Karen Santos, PACFA

Karen Santos is a PACFA psychotherapist and social worker with 12 years of clinical experience. She supports people through difficult life moments such as stress, anxiety, grief, depression and parenting challenges. Karen also helps those coping with trauma and major life changes. She speaks English and Tagalog and practises in Australia.

Her work balances talking and practical skills. Sessions often involve noticing patterns, trying small changes and reflecting on what matters most. Karen draws on therapies that help people manage thoughts, feelings and relationships in everyday life.

Her background includes community mental health case management and ongoing trauma counselling. That experience informs how she plans care and keeps goals realistic and relevant. She has completed training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Emotionally-Focused Therapy and is strengthening skills in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

Karen has also trained in the neurobiology of developmental trauma and in Synergetic Play Therapy for work with children alongside their parents. This range helps when addressing parenting strain, attachment concerns and complex trauma reactions.

In sessions she aims to stay curious and collaborative. People who come to her can expect straightforward discussion, practical coping ideas and guidance on meeting personal goals. To begin, follow the site process to match and schedule a session.

How therapeutic approaches guide online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take small steps towards those values while learning to live with difficult thoughts and feelings. It is useful for anxiety, depression and major life transitions. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on how thoughts, feelings and behaviours interact; it uses simple exercises and experiments to reduce unhelpful patterns and build new coping skills. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) centres on understanding emotions in relationships and can help people improve connection and communication.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Karen will talk with the person about goals, preferences and which techniques feel most helpful. That collaborative decision helps shape a plan that fits each individual situation rather than imposing a single method.

The profile does not list specific online session formats, so confirm the available options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It also supports continuity when circumstances change, letting people maintain momentum between appointments.