About us
Maple Tree Counselling grew from the shared vision of colleagues and friends brought together by passion and professionalism. Responding to an exploding demand for mental health services during turbulent times, we seek to create a genuinely diverse practice providing counselling and psychotherapy with empathy, expertise and excellence.
Maple trees grow all over the world. They hold many meanings in different cultures: strength, resilience, protection, fertility, tolerance, honour and love. They have strong roots and grow famously colourful leaves. These are the values and aspirations we hold for ourselves and for every one of our clients.
Our vision
Engaging, listening, supporting – Maple Tree Counselling’s vision is to help individuals flourish by providing a safe and caring space in which to explore life’s challenges and opportunities to grow and heal.
Some clients call these challenges depression, anxiety, addiction, stress, trauma, ADHD, grief or codependency – the list may be endless, but many clients may just feel blocked and want change.Â
Whether clients are looking for ongoing psychotherapy, mental health support or the practical tools of recovery, relationships, reflection and realising potential, we aim to help them thrive.
Maple Tree Counselling operates under the key professional values of absolute confidentiality, ongoing professional development and expert individual and group supervision.
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Our team
Maple Tree Counselling is a practice of partners and associate therapists that reflects true multicultural and multilingual vibrancy, and is committed to helping foster resilience and mental wellbeing across all the communities it serves.
Founded in Hong Kong, the original team comprises native Hong Kongers, long-term permanent residents and ex-patriates, delivering therapy in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. Â
Launched in Melbourne and Central Victoria in February 2023, led by founding Partner and returning Australian Simon Westcott, and founding Partner and Director, Anjali Nihalchand, Maple Tree will continue to support diverse communities and ethnicities as it builds its Australian team.
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Anjali Nihalchand
Co-Founder & Director — Brand, Marketing and Operations
Anjali is a Brand and Project Consultant (Pollination Projects) and a Co-founder of Maple Tree Counselling. She has worked across a wide set of industries including hospitality & travel, arts & culture, start-ups and NGOs.
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Simon Westcott
Counsellor — ACT, CBT and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Simon believes in the benefits of both short-term, goal-oriented counselling and longer-term, ‘in-depth’ psychoanalytic psychotherapy. He treats clients from many different cultures with a wide variety of mental health issues.
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Casey McGrath
Counsellor — CBT, ACT, Narrative and Person-Centered Therapy
Casey works with adults experiencing anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and relationship issues. She specializes in helping clients navigate major life transitions as well as complicated career and family dynamics.
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Jacquelyn Tryde
Counsellor — EFT, CBT and Mindfulness-based Psychotherapy
Jacquelyn offers therapy for adults, adolescents and preteens. She supports younger clients who experience dysfunctional family dynamics, parental separation and divorce, difficulties in acculturation, depression, anxiety, OCD, and peer pressure.
Anjali Nihalchand
Co-Founder & Director — Brand, Marketing and Operations
Anjali is a Brand and Project Consultant (Pollination Projects) and a Co-founder of Maple Tree Counselling. She has worked across a wide set of industries including hospitality & travel, arts & culture, start-ups and NGOs. She has worked for pioneers such as Aman (over 10 years), entrepreneurs such as Song Saa and naked Hub, and NGOs such as The Zubin Foundation. Alongside running, Maple Tree Counselling, Anjali is partners in an Acceleration Platform (100X Project) generating fast and massive visibility on Google Search for small and large businesses. Anjali was born and raised in Hong Kong and educated in the US & France. She is proud of her Indian heritage and works to raise awareness of the minority experience in Hong Kong advocating for diversity, equality and inclusion. She is trained in transformational coaching and coaches young South Asian women to cultivate empowerment.
- Bachelor of Arts (USD & AUP, France)
- Digital Marketing (General Assembly)
- Transformational Coach (Transcend)
- Pollination Projects (Founder)
- 100X Project (Partner)
- Advisor to The Zubin Foundation
Simon Westcott
Counsellor — ACT, CBT and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Simon believes in the benefits of both short-term, goal-oriented counselling and longer-term, ‘in-depth’ psychoanalytic psychotherapy. He treats clients from many different cultures with a wide variety of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and challenges rising from relationship, sexuality and family issues. Simon enjoyed a 25-year corporate, entrepreneurial and NGO career before entering the mental health field. He understands the challenges of high-performance environments, both academically and professionally, but also the importance of creativity and play. Simon serves diverse communities, including the LGBTQ+ community, and has a specialism in men’s mental health.
- Master of Counselling (Monash)Â
- Australian Centre for Psychoanalysis (4 Year Study Program, ongoing)
- Australian Counselling Association
- Hong Kong Society of Counselling and Psychology
- Masters of Arts (Oxford & Indiana)
Casey McGrath
Counsellor — CBT, ACT, Narrative and Person-Centered Therapy
Casey works with adults experiencing anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and relationship issues. She specializes in helping clients navigate major life transitions as well as complicated career and family dynamics. She is passionate about healing past traumas and discovering possibilities for change while working collaboratively with clients using a range of evidence-based techniques. Casey is a mother of three and has lived in Hong Kong since 2012. She previously worked at The Women’s Foundation in Hong Kong and, prior to that, as an attorney in New York.
- Master of Counselling (Monash)
- Professional Coaching Training (Transcend)
- American Counseling Association
- Hong Kong Society of Counselling and Psychology
- Bachelor of Arts (Michigan) & Juris Doctor (Georgetown)
Jacquelyn Tryde
Counsellor — EFT, CBT and Mindfulness-based Psychotherapy
Jacquelyn offers therapy for adults, adolescents and preteens. She has supported younger clients who have experienced dysfunctional family dynamics, parental separation and divorce, difficulties in acculturation, depression, anxiety, OCD, and peer pressure. She has been heavily involved in substance abuse prevention work and mental health education with youths and their parents from ethnic minority communities and international schools. Jacquelyn also works with adult clients, specializing in women’s issues, attachment trauma, and overcoming limiting beliefs and low self-esteem. Jacquelyn values multi-cultural sensitivity, and has working proficiency in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. Prior to her career change, Jacquelyn was an executive trainer with Forbes Travel Guide.
- Master of Counselling (Monash)
- Certificate of Clinical Hypnotherapy Level 4 (IMDHA)
- Australian Counselling Association
- Hong Kong Society of Counselling and Psychology
- Psychotherapy Society of Hong Kong
- Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association
- Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hong Kong)
We are open to collaborations.Â
