David Stracey

I am a clinician and a trainer with a huge passion for supporting children, young people, and adults. My clinical practice has three key areas of interest - supporting those impacted by trauma and abuse, those impacted by mental health and those who need support changing their behaviour.  

Clinical Practice

I am an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker with a Master of Social Work, majoring in forensic behaviour. I have worked as a clinician in private practice, Government and Non-Government organisations across Australia since 2007. I relocated to Brisbane in late 2017, prior I worked in the field of child sexual abuse and harmful sexual behaviours in Victoria, Northern Territory, and New South Wales.

My career includes supporting children, young people, adults and families recovery from incidents of trauma, including child sexual abuse and neglect.

My interest in supporting those impacted by mental health underpins my private practice. I provide short-term and long-term evidence-based support to those impacted by depression and anxiety and other general concerns. In addition I provide ongoing support to those diagnosed with a variety of disorders such as schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder. I also have extensive experience supporting those experiencing self-harm and suicide ideation.  

I have extensive expertise in providing evidence-based assessment, treatment and support related to problematic sexual behaviours. This includes risk-taking sexual behaviour, children and young people with harmful sexual behaviours, pornography use, adults who experience paraphilias and those who have committed a sexual offence.

I provide assessment and treatment using a multimodal approach including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Behaviour Change approaches and Forensic models. An important part of my approach is adhering to practice principles like those set out by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

In 2016 I joined the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse as a counsellor supporting those participating in the Royal Commission’s work. I also provided internal advice to in relation to harmful sexual behaviour, this included consulting on the content and direction of Volume 10 – Children with Harmful Sexual Behaviours. This time at the Royal Commission reinforced my passion for supporting professionals to understand the needs of children and young people with harmful sexual behaviour.

Up until 2022 I worked for the Mater Family and Youth Counselling Service as the coordinator of the training and mentoring program. I provided training to non-government services in the area of harmful sexual behaviour throughout regional Queensland.

My private practice covers all my interest areas of mental health, behaviour change and trauma recovery.

And finally…

There are two other important areas of my practice.

I provide in-house counselling at a non-government service which supports young people who have recently left the child protection system. This is very rewarding work and something that I have been interested in since my work in ‘resi units’ over 15 years ago.

Another important aspect of my practice is my consulting, support, and assessment work at an independent school that provides education to disengaged and marginalised youth.

I am involved with a number of committees, I am a committee member of the AASW Child and Family practice group. I am also the Treasurer of the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abuse (ANZATSA).

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.