ACA Counsellor of the Year 2026

In May 2026, Griffith-based trauma specialist and psychotherapist Rayma Torresan was named Counsellor of the Year by the Australian Counselling Association, one of the profession’s highest honours, in recognition of her clinical excellence, innovation, and sustained impact on individuals and communities across regional New South Wales.

With more than 15 years of experience specialising in complex trauma, domestic and family violence, addiction, and intergenerational disadvantage, Rayma’s work spans individual therapeutic practice, group parenting support programs, and nationally accessible online courses reaching clients in some of Australia’s most geographically isolated communities.

A significant part of her nominated work centres on the DCJ Thursday Initiative, a specialised early intervention program co-developed with the NSW Department of Communities and Justice to support mothers engaged with child protection before family separation occurs. Mothers who had previously had children removed have gone on to retain care of subsequent newborns; women with long-term substance dependence have entered and maintained sobriety with Rayma’s therapeutic support.

In Rayma’s words

The following is Rayma’s personal statement on receiving the award.

“When I first sat across from a mother in Griffith who had just lost her child to the care system, I understood in my bones that our work together was not just about her. It was about every generation that would come after her. That is the nature of trauma. It travels through families, through communities, through time. And that is exactly why healing matters so deeply.

I am humbled and genuinely moved to be named the Australian Counselling Association’s Counsellor of the Year for 2026. I have held this work in my heart for more than 15 years, and to have it recognised in this way, by my peers and my professional community, means more than I know how to say.

This award does not belong to me alone. It belongs to every client who chose to trust me with their story, and I know that for many of them, choosing to trust anyone at all was its own act of extraordinary courage. It belongs to my colleagues at DCJ Griffith, particularly Breeanna Watts, whose commitment to keeping families together has shaped this work as much as my own. And it belongs to the rural and remote communities I have had the privilege of serving, communities that have been underserved for too long.

I have always believed that access to trauma-informed care should not depend on your postcode, your income, or how close you live to a capital city. That belief is what led me to develop my online courses, and it is what continues to drive the work I do in the room, every single day.

“Healing is not a luxury. The nervous system does not distinguish between a woman living in Sydney and a woman living in Hay. Pain is pain, and connection, safe and attuned connection, is the pathway home for all of us.”

Rayma Torresan · ACA Counsellor of the Year 2026

Finally, I want to dedicate this award to the women in my program, women who have survived childhood trauma, addiction, domestic violence, and enormous adversity while fighting to rebuild their lives and keep their children in their care. Their courage and willingness to heal inspires me every single day.

This award belongs to every woman who has sat across from me and chosen healing despite everything they have been through. I can only hope this work continues to grow beyond Griffith so more women and families can access this kind of support.”

Work with an award-winning trauma specialist

Rayma’s self-paced online courses, Discover Inner Healing, The Connected Parent, and The Connected Carer, bring trauma-informed care to every Australian, no matter where you live.