Every life is written in chapters. Some are hard to read alone.

Who this is for

No two readers arrive at the same page for the same reason. Some come because a relationship has gone quiet. Some come because their teenager has, too. Some come because they’ve spent years being the person everyone else relies on, and privately, they’re not okay. This practice was built to hold all of those chapters at once — without asking anyone to shrink themselves to fit a single story.

How I work

My approach is person-centred and trauma-informed at its core, which simply means the therapy adjusts to you — not the other way around. I draw on strength based, neuroaffirming and attachment-informed thinking, and I pay close attention to the body: how stress, safety and connection show up physically, not just in what we say.

• Person first, alwaysYou are never a diagnosis or a case number in this room.
• Body-awareNervous system responses are treated as information, not a problem to fix.
• Strengths before symptomsWe build from what’s already working, not just what’s broken.
• Neuroaffirming by defaultDifference is not treated as disorder.
• Your pace, not a protocolNo two chapters move at the same speed.

About Cat

I’m Catherine Ostoja — Cat — a fully accredited ACA Level 2 counsellor based in Perth. I completed my Master of Counselling at Edith Cowan University, and before that, spent years in government project delivery, working on various initiatives in remote Aboriginal communities, housing and cultural services. That chapter taught me how systems affect real people’s lives, long before I sat across from anyone in a therapy room.

I’ve provided individual counselling for adolescents aged 12 to 19, within a trauma-informed, strength based framework — it’s where my interest in working with teens, and the families around them, really took shape. I’m particularly passionate about the effects technology and AI are having on young people, and how families can navigate that together.

“I’m a habitual journaller myself — writing things down to make sense of them isn’t just something I recommend to clients. It’s how I’ve always worked things out.”

Outside of the therapy room, I’m a parent and partner, which keeps me honest about how hard family life can actually be — and how much strength it takes to ask for support in the middle of it.

What to expect

Starting therapy can feel like walking into a story already in progress. That’s why every new client begins with a free 15-minute chat — a low-pressure way to ask questions and see whether it feels like the right fit, before you commit to anything.

As a fully accredited counsellor (not an AHPRA-registered psychologist), Medicare rebates under a Mental Health Care Plan do not apply to sessions here — private health extras cover is the relevant avenue to check.