A bit about Maree

Maree Eisma

Medicare-accredited Mental Health Social Worker (AASW)

Founder of Change of Course, The Patch – Dandenong Ranges

Lets Step Back in Time for a bit.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to the very people who feel like they 'don’t quite fit in'. I suspect it's because for a whole range of reasons, it's very relatable—having lived with a chronic illness that became critical at times during my developmental years. It often left me feeling 'on the outer', amplifying the felt sense of 'I'm different'. The eldest 'responsible child' with the ever-present reminder that in 'my family' death occurs prematurely, and those I needed the most can't or won't be able 'to stay'. Whilst those that remained lacked emotional intelligence, which only fueled additional anxiety and uncertainty from a young age.

Sometimes, like many people I work with, such experiences leave individuals with a sense that their childhood was 'short-lived'. It can contribute to a feeling of being an old soul in a young body, amplifying the sense of "I don't quite fit in" or speaking a dialect that is not always comprehensible to others.

Those I work with have often been 'deep thinkers' all their lives, yet they learned early on that their emotional depth and introspection often couldn’t be met by peers or caregivers. Not surprisingly, this just adds to a further sense of alienation and loneliness for many, a reality that my empathy support aims to address.

"Loneliness does not come from having no people around you but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to you" (Carl Jung).

I was the girl at school who would feel her heart break, at anything from rodents being 'unnecessarily' dissected in science class, to 'collecting' various pets possessing pleading eyes on route to or from school. Heaven forbid if I got wind of anyone hurting animals. Grrrr!

School years, complete with the ever-changing social landscapes, further exposed my already sensitive and empathetic emotional system to added confusion. Often resulting in me asking—"Why were people mean?" I felt the helplessness of those students who got bullied for their 'differences' and found myself often pondering—What's occurring in the life of the person who is doing the bullying that is driving that behavior? Surely what hate can do, love and understanding can do better? Even when young, somehow I sensed that those who were wounding others were most likely deeply wounded themselves.

So yes, I truly understand what it’s like to notice too much, care too much, or think too much, and how this can get internalized to mean 'I must be too much'. Just like many women described as “sensitive” or “emotionally intense”, who sometimes had to grow a hardened shell around a very soft center just to navigate life. These individuals often describe themselves as feeling emotionally and energetically porous, allowing everything to 'get in', despite all the tactics to prevent it.

How it often feels for the people I work with:

By the time clients find me, they are often:

- Tired of being resilient. They know how to cope and function—what they often don’t know is how to be able to rest.

- Carrying old grief—for childhoods that looked “fine” on the outside but were emotionally barren, confusing, or even invalidating.

- Entangled in relationships that have been chaotic, one-sided, or subtly eroding their sense of self or, worse, their ability to trust their own instincts/intuition.

- Using addictions or habits they’re ashamed of but can’t let go of, because they’ve been lifelines.

- Living with disenfranchised grief—the kind of loss that doesn’t get rituals, casseroles, or sympathy cards. The grief that feels like a constant companion, heavily felt but not necessarily 'seen' or understood well by others. Often generating a familiar sense of feeling 'invalidated' all over again.

Such experiences have never occurred to me as evidence that someone 'is broken'. Instead, I see only evidence that their nervous system, history, and sensitivity have never been properly understood or supported.

So I created Change of Course as a platform where individuals like you don’t have to mask or pretend anymore. A place where you can simply experience the spaciousness to be the unique you, that only YOU came to this planet to be. 

My Path To Here.

I’ve been working in mental health and counselling for over 25 years.

Over that time, I’ve worked with people facing an array of traumas, addiction, grief, and complex life transitions. I’ve sat with stories told by individuals who possess incredible strength, not only to have survived their experiences, but to carry the additional weight of embodied trauma—their bodies laden with experiences they weren’t designed to carry alone.

My professional background includes:

- Accreditation as Mental Health Social Worker – Medicare-accredited, AASW

- Extensive training in:

  - EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Re-processing)

  - Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) – including specialised training in emotional eating

  - Transactional Analysis

  - Art Therapy, Expressive Therapies, Sandplay, and Symbol Work

  - Dream Therapy

The longer I've been practicing, the more I've come to truly appreciate that the people often dismissed, shunned, or labelled as 'too sensitive', 'too emotional', or 'too complex' are frequently those who exhibit the deepest wisdom and compassion. It seems these individuals seldom arrive in a place where they feel safe enough to reveal their richer inner worlds. Yet, for many people I work with, they naturally learn to access their own inner wisdom when:

- They can make peace with their heightened sensitivities and/or neurodiversity, where self-understanding speaks louder than confusion. It’s a place where compassion has greater airtime than self-judgment, shame, or ridicule, and where they stop gaslighting themselves.

- They have a safe environment to process trauma healing and alleviate the impact trauma has on their already heightened nervous system.

- They gain greater sovereignty over their lives by learning to listen to their body’s natural wisdom and honour their inherent needs and wants—without apology.

What it’s like to work with me

People often describe therapy with me as:

- Grounded and calm—we stay connected to your body.

- Honest but gentle—I won’t rush you, whilst being real with you.

- Creative and experiential—we may use sand, images, dreams, tapping, symbols, or art, especially when words may elude you, or your body needs something different.

- Respectful of your sensitivity and neurodiversity. My role is not designed to make you 'less sensitive' or more 'manageable' for others. Our work together centers on building a life that can truly nourish and better support who you are.

We might spend time:

- Tracking the ebb and flow of your nervous system over a week or at certain times.

- Following themes that appear in your dreams, artwork, sand trays, daydreams, or even meditations.

- Using EMDR to process memories that still hijack your nervous system.

- Using Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) to help you process difficult emotions or memories that cause distress.

You don’t have to know which modality you “need.” That’s for us to explore together in a safe manner. The only thing I'd like you to know, from my heart to yours, is that your 'real self'—free of masking—is warmly invited into this space.