My name is Karen Hagan. I am a Family Psychotherapist and Individual and Relationship Counsellor based in the Hills district of Sydney, Australia. I help people manage difficult situations and painful emotions so they can create happier relationships and more fulfilling lives.
I am passionate to help individuals, relationships and families flourish in their lives through building awareness and strengthening confidence and self-worth. I believe the more we can understand ourselves, our relationships, and make sense of our experiences, the more meaningful lives we can create.
For almost 10 years, I have had the pleasure of working with and alongside many individuals, couples and families experiencing a diverse range of issues like anxiety, depression, stress, self-esteem, cultural diversities, early life experiences and family of origin, step-family issues, relationship and parenting issues.
I also offer a unique pre-marriage counselling service for couples who want to get their marriage off to a strong start. This process provides both partners the ability to explore differing views about marriage and lifestyle and to renew communication styles and techniques to ensure they have a long-lasting marriage.
My aim is to provide a safe and supportive space for individuals, couples and families to explore their struggles and gain valuable guidance and strategies so their sense of hope and happiness can grow in a way that is important to them.
Throughout my life I had experienced significant grief, loss and trauma that overtime caused deep pain, frustration and sadness. My fears impacted me in such a way that I lost my confidence, sense of self-worth, identity and direction in life.
A very dear friend encouraged me to see a counsellor who helped me work through areas in my life that had held me back from believing in myself. As I discovered answers and began to understand ways to work through my pain and fear my confidence and well-being grew and I knew then that being a counsellor was a path I was destined for.
My interest in mental health and my desire to help others only expanded once my training began and led to further studies in the counselling field.
Since then I have also had additional training and extensive experience working with women and children who are or have been impacted by family and domestic violence. Family and domestic violence is a major factor on women’s mental and physical health and their children, and I feel passionate about helping in this area.
As a psychotherapist and counsellor, I am trained in and use a variety of different approaches based on each client’s unique situation and goals. Some of which are Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), Psychodynamic therapy and Bowen Family therapy.
Cognitive behavioural Therapy is where we focus on the behaviour to see a change. I also use Dialectical behavior therapy which helps with developing healthy ways to manage stress, regulating emotions, and improving relationships with others. It is also known to help clients with post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychodynamic therapy is another approach I use that helps an individual gain insight into areas of their life and present-day problems. It explores a person’s emotions, thoughts, early life experiences and beliefs. It also helps the individual recognise patterns that have developed over time, how they avoid distress or develop defence mechanisms to cope with. This approach will help them begin to change those patterns to healthier ones.
In my profession it is vital that I stay educated and well-informed about the latest research on mental health and relationships in order to offer my clients the help and understanding that they need to live strong and healthier lives. Therefore, I regularly attend both professional and personal training to enhance my knowledge and skill sets further.
