Shawn van der Linden has a background in clinical mental health counselling as an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, practising in Australia. Starting out his working life as a qualified carpenter, Shawn subsequently discerned consecrated life with the Missionaries of God’s Love (MGLs), which involved intensive years of spiritual formation and ministry, with time spent in Canberra, Melbourne, Darwin (Australia) and Manila (Philippines). After discerning his vocation to married life Shawn settled in Canberra and completed his theological, social work and family therapy studies, taking up leadership roles establishing men's counselling services, and co-founding a national suicide prevention organization for construction industry workers.

Following this, Shawn served for nine years as Executive Director of Pastoral Support for the Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, developing programs in areas relating to adult faith formation, parish pastoral care, youth ministry, marriage and family ministry and evangelization initiatives.

Shawn’s more recent roles have been as the CEO of the Conflict Resolution Service Inc, the National Manager of integrated workplace onsite counselling with a corporate psychology firm, and as the manager of student counselling and mental health services for a Catholic Education system of 56 schools. Shawn also consults to Catholic Education, having completed multiple reviews of school counselling and mental health and wellbeing services for Diocese Education Systems in Australia. 

Maintaining his clinical counselling practice with individuals throughout his career Shawn has developed a strong vision of the transformative value of suffering, and the unique role that psychotherapy can play in enabling genuine human flourishing through integration, where our psychological and emotional lives are deeply united with, and deeply affecting, our spiritual lives.

Shawn works in conjunction with the CatholicPysch Institute whose mission is to create a Catholic standard in mental health:

https://catholicpsych.com/

You can find Shawn at:

https://www.altumconsulting.com.au/

Hill to Thrive On: Finding Hope in a Sea of Despair is inspired by my story of deseration to find God and the benefits this has on my mental health. As a teen, I was desperate to know God and had no one to help me in my search and broke down as a result. As I have grown into adulthood, my growth in faith has helped equip me for the ongoing struggles against my weak humantiy:

Life of the beloved:

”I am the Chosen child of God. Held safe for all eternity, in an everlasting belief.”