Ron Gamez

Ron Gamez, Accredited Mental Health Social Worker
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(New Clients)

Ron Gamez

(he/him)
“My aim is to be present and deeply listen to what has brought you to therapy, while developing trust and rapport as a foundation for our work. With empathy and curiosity, I can also support you to make connections between your past and present and explore how this insight might improve experiences or relationships in your life, including the relationship you have with yourself. Our work can go as in-depth as you feel ready and comfortable for, at a pace that feels right for you.”

AREAS OF EXPERIENCE

I am an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker with experience working in community mental health, as well as with individuals from the LGBTQI+, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD), and neurodivergent communities. I work with adults (18+ years) and can support you to explore:

  • Anxiety: Worry, fears, racing thoughts, panic, physical tension, avoidance, or feeling overwhelmed in daily life.
  • Depression: Low mood, reduced motivation, loss of interest or enjoyment, withdrawal, hopelessness, or feeling flat, disconnected, or numb.
  • PTSD and Complex PTSD: Support with the ongoing impacts of traumatic experiences, including intrusive memories, hypervigilance, avoidance, emotional dysregulation, difficulties with trust, and changes in self-perception.
  • Trauma, including neglect, physical and sexual abuse: Navigating the emotional and relational impacts of traumatic experiences on identity, feelings of safety, emotional regulation, self-worth, and relationships.
  • Grief and loss, including relationship separations: Support through bereavement, relationship breakdowns, significant losses, and the emotional adjustment that can accompany major changes in your life.
  • Sexuality and gender diversity: A safe, inclusive, and affirming space to explore sexuality, gender identity, relationships, coming out, belonging, and the impacts of stigma or discrimination.
  • Neurodiversity, including autism and ADHD: Neuro-affirming support with self-understanding, executive functioning, sensory needs, masking, burnout, relationships, emotional regulation, and developing strategies that work with your brain.
  • Relationship issues: Exploring communication difficulties, conflict, boundaries, trust, intimacy, attachment, and recurring patterns within romantic, family, or other important relationships.
  • Non-monogamy: Affirming support for people navigating consensual non-monogamy, including communication, boundaries, jealousy, attachment, relationship agreements, and managing multiple relationships.
  • Stress: Feeling overwhelmed by life demands, work, relationships, or other responsibilities, having difficulty switching off, or experiencing emotional and physical signs of ongoing pressure.
  • Anger: Understanding anger and its triggers, managing intense emotional responses, developing healthier ways of expressing anger, and reducing its impact on relationships and wellbeing.
  • Porn addiction: Support with problematic or compulsive pornography use, including understanding triggers, reducing unwanted patterns, managing urges, and addressing impacts on wellbeing, intimacy, and relationships.
  • Infidelity: Support for individuals navigating the emotional impact of infidelity, including betrayal, guilt, grief, trust, relationship uncertainty, and decisions about moving forward.
  • Emotional dysregulation: Difficulty managing intense or rapidly changing emotions, feeling easily overwhelmed, reacting impulsively, or finding it difficult to return to a calmer emotional state.
  • Self-esteem issues: Self-doubt, low confidence, harsh self-criticism, difficulty recognising strengths, feelings of inadequacy, or struggling to develop a more compassionate relationship with yourself.
  • Role transitions: Adjusting to changes in work, relationships, family, caring responsibilities, identity, or other life roles, and navigating the uncertainty or emotional challenges that can accompany these transitions.

ABOUT RON

I believe that our past and childhood experiences can shape who we have become and how we continue to experience the world. When these experiences have been painful or remain unresolved, they can sometimes show up in our lives as anxiety, anger, shame, sadness, difficulties in relationships, or behaviours that don’t align with our values. My aim is to support you in understanding where these difficulties may come from and together, explore how they might be addressed so that you can move towards a life that feels more fulfilling and meaningful.

As a Mental Health Social Worker, I’m also interested in understanding your experiences within the broader context of your life. This might include your family, culture or religion, alongside aspects of identity such as gender, sexuality, race, ability and age. These parts of ourselves can intersect in complex ways and shape how we understand ourselves, how others respond to us, and how we move through the world. Bringing an awareness of this into therapy allows us to understand your experiences more holistically and can create space for greater self-compassion, empathy and insight.

I also believe that the therapeutic relationship can be healing in itself. Therapy can offer a space where you feel deeply listened to, understood and emotionally attuned to in ways that can be difficult to find in everyday life. When a therapeutic relationship is grounded in trust and safety, there can be greater freedom to be vulnerable, make sense of painful experiences, question long held beliefs and discover new ways of relating to yourself and others.

Outside of work, I love absorbing myself in all kinds of music and creative pursuits.

THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES

Ron will collaborate with you to identify the therapeutic approaches that may best fit your needs, goals, preferences and pace. He draws from a range of evidence-based approaches, including:

  • Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT): Helping clients understand the links between their thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and develop practical strategies to change patterns that may be contributing to distress.
  • Schema Therapy: Exploring longstanding patterns, beliefs and emotional needs that may have developed through earlier life experiences, and working towards healthier ways of understanding yourself, relating to others and responding to difficult situations.
  • Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR): A trauma-focused approach that supports clients to process distressing memories and reduce the emotional intensity and ongoing impact of traumatic experiences.
  • Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (TF-CBT): Supporting clients to understand and manage the effects of trauma, develop coping strategies, process difficult experiences and strengthen feelings of safety and emotional wellbeing.
  • Interpersonal Therapy (IPT): Exploring how relationships, life changes, grief and interpersonal difficulties may be affecting emotional wellbeing, and developing strategies to improve communication, connection and relationship patterns.
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Supporting clients to relate differently to difficult thoughts and feelings, clarify what matters most to them, and take meaningful steps towards living in line with their values.
  • Motivational Interviewing (MI): Helping clients explore mixed feelings about change, strengthen motivation and build confidence to move towards their goals in a way that feels collaborative and respectful.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor of Social Work (Curtin University)


PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP AND REGISTRATION

  • Member of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)
  • Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (AASW)