Liisa Hiltunen, PACFA - Therapist in Australia

ACT and CBT
Attachment-based work
Coaching for leaders

About Liisa

Liisa Hiltunen is a PACFA clinical counsellor with more than 20 years' experience. She works with stress, anxiety, relationship concerns, self esteem and coping with life changes, and also provides coaching for professional contexts. She practises in Australia and conducts sessions in English.

Liisa integrates counselling with coaching skills. She draws on cognitive behavioural approaches and acceptance and commitment ideas to help people notice unhelpful patterns and choose steps that align with their values. She also uses attachment-based and client-centred work to look at how relationships shape reactions and expectations.

Practical tools are a feature of her work. Liisa uses goal-setting methods such as SMART goals and creative problem-solving to make progress concrete. Mindfulness techniques appear alongside cognitive strategies to manage stress and reduce reactivity in social situations.

Her background includes master’s degrees in counselling and business coaching and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in design. That mix informs a focus on life direction, leadership and work-related pressures as well as personal concerns like body image or the effects of caregiving.

Liisa has lived and worked in multiple countries, and she often supports people navigating relocation, cultural adjustment and identity shifts. She also has experience with issues such as abandonment, adoption and foster care, blended family challenges, divorce and separation.

Sessions aim to combine direct feedback with practical structure, so people leave with clear next steps. To begin, readers are invited to use the site's matching process to choose an initial appointment and see which session options suit their circumstances.

How Liisa’s approaches translate to online work

ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) focuses on connecting actions to personal values and learning small, practical steps to move in the direction that matters. It can help with anxiety about social situations by clarifying what matters most and reducing avoidance. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) looks at patterns of thought and behaviour and teaches concrete techniques to test and change unhelpful thinking and reactions. It is often used for stress and anxiety to build manageable behavioural experiments and skills. Attachment-Based Therapy examines how past relationship experiences affect current responses, helping people recognise relational triggers and try new ways of relating that reduce reactivity.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Liisa will talk with each person about goals and preferences and recommend a mix of methods. The choice of techniques is collaborative and may change as sessions progress to suit practical needs and outcomes.

The biography does not list specific online session formats, so please confirm current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit counselling into work and family life, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. Liisa aims to combine direct feedback, goal-setting and mindfulness practices in ways that fit everyday routines and responsibilities.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyRelationship issuesSelf esteem Coping with life changesCoaching

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAdoption and foster careAging and geriatric issuesAttachment issuesBlended family issuesBody imageCancerCaregiver issues and stressCo-morbidityCodependencyCommunication problems Control issuesDependent personalityDissociationDivorce and separationDomestic violenceEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesFertility issuesForgiveness Guilt and shameHospice and end-of-life counselingImmigration issuesInfidelity Isolation / loneliness Jealousy Life purpose Men's issuesMidlife crisisMoney and financial issues Multicultural concernsNarcissismPanic disorder and panic attacks Phobias Post-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthPrejudice and discrimination Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSex addictionSexual assault and abuseSocial anxiety and phobiaTraumatic brain injuryVisually impairedWomen's issues Workplace issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Mindfulness TherapyNarrative TherapySolution-Focused TherapySomatic TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family SystemsSystemic Therapy

Experience

20+ years

Listed in

Australia

Languages

English

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does she help with?

She helps people with stress, anxiety, relationship problems, self esteem and coping with life changes, plus related issues such as body image, caregiving stress and divorce.

What style of therapy does she use?

She blends Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, cognitive behavioural methods, attachment-based and client-centred approaches with mindfulness and practical coaching tools.

How much experience does she have?

Liisa has around 20 years of professional experience working in counselling and coaching roles.

What are her credentials and where is she based?

She is a PACFA clinical counsellor based in Australia.

Can I see her if I live outside Australia?

Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not currently accepted.

Which session formats are available?

The biography does not specify session formats; please confirm current session options before booking.

How does cost work?

Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.

How do I get started?

Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session.