Founder of Off Shift
Tristan Abba
Counselling and Clinical Psychologist, former hospitality worker and someone who knows the industry from both sides of the conversation.
Psychology and practice
A genuine, practical approach
Tristan is an AHPRA-registered psychologist endorsed in both Counselling and Clinical Psychology. Since 2003, he has worked across government, not-for-profit, community mental health and private practice settings on the Gold Coast and in Western Australia, supporting people with diverse and complex needs.
He is also the founder of Mind Harbour Psychology in Perth. His work is flexible and tailored to the person in front of him, drawing on evidence-based approaches within a trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming and solution-focused framework.
At the centre of his practice are integrity, presence, transparency, genuineness, non-judgement, respect, trust, self-responsibility and confidentiality. There is no therapist mask - the aim is to create a calm, human space where people can be themselves and do useful work together.
Before psychology
Hospitality was part of the story from the beginning
Tristan started working in hospitality at 14 and stayed in the industry throughout university and for several years into his twenties. He worked in cafes, bars, gastro pubs and fine dining restaurants across Cairns, the Gold Coast, Sydney and Perth.
He worked as a waiter, bartender and venue manager, so his understanding of the industry is not abstract. He knows the rhythm of a shift, the relationships that form around service, the pressure that follows people home, and the practical realities that can make ordinary support feel out of touch.
That experience is why Off Shift is built differently: clinically sound support, delivered by people who understand hospitality without needing it explained first.
The idea behind Off Shift
Good support should feel relevant from the first conversation.
Off Shift brings Tristan’s clinical experience and hospitality background together in a service designed for the people who keep Australia’s venues running.