Karen Anderson

Karen is an individual, couple and family therapist with extensive experience working within educational, welfare and health sectors throughout the past 40+ years. She is employed with Edith Cowan University as a Practitioner Scholar. As well as lecturing, Karen conducts a private practice in counselling, psychotherapy, training and professional supervision. As a clinical practitioner, Karen works psycho-dynamically and embraces a holistic approach towards assisting people to achieve psychological and emotional health and wellbeing. She has fulfilled a variety of professional positions including:

Senior Counsellor, Cancer Council of Western Australia – Cancer Counselling Service

Trainer in Cancer, Palliative Care, Psychosocial and Family Issues with the Cancer Council of Western Australia and the WA Health Department
Regular consultancy work with various hospitals and community agencies including The Kalparrin Centre (PMH), Mercy Services, Heart Kids WA, Solaris Care Cancer Foundation, Nulsen Inc., Motor Neurone Disease Association of WA, Rocky Bay
Various advisory roles with the WA Education Department and Department of Family and Children’s Services
Karen’s original training was in educational psychology, teaching and cross-cultural communication and she has lived and worked internationally in Malaysia, Singapore and Papua New Guinea. She was jointly responsible for the establishment of the education system on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands between 1978–1981. During the 1980’s Karen worked with the Western Australian Education Department developing and implementing training programs in cross-cultural awareness, communication and TESL across primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Throughout the 1990’s Karen focused on developing her clinical counselling skills within the welfare field, working in child and adolescent residential settings and in the prison system. Karen’s areas of specialist knowledge and experience include: cancer, chronic and terminal illness; grief, loss and bereavement counselling; disability; cross-cultural psychotherapy; couples and relationships counselling; family therapy; group psychotherapy; sibling relationships; anxiety and depression.