Kathryn Vella, AASW

Kathryn Vella is an Australian AASW-credentialed clinician with six years of clinical and professional experience across mental health, forensic mental health, psychology, and life coaching. She specialises in working with survivors of coercive control and integrates sociolegal and psychosocial frameworks into therapeutic work so that interventions address both psychological needs and the broader systemic context that affects recovery. Her approach combines trauma-focused and evidence-based modalities to deliver tailored strategies aimed at improved long-term outcomes for people navigating complex relational harm.

Her practice supports clients through trauma, PTSD and complex PTSD, emotional and psychological abuse, and the identity and self-esteem challenges that follow narcissistic abuse. Kathryn uses schema therapy to help clients process childhood wounds, identify purpose, cultivate self-compassion, and strengthen self-worth by addressing long-standing emotional patterns and unmet developmental needs. She also offers specialised support for neurodivergent and neurodevelopmental concerns, including Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, attending to how these conditions intersect with trauma, identity, and emotional regulation.

Psychoeducation about coercive control, mental health, and neurodevelopmental differences is woven into her work, reflecting a holistic, trauma-informed stance. Therapeutic practice is grounded in unconditional positive regard, strengths-based methods, and collaborative engagement that recognises clients as experts in their own lives. Kathryn draws from a wide range of clinical approaches - including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Internal Family Systems, somatic and trauma-focused interventions, attachment-based and systemic therapies, narrative and psychodynamic perspectives, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and solution-focused techniques - to match methods to each person’s needs.

Academically, Kathryn is finalising a Master of Clinical Psychology and is scheduled to begin a PhD in Clinical Psychology and Psychopharmacology in 2026, with research exploring the clinical and neurobiological dimensions of coercive control and its intersections with complex comorbidity, attachment patterns, and developmental disorders. This research complements her clinical work and aims to inform evidence-based responses for those affected by coercive dynamics.

Her practice hours are Monday through Thursday, and emails are reviewed during those days though responses may not always be immediate. Clients are encouraged to manage bookings and cancellations through the scheduling system, as her timetable is often at capacity. Friday through Sunday the inbox is not monitored. As this work includes online sessions, occasional connection issues may occur; if a session must be missed for reasons other than technical problems, notice will be provided and assistance offered to reschedule. Kathryn looks forward to supporting clients in their recovery journey.