Karen Potter
Perinatal Psychologist 
BSW, MPsych (Educational and Developmental), Graduate Diploma Infant Mental Health

Karen Potter is a Generalist Psychologist who has been working as a psychotherapist and counsellor for over 23 years.  She developed her strong interest in and commitment to working in the perinatal and infant-parent field early in her career.  She is also keenly interested in working with children and adolescents, parents and couples.  Karen’s fundamental concern is with deepening and enhancing relationships: between couples; between infants/children/adolescents and their parents; as well as the relationship one has with him/herself.

Karen is deeply committed to supporting parents and infants from the planning of conception through pregnancy and in the postnatal period.  She enjoys working with parents to enhance their bond with their infant and facilitate a path to a more joyous and confident experience of parenting and family life.  Karen works with infants/toddlers and their parents to support and strengthen their relationships and promote healthy child development.

Originally from Melbourne, Karen worked at the Royal Women’s Hospital in the Neonatal Intensive and Special Care Nurseries as well as in one of the high complexity ante-natal clinics.  Her role as Counsellor/Social Worker involved providing support, counselling and advocacy for parent(s) with a premature or sick baby or whose baby died either at birth or in the nurseries.  Understanding the crucial experience for infants and mothers of physical contact during this time, Karen began exploring the method of Kangaroo Mother Care.  She was funded by the hospital to travel to Brazil to attend a conference to learn more about this method.  During this period Karen presented a paper at an Australian Association of Infant Mental Health Conference and Seminar in relation to the hypothesized experience for the infant of being in Intensive Care.

Subsequently, Karen worked at Melbourne IVF as a Counsellor to couples and individuals seeking medical support to conceive.  Karen later moved to Northern NSW where she created a private practice.  Alongside her clinical work, she was a Consultant Counsellor for Sydney IVF’s Lismore office and Infant-Parent Consultant with Family Support Network, where she provided in-home counselling to parent(s) and infants from 0-12 months, as well as facilitated groups and presented training to professionals.

Karen brings to her work a wealth of knowledge and experience together with a genuine warmth, compassion and capacity to connect with people on all levels.

Karen also offers clinical supervision, mentoring and consultancy work for organisations.

Areas of Special Interest

• Preconception, including fertility issues
• Pregnancy
• Perinatal loss
• Antenatal depression and anxiety
• Birth trauma
• Premature Birth
• Postnatal depression and anxiety
• Parent-infant attachment
• Adjustment issues
• Infants
• Toddlers
• Parenting
• Fathers
• Couple relationship

 Professional Memberships

• Member Australian Psychological Society (MAPS)
• Member APS Perinatal and Infant Psychology Interest Group (PIPIG)
• Member World Association of Infant Mental Health (WAIMH)
• Member Australian Association of Infant Mental Health (AAIMHI)
• Member Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia (PANDA)
• Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)

Fees & Rebates

Cost: $160 per 50-minute session *Medicare Rebate: $88.25
Out-of-pocket: $71.75 per session

*Medicare rebates are available to those who have a referral and Mental Health Care Plan from their GP, psychiatrist or paediatrician.  This must be in place prior to the first claimable session.

Available Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays

Contact: 0438 389 829 or use the online Contact form below