Starting your healing journey is like mountain climbing as it requires courage, mental preparation and dedication. 

Once you start to climb you may face difficulties that challenge you, and find that you need to change course in order to reach the summit.
Everyone has a unique journey towards inner healing, there is no right or wrong path to take. The most difficult, yet most powerful part of the process is building the skills needed to safely explore complex pain and trauma.
Moving through issues from the past is a crucial part of moving forward.

It can be a treacherous journey but you are not alone, and you can climb any mountain with the right support.

Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik

The Embrace Project (formerly known as M.H Counselling Services) ABN: 49410385864 is a social work/counselling service based on the Gadigal Land/Sydney, Australia.

  • Founder of The Embrace Project
    Co-founder of Diversity Counselling Services

    Mayna sees therapy as a place to collaborate with clients, to help them achieve greater self- awareness in order to begin a journey of healing. Mayna’s person-centred approach centres her client’s needs and respects each individual as the expert on their life experiences.

  • 2022 - Master of Psychotherapy and Counselling (WSU)
    2020 - Bachelor of Social Work (USYD)

  • Standard Mental Health First Aider (Expires Jun 2024)
    Brainspotting Phase 1 Practitioner

Meet the Counsellor

Trauma-informed, non-pathologising, LGBTQ+ affirmative and culturally responsive therapy

Mayna is a woman of colour and member of the LGBTQIA+ Community. She is also neurodivergent (with a diagnosis of ADHD) which lead to her passion for counselling and social work.

At the age of 15 Mayna moved to Australia after growing up in Hong Kong and mainland China. Her personal experiences of generational trauma and exposure to violence as a young child inspired a passion for social justice and interest in psychotherapy. She understands the complex struggles of new and next generation migrants, particularly the impact of being caught between cultures.

She is a strong advocate for marginalised groups, having worked at several community organisations including those providing support to: LGBTQIA+ people, refugees, and culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

Besides working as a counsellor in private practice, Mayna is the multicultural sector support officer for the CHSP program for South Sydney. Mayna also works as a casual peer support coordinator at Australia & New Zealand Tongzhi Rainbow Alliance Inc (ANTRA), leading a team of peer support volunteers to facilitate support for Chinese-Australian LGBTQ+ individuals and their families. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Mayna developed a LGBTQIA+ training for CASS Care Ltd (CASS), with the aim of fostering inclusion for LGBTQIA+ individuals from Mandarin and Cantonese speaking backgrounds.

In 2020, Mayna was the LGBTI officer at Advance Diversity Services. The position was funded by the NSW Settlement Partnership. You can see Mayna’s work here.

Mayna acknowledges the importance of recognising the societal and cultural influences of trauma, and provides counselling within a holistic and non-pathologizing framework. Mayna integrates a variety of approaches into her person-centred therapeutic work depending on what is unpacked in session. Her focuses include: Narrative Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Emotional Focused Therapy and Strength based approaches. Professional development is a key aspect of Mayna’s counselling work, she is currently undertaking a course to become a Brainspotting practitioner.