A conversation, not an assessment
No clipboard, no diagnosis on arrival. We start with what is actually going on and work out together what is worth changing.
Men's Counselling Sydney
Somewhere to say it out loud.
Most men I see are managing. Work is handled, people are looked after, nothing is obviously falling apart. It is just that somewhere along the way it stopped feeling like much of a life - and there has never been an obvious place to say that.
I'm Leif Lawson, a Sydney psychotherapist. I work with men on stress and burnout, anger and irritability, relationships, identity, grief, and the transitions that leave you unsure who you are meant to be next. Sessions are online, so you can attend from anywhere in Sydney, across Australia, or from the UK and Ireland.
No diagnosis, no referral, no requirement to have the words ready before you start.
Ready when you are
Book an appointment
You might recognise this
What usually brings men here
Rarely a crisis. More often a slow accumulation - of pressure, of things unsaid, of being the one who copes.
- You are coping, but running on empty
- Anger or irritation arrives faster than it used to
- You handle everything for everyone and talk to no one
- Work is the only place you feel competent
- You feel disconnected from your partner, or from yourself
- Drinking, scrolling or working late has become the way you switch off
- Something ended - a relationship, a role, a version of your life - and it has not settled
- You would not call it depression, but it is not okay either
How I work with men
Direct, warm, and not clinical
Underneath the anger
Irritability and shutting down are usually the visible end of something else - pressure, grief, shame, or feeling unseen. We go to that rather than managing the symptom.
Practical and steady
Sessions give you language for what you are carrying and something to do with it, so things shift outside the room as well as in it.
If worry and overthinking are the loudest part, there is more on my anxiety counselling page. If the difficulty is mostly in your relationship, have a look at couples counselling.
Sessions & fees
What it costs
Weekday session
$180
60 minutes
Weekend session
$210
60 minutes
Extended weekday
$200
75 minutes
Four-session package
$680
Weekdays
All sessions are online and paid before the session. Full details, extended and weekend options, and the four-session Growth Package are on the sessions & fees page.
Common questions
Before you get in touch
- I have never done therapy before. What actually happens?
- The first session is a conversation. You say what brought you here, I ask questions, and by the end we have a sense of what is worth working on. You do not need to prepare anything.
- Do I need a referral or a diagnosis?
- No. You can book directly - no GP referral, no mental health care plan, no diagnosis required.
- Are sessions online or in person?
- Sessions are held online, so you can attend from anywhere in Sydney, across Australia, or from the UK and Ireland - including from the car between meetings, if that is what makes it possible.
- What if it does not feel serious enough to bother?
- Most men I see are functioning well and still carrying more than they say out loud. That is reason enough. You do not need to be in crisis to use an hour well.
