About Me

Hello, I’m Kate and I love supporting others to grow, heal, and learn more about themselves.

I worked as a caseworker from 2009 - 2011 and qualified as a Counsellor in 2010 through a Bachelor of Social Science and Counselling. I have since completed a 4 year Masters in Gestalt Psychotherapy and began private practice in 2016. I have since completed many different certificates in Relational somatics, Family constellations, Couples, Group and Equine Therapy. I enjoy weaving the art and science through grounded and supportive care.

I am trained as a Yoga and Meditation teacher, Bodyworker and have recently been studying Evolutionary Herbalism and Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.

Through my adult life, I have committed to learning and supporting people through the modalities above, finding a great interest in ancient modalities and wisdoms meeting with clinical and research-based work.

I believe the art must meet the science and that there is great wisdom to slow, subtle and micro ways of working with the body and psyche whether that be in a bodywork or therapy sessions.

I have worked in multiple community settings as a disability and youth worker, a counsellor at “The Butterfly Foundation” in 2014 for people experiencing eating disorders and trauma and more recently as a Group therapist at Byron private rehabilitation centre.

I ran a Yoga and Wellness Centre called “Connect the Dots” from 2017-2020 before moving to Bellingenon the mid north coast.

Since moving to Bellingen and Mullumbimby, I have offered teachings and trainings in-person and online at The Black Cockatoo Space and on our 118-acre farm in Mullumbimby, as well as running multiple different retreats, programs, circle spaces, individual, couples and group therapy sessions.

The Black Cockatoo Space provides a variety of courses from myself and other facilitators to support wellness, holistically, relationally and also provides an opportunity to immerse oneself at our retreat space.

My approach to all my work is somatic and relational, looking to embodiment that supports clients to attend to their somatic and phenomenological experience, illuminating deeper rooted patterns and supporting integration of these patterns.

I enjoy facilitating group-lead processes that support greater health and wellness for individuals and their communities, taking from the most recent research in neuroscience and biology to support scientific frameworks meeting the art of this work.

When I’m not at work you’ll find me on our farm with my family, in the garden creating medicine and food forests, practicing and learning about yoga, reading, studying ancient practices and wisdoms, plus research articles, travelling, snowboarding and learning lots of new skills in a multiple of ways.

I also enjoy riding and working with our spirited horses and look forward to connecting with you.

Warmest blessings,

Kate.

Whole-being approach

What is Gestalt?

Gestalt psychotherapy is a holistic and existential/experiential form of psychotherapy which focuses on your experience in the present moment, allowing for awareness of self, others and the way you interact with your environment.

It is an embodied, co-regulating and relational therapy that is an integrated and effective approach to working with trauma, relationships and other presentations.

Gestalt is a non-pathologizing and humanistic modality that pays regard to a person in their wider field. It utilizes the body in the present moment to process any unfinished traumas, emotions and narratives that may be hindering your life.

It is also highly integrative and supportive to current neurobiological research.

What I deeply enjoy about Gestalt therapy is that it’s unique to you, it’s relationally-centred & an incredibly powerful way of accessing the present moment and how our patterns play out in the moment on a micro and macro level.

By accessing these awarenesses of the present moment, you’re able to identify how these patterns rupture relationships or life situations so you can make necessary changes.

Trainings

• Bachelor of Social Science (Counselling) (2007-2010)

• Graduate Certificate in Gestalt Psychotherapy (2013)

• Masters of Gestalt Psychotherapy (2013-2016)

• Relational somatics - Lucien Demaris ( The relational uprising 2015)

• Relational leadership - Mark Fairfield, Lucien Demaris, Cedar Landsman

• Couples therapy training ( Sean Tonnet) (2018)

• 1 year group therapy training - The relational institute Australia - Margarete Koenning (2019)

• Family Constellations training workshop (2019)

• Family Constellations (2021)

• Family constellations (2022)

• Equine Psychotherapy (Gestalt-based, 2024)

• Yoga Level I (2015)

• Yin Yoga Teaching (2016)

• Meditation Facilitation (2016)

• Trauma sensitive yoga training (2016,2017, 2019)

• Reiki Level I & II and Masters (2016,2017,2018)

• Evolutionary Herbalism (2022)

• I have also trained for 9 years under a lineage of plant medicine and culture hat has supported me to deepen in to many bodies of work and holding space for others.
  
  Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA)
  Yoga Alliance (YA)