If you would prefer to speak with us directly, please feel free to call anytime.
If you would prefer to speak with us directly, please feel free to call anytime.
If you would prefer to speak with us directly, please feel free to call anytime.
Outdoor Counselling?
Outdoor Counselling?

Our Story





As a private practice counsellor specialising in boys and adolescent male mental health, in West Gippsland, we met so many young blokes that struggled to engage with traditional face-to-face therapy. It is well-known that the traditional model keeps some blokes from seeking professional support. Whilst talk therapy certainly had a positive impact, l needed more effective ways to engage with boys meaningfully and at their 'level'.
Initially, we began to include one of our Kelpies in office-based sessions, which worked wonderfully in grounding young blokes sufficiently to enable them to engage with me as a therapist more effectively. They could sit, play with the dog and talk to me. I quickly observed a significant increase in engagement in the therapeutic process, just by way of this simple addition. Young blokes began coming to us, as word of mouth had spread - he has a Kelpie! We now have 2 Kelpies, a Border Collie and a Blue Heeler. The boys are generally drawn to one of our dogs in particular, and the dogs remember them too!
Then l decided to take the therapy outdoors, which began as a simple walk around Blue Rock Lake, in Moe (with a Kelpie in tow of course). For a young bloke, not having to look a counsellor in the face, sitting in a chair, in an office - was so powerful. It was a positive shift in the dynamic.
Owing to the success l observed in my clients (and the feedback from their families, schools, employers, Govt agencies etc), there was clearly a genuine need for adventure therapy in the local community for boys. l decided it needed be separate from our traditional private practice (West Gippsland Counselling Service) and so Gippsland Outdoor Therapy and Youth Adventures (GOTYA) was born.
GOTYA is a family-owned and operated local Gippsland business based in Drouin (Vic). We are proud to be a boys and adolescent male youth mental health service. The importance of young men speaking up when they aren’t travelling so well cannot be understated, as such, GOTYA provides a counselling model that is accessible, down-to-earth and relevant to boys and adolescent males
My passion as therapist, is to provide a specialised service for young blokes to support them in navigating the complex world they find themselves in.
Michael Beecham
Practice Director
Certified Practising Counsellor, PACFA Prov. Registrant #26956
BEd(RMIT), GCertCarDev(CEAV), GDipCouns(ACAP), GCertManYouthSuic(MELB), GCertYouthMenHealth(MELB), MYouthMentHeal(MELB)Pending




