist and I am passionate about guiding women to find belonging.  To remember themselves home.  To cast a net over the abandoned, orphaned, ignored, shunned and invisible parts of themselves and gather them in with care and compassion.  I love supporting women just like you, to awaken the wild within, in order to live a more authentic and purposeful life.
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It is inevitable for many of us, to become wayward; lost in the never ending to-do list, becoming a slave to the working week, taking on too many roles, disconnected from our natural world, from our instincts, from our wild feminine nature, from our voice and from our innate natural wisdom and intuition.  Not only has life become fast paced, leaving us tethered constantly to our devices and living in a state of ongoing availability to others, but many of us have survived a childhood, or destructive relationship, where our basic needs for love and protection were not met.  This lack of love from significant others and then estrangement from Self can leave us disconnected from our body wisdom, overriding our instincts and ultimately longing for greater depth in our lives and greater intimacy with others.  

Sweetheart...

Do you ever wish the relationships in your life were more loving, easy, meaningful and intimate?

Do you want greater access to your potential?  Your authenticity?  Your purpose and life force?
 
Do you want to love and be loved like the wild woman you are?
YES!!!  Of course you do…We all do!! 
We are wired to LOVE, it is our birthright. 
We are wired to Love Deeply, to both give and receive
and to be seen and known in all our glorious beauty
AND with all of our complexity, sensitivity and woundedness.
 
Life without this kind of love is just well…ho hum. 
We can become stuck, sad, depressed, anxious, exhausted. 
Life can be a struggle and we may feel lonely and isolated. 
Like no one cares.  Emotions are harder to regulate
as an emotional roller coaster takes control of our lives. 
Events can lack meaning and purpose, and the future can feel scary.
 
Never has there been a time in history where
it’s been so easy to connect with others. 
You’d think our relationships would be thriving. 
However, research shows loneliness is becoming an epidemic,
suicide is on the rise, divorce rates are sky rocketing
and many parents are struggling as their roles continue
to evolve and change as families take on new structures. 
It appears that instead of thriving, many of us are just
​surviving in the world of relationship and love.

Secure Base, Safe Haven...

In our attempts to give and receive love, 
things can go wrong, very wrong,
and we miss that which we most need…
To slow down, listen to ourselves and connect within.
To feel safe, heard, validated, respected,
​prioritised and LOVED by others.

If only it was about having multiple ways to connect…

The truth is that when we learn to drop into our body 
and to really listen with curiosity and compassion, what's often underneath all the pain and confusion is our innate wisdom
which is dying to express what we really feel and need in our lives
and our love relationships.  When this can be felt and expressed
we can let go of old patterns and begin to let our light shine. 
We can create a container for greater security, resilience and interdependence, along with deeper trust, playfulness and support.

We can create a safe haven to lean into and a secure base
from which to explore the world independently.
We can invite a more intimate way of connecting
with ourselves and with those we love.

It’s actually doable when you have the map, and you
​don’t have to do it alone…

I  C A N  H O L D  Y O U R  H A N D.  
​I  C A N  S H O W  Y O U  H O W.

The Road Less Travelled...

 The information imparted and the tools and practices
experienced ​in my psychotherapy practice & programs
are holistic and life changing.

I will empower you to make any necessary
behavioural changes, from the inside out.

We will explore any adaptations you've developed
that constrict what's possible in experiencing love.

This journey will help you uncover your attachment style, 
where it came from and how it plays 
​out in your everyday relationships.

You will learn both the advantages and disadvantages
of your attachment style, and even that of your loved one.

You’ll learn to identify the attachment style of others
and what to look for and what to walk away from when dating
so as to serve what you uniquely need to experience love.

We will explore letting go of resentment
and learn the importance of repair.

Everyone lives with an internal heart wound.
We will uncover this wound gently and compassionately
and discover the gifts it has to offer.

I will teach you how to come back 
to an internal sense of emotional security.
Security is wired into us and even if we’ve never experienced it
in relationship before, we can certainly find and fertilize it now.

It's Time...

It's time to make room for the quality of love you seek,
the quality of love you deserve.

It’s time to let go of protesting what you don’t want,
staying when it’s time to go
and putting other’s needs ahead of your own.

It’s time to let go of fearful avoiding, dismissing
and blocking difficult emotional conversations.

It’s time to let go of blaming
​and learn to lean into compassionate self-inquiry.
 
It’s time to let go of guilt and shame
and embrace self-compassion.

It’s time to set boundaries as an act of self-care.

It’s time to become curious about your patterns of relating
and be kind to yourself and others about theirs.

It’s time to look through a different lens
to see the love that is actually already there.

It’s time to open your heart to a new way to love yourself and others.

Sound scary?  Hopeful?  Curious to know more?
L e t ' s  T a k e  A  B r e a t h . . . a h h h h h h h.

We will begin exactly where you are,
with whatever’s showing up for you in your life right now
and we will walk this path gently…together.

This journey is one of courage,
one that requires a whole hearted YES,
a deep commitment and a willingness to work
from the inside out…
and with me as your openhearted,
compassionate Guide to Thrive,
it’s entirely possible…
I believe and trust this.

Whether you are a mother, a sister, a lover or a friend…
learning to love intimately
makes life a hell of a lot more worth living.

​I  W I L L  H O L D  Y O U R  H A N D.   
​I  W I L L  S H O W  Y O U  H O W.
Are you ready to say YES
to living and loving
like you’ve never been hurt before?
YES!!

Introducing The Foundations Of My Work

SWITCH ON SECURITY
Online Transformation Program
 Want to align
your attachment style to 'secure'?
If you recognise that your love relationships could do with an overhaul and that it all starts with you, then this is a fantastic investment to gain the support to guide you into loving like you’ve never been hurt before.
Therapeutic COUNSELLING
​ with Monique​
Want an individualised focus?
​Feel you want to go deeper?
90 minute face-to-face sessions are available to assist you in exploring your relationship blueprint in detail.

Monique will also  do the 12 week 'SWITCH ON SECURITY®' Program, one-on-one in Mullumbimby, Northern NSW.
Accredited TRAINING
​Programs for Professionals
Are you ready to uplevel your counselling practice?
Join the year long,
ACA & AASW accredited,
Somatic Attachment Focused
​Expressive Therapy (SAFE-T®)
Training Program
and not only will you change your practice but you'll change your life!
Professional SUPERVISION
Want to continue to get the most out of your training?  Want to be part of a like minded tribe?
Individual or Group Supervision is available to support your counselling practice and your personal process.

​Listen to an interview with Monique on Radio Bay FM about Attachment Theory, EFT and A.R.E