HOLISTIC - Returning to Who You Are: From Surviving to Living

Along the coastline, stories of Selkies have been told for generations. In Celtic mythology, the Selkie is a seal who sheds her skin to walk on land, often becoming separated from the sea and forgetting the way back to herself. It is a story that resonates deeply with the lives of many women today.

“For me, the Selkie symbolises the therapeutic journey of returning to who you are beneath the layers of stress, survival and disconnection,” says Bec Combs, founder of Selkie Counselling & Psychotherapy.

“As women move through life, they often find themselves responding to the needs of others – raising children, nurturing relationships, navigating careers, caring for family and carrying the invisible emotional labour of daily life. 

“In the process, parts of themselves can become hidden beneath expectations, responsibilities and the relentless pace of modern living. What once felt instinctive, creative and alive can become distant or difficult to access.”

“In Women Who Run With the Wolves, Clarissa Pinkola Estés writes about the importance of reclaiming our authentic and instinctive nature. She reminds us that the feminine psyche longs to be remembered. 

“Like the Selkie searching for her seal skin, many women arrive in therapy sensing that something essential has been lost, yet knowing there is a deeper part of themselves waiting to be rediscovered.”

At Selkie Counselling & Psychotherapy, Bec sees therapy as a process of remembering who you truly are and returning.

As a PACFA-registered counsellor with a Master's in Gestalt Therapy, she offers a warm, relational and trauma-informed space where women can slow down, deepen awareness and reconnect with themselves. 

Bec works with individuals, couples, children and teens navigating anxiety, depression, grief and loss, trauma, relationship difficulties, life transitions, burnout, motherhood, and experiences of disconnection or overwhelm.

Bec's approach supports people to explore their experiences with curiosity, compassion and greater understanding. Grounded in Gestalt therapy, her work is not about fixing what is wrong. Instead, it is about bringing awareness to what is present and welcoming back the parts of ourselves that may have been silenced, abandoned or forgotten. 

Through greater awareness, these parts can begin to integrate, softening internal conflict and creating space for greater wholeness, resilience and choice.

“Like the Selkie returning to the sea, healing can be a journey of returning to who you are beneath the layers of survival,” Bec shares. 

“Through awareness, relationship and genuine connection, it is possible to move from surviving to living, rediscovering a deeper sense of belonging, authenticity, awareness and choice.”

For more information, visit @Maleny Holistic Health Centre or selkiecounsellingandpsychotherapy.com.au