Counsellor profile
Karen Santos, PACFA
PACFA psychotherapist - Parenting and trauma support
Continue with KarenAbout
- Stress and anxiety
- Trauma and grief
- CBT and EFT methods
About Karen
Karen Santos is a PACFA psychotherapist and social worker in Australia with 12 years' experience. She works with adults on issues such as stress, anxiety, trauma, grief, depression, self-esteem and parenting challenges. Sessions are conducted in English and Tagalog and she draws on several therapeutic approaches to support practical change.
Her work focuses on helping people manage everyday pressures and difficult events. She uses clear, actionable strategies from cognitive behavioural therapy to address unhelpful thinking and behaviour. She also uses emotionally-focused methods to help people notice and describe painful feelings and attachment patterns.
Karen has ongoing experience in trauma-informed counselling and community mental health case management. That background shapes how she supports people who have experienced abuse, abandonment, domestic violence or dissociation. She also has experience with adoption and foster care concerns, caregiver stress, chronic illness and body image issues.
She practices client-centred work that keeps the person’s priorities at the centre. Narrative approaches are used to help people make sense of difficult stories and find new ways forward. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is part of her repertoire while she continues to develop those skills.
People can expect straightforward sessions that focus on what is most meaningful to them. Karen aims to help people build coping skills for life changes, parenting strain and relationship communication problems. The emphasis is on practical steps, clearer understanding, and gradual progress.
How sessions work
How Karen uses therapeutic approaches online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice thoughts and feelings without being driven by them. It focuses on values and small actions that move someone toward what matters, which can help with stress, anxiety and life transitions.Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at the link between thoughts, feelings and behaviours. It offers practical exercises to shift unhelpful thinking patterns and build coping skills for depression, anxiety and body image concerns.
Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) supports people to identify and name strong emotions and improve how they express them. This approach can assist with attachment issues, communication problems and grief.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with the client to choose methods that fit their goals, needs and preferences. That may mean combining short-term skill-building with narrative or emotionally-focused work over time.
The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into everyday life - for example a shorter check-in during a work break or sessions without travel time. It can also allow flexibility if someone prefers not to use video for a session. Appropriately qualified therapists can adapt exercises, homework and pacing to suit each person's routine.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
12+ years
Listed in
Australia
Languages
English, Tagalog
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she help with?
She helps with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, self-esteem, depression, parenting and coping with life changes.
How would she describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is client-centred and practical, using clear strategies from CBT, EFT and narrative work to address thoughts, feelings and relationships.
How much experience does she have?
She has 12 years' experience in psychotherapy and social work, including community mental health case management and trauma counselling.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is PACFA credentialed and works in Australia.
Can I work with her in a language other than English?
Sessions are offered in English and Tagalog.
Which session formats are available?
The biography does not list specific session formats; please confirm current session options before booking.
How much do sessions cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I get started with a first session?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the counsellor supplied to BetterHelp. A registration can be checked with the body that issued it.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.