Hello and Welcome! My name is Karen 😁.
I love to support folk who are keen to calm their inner farm, stop the anxious thoughts that plague them and find new and vibrant ways to live in the world. I used to be really stuck, but know from experience that lasting change is indeed possible. It lights me up to share the tools that work for me through my work.
“the older I get, the more I love the person I am becoming.” – Karen Gilbert
Looking back to my 15, 20, 30 year old self, each would have found that statement unbelievable and difficult to swallow let alone comprehend. My 40 year old self thought that prospect was a hopeful possibility. Now close to 60 I find this statement my reality.
PAIN has been and continues to be my greatest teacher, and I am certain it is yours too. I also know it’s human to fall apart, and loose bits of ourselves in an attempt to survive life! Another thing I have learnt is that naturally these lost parts do their best to bubble up into our awareness and scream out to get our attention. Our path out of suffering hurts like hell, can look like a hot mess and takes time.
It’s a brave thing to listen to that small voice within that is calling you to shift. Growth can be lonely and feel unbearable, but finding support you click with makes a world of difference.
During the late 90’s when I was lovingly introduced to meditation and process art, I recall feeling like an ant who had tasted a grain of sugar for the first time. A grain that had spilt over from the sugar bowl of life. I was moving forward on my self healing path!
I survived early motherhood and did my best to raise my beautiful children with the skills I had. I taught folk art in the 90’s. During my early 30’s I took a deep dive into myself and made the very brave step of seeking the support of a therapist. I ran community groups and worked with families in crisis before completing formal studies in 2002. I have worked as a psychotherapist, marriage and family counsellor, mediator and group facilitator. I’ve also worked in small business for many years too. I moved to Hobart from Sydney in my late 20’s and love calling this place my home. I’m a grandmother these days too and thoroughly enjoy hanging out with the delightful little humans who call me Lolli.
The patchwork of my life to date, has woven into it struggles with anxiety, depression, addiction, grief and everything else that comes with it. Together with the strands of compassion, self acceptance, joy, peace and gratitude, each thread makes me who I am today: the person I continue to love, respect and embrace.
Relevant Qualifications
Master of Education (Counselling & Development)· Family and Adolescent Counselling – special project in Art therapy. Graduated 2002, University of Tasmania.
Additional Training
Energy Healing.
Approach –
I love to weave in humor, education and experiential learning into the work. Healing doesn’t need to be so serious and heavy. I work with breath, somatic experiencing (or in other words noticing what the body is feeling) and thought patterns, which means I have a body-mind-spirit connection focus. I love to support folk who are keen to shift energy within their body, let go of anxious thought patterns, step out of limiting beliefs and discover new and vibrant ways to live life!