Meet Katy.
I am a passionate talk-therapist, educator, leader, and parent, bringing a wealth of experience from over 15 years of working with young people in varied settings and systems. From remote Central Australia to the Adelaide Hills and the Murray Mallee region, I’ve been privileged to work in a diverse range of cultural, socioeconomic, and ideological environments. I specialise in working with adolescents (10 – 19 years of age). My areas of interest include wellbeing education, grief & loss, trauma-informed care, and suicidality.
I’m a keen advocate and ally for young people, so my commitment to their voice and experience permeates my practice. My work is underpinned by the philosophies of Person-Centred, Dialectical Behaviour and Narrative Therapies, and is also informed by attachment, trauma-informed care and emotional agility research.
The Clearing Room is dedicated to the hundreds of adolescents I’ve had the privilege of working alongside. These incredible young people have patiently taught me the power of clearing room for struggle and trusted me not only with their stories, but also with their most painful emotions. This is for them.
Katy Walker - BSoSci(Counselling)
Why ‘The Clearing Room’?
A clearing in the forest creates space and refuge from the crowded foliage. The clearing is not separate from the forest. It does not make the darkness or the denseness of the forest disappear, it simply provides a chance to pause, to look up, to reorientate or to rest.
Not unlike the forest undergrowth, human emotions are complex, often intertwined and can feel dark or dense. Clearing room in our busy lives to unravel and explore our painful emotions, without seeking to change or eliminate them, often leads to the growth and values-based change we want.