Karen Santos , PACFA

Karen Santos is credentialed in Australia as a Psychotherapist and Social Worker. She works with adults, adolescents and children, offering support through difficult periods such as trauma, stress, depression, anxiety, parenting challenges, life transitions, and grief and loss.

Her practice is informed by ongoing work delivering evidence-based trauma and mental health counselling alongside recent community mental health case management. That combination has strengthened her ability to understand each person’s unique situation, to empower them, and to collaborate on practical steps toward improved mental health that align with what matters most to the individual.

Karen has undertaken specialized training in the neurobiology of trauma and developmental trauma, Synergetic Play Therapy (SPT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT). She is currently strengthening her skills in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). This diverse training allows her to work effectively with individuals and with dyads, for example parent and child.

She emphasizes a curious, respectful approach that seeks to uncover specific needs and priorities. Karen aims to create a space where people feel heard and supported while they explore change, build coping strategies and reconnect with what matters most to them.

Therapeutic approaches and flexible online care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify their values and build practical habits that allow them to live a more meaningful life despite difficult thoughts or feelings. It can be useful for anxiety, stress, and navigating life changes.

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on providing a nonjudgmental, empathetic space where the client’s own goals and insights guide the process. This approach helps strengthen self-understanding and supports healing from grief, low self-esteem, and relationship challenges.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) works by identifying unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns and developing concrete strategies to change them. CBT is commonly used for depression, anxiety, and coping with everyday stressors.

Finding the right approach is part of the collaborative work between therapist and client. Karen will help explore which methods align best with a person’s needs, goals and preferences, and she adjusts her approach as those needs evolve.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions can take place via video call or phone, and shorter exchanges can be managed through live chat or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives, to maintain continuity through transitions, and to access consistent support when in-person visits are difficult.