Mental Awakening
Founded with the purpose of offering a service that provides alternative approaches for stress, anxiety, depression, trauma recovery, Chronic Pain (TMS), mind body syndrome (MBS) and other common psychological and life challenges.
Empowering Psychological service that will support your overall mental health and wellbeing
Our Approach
Our focus and approach is on teaching clients how to heal their emotional and/or physical wounds by regulating their nervous system. We don’t believe in separating the mind from the body. We see healing as supporting the whole system. The cells of the body are merely following instructions given by the emotional brain, which is known as the Limbic system. This part of our brain plays an important role in our emotions and physiological responses. We help you break the norm and shift your unhelpful discernments. As your perceptions change, the messages that your nervous system communicate to your body also change.
Our purpose
We are passionate about providing our clients with tools and strategies to cultivate their unique strengths in order to thrive and flourish. Our purpose is to make a positive impact in the world. We exist to help our clients make significant improvements to their lives and relationships. We provide a space where learning, growth, healing and connection can take place.
Our vision
for our business is to offer a service that will allow our clients to improve their lives by mentally awakening and making what was once difficult, easier. On top of individual face-to-face and online video counselling sessions, we also provide online workshops and other helpful products and services that we envision will assist our clients in their journey towards recovery, growth and healing.
Meet Our Staff
Sarah Dakhili is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, Psychotherapist, educator and Human Services leader with more than 15 years of experience across healthcare, higher education, community services and private practice. Throughout her career she has supported individuals, families, universities, medical practices and community organisations in navigating complex psychological, social and organisational challenges. Her work spans trauma recovery, chronic pain, crisis intervention, case management, mental health, staff education, stakeholder collaboration and service delivery. As the Founder and Director of Mental Awakening, Sarah established and leads an independent allied health practice, overseeing strategic planning, clinical governance, service delivery, stakeholder relationships, business development and quality improvement. Alongside supporting individual clients, she has designed workshops, delivered training and collaborated with healthcare professionals to improve psychological wellbeing and client outcomes.
Sarah’s leadership philosophy is grounded in psychological safety, compassion, accountability and evidence-informed practice. She believes that sustainable change, whether for an individual, a team or an organisation, begins by creating environments where people feel safe enough to grow, contribute and thrive. Her clinical work focuses on trauma recovery, chronic pain and mind-body disorders, integrating Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET), Internal Family Systems (IFS), shadow work, neuroscience and nervous system regulation to support lasting change. Whether working with an individual or contributing to broader organisational wellbeing initiatives, Sarah brings a calm, collaborative and systems-oriented approach that balances strategic thinking with genuine human connection.
Sarah also works with individuals and organisations to reduce burnout, strengthen psychological safety, and support leaders navigating high-stress environments and periods of change. Her background in trauma-informed practice and complex psychosocial work enables her to translate nervous-system science into practical leadership tools, communication strategies, and organisational systems that protect performance, wellbeing, and retention. She has worked extensively with individuals and systems under sustained pressure and now supports government and corporate organisations through wellbeing strategy, leadership development, psychosocial risk mitigation, and culture change. Her areas of focus include:
workplace mental health and wellbeing strategy
psychosocial risk and burnout prevention
psychological safety and communication under pressure
trauma-informed leadership and change support
Her clinical work specialises in chronic pain and mind–body conditions, drawing on the research of Dr John Sarno and Dr Howard Schubiner in the treatment of Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) and related disorders. Sarah works with clients internationally, offering both face-to-face and telehealth sessions through Mental Awakening.
Her approach is grounded in evidence-informed practice and focuses on improving regulation, resilience, and return-to-function outcomes. She is experienced in working with families and stakeholders in high-conflict, high-emotion contexts.
Sarah’s guiding philosophy is simple: “Supporting people to create authentic power within themselves, so what was once difficult becomes easier.”
A podcast hosted by Mental Health Social Worker and Psychotherapist Sarah Dakhili, exploring topics related to trauma recovery, chronic pain (TMS) and healing. Sarah is also a speaker, author and an artist, who is a a huge advocate for health and healing, supporting people through chronic pain, trauma recovery and various mental, physical and emotional challenges. Furthermore, Sarah has over 20 years of personal experience with chronic pain (TMS) and trauma recovery and believes that they are connected. In her podcast, she explores the healing journey by sharing of her own experiences and knowledge on the topic. Please note that the podcast is not a reflection on the methods used in a therapeutic session with Sarah.
Caroline Madkins
Caroline is the practice Administration Officer. She works remotely and has a background in customer service and business administration. She shares our vision and passion for bringing healing and growth to the community.
