Katharine Heading , ACA

Katharine Heading is a counsellor who combines clinical knowledge with practical, nature-based perspectives. She is a member of the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) and the ACA College of Clinical Supervisors, and brings 17 years of counselling experience to her work across areas such as stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, depression, addictions, sleep concerns, anger and bipolar conditions.

Her career began in the early 1980s working as a tin and copper miner in the remote township of Balfour in Tasmania, an upbringing shaped by wide open spaces and a lively local fauna. Seeking to stay mentally flexible and continue learning, she completed an undergraduate degree via distance education and later moved to Hobart to finish studies while raising young children. During her clinical training she worked with Relationships Australia, Tasmania on problem gambling, with the Department of Psychiatry at the Royal Hobart Hospital on projects including spider phobia and OCD, and as a group facilitator for Gambling and Betting Addiction Inc.

After relocating to western Victoria in 2011, she served as a senior manager in community health supporting programs spanning generalist counselling, youth services, homelessness, family violence, dual diagnosis and alcohol and other drugs. More recently she has practised in private settings where she focuses on tailoring therapy to each person. Katharine works from a strengths-based perspective, supporting people to reach their goals by emphasising lived experience and positively affirming language. She uses a range of techniques with particular attention to re-regulating nervous system dysregulation through hypnotherapy, relaxation and meditative strategies, and also offers equine-supported and nature-based approaches to mental health work.

Hypnotherapy and nature-informed care available online

Katharine uses hypnotherapy as a core clinical approach, applying guided relaxation and focused attention to help reduce nervous system dysregulation and support coping with anxiety, stress, sleep difficulties and trauma-related symptoms. This approach invites calm-focused states that can make it easier to change unhelpful patterns and build new self-regulation skills.

She also integrates equine-supported and nature-based methods when appropriate, drawing on outdoor and animal-assisted experiences to foster grounding, emotional processing and connection to strengths. These approaches can complement talk-based work for grief, mood concerns, addictive behaviours and caregiver stress.

Choosing the right therapeutic approach is a collaborative process. Katharine works with each person to identify goals, preferences and what feels most helpful, adapting techniques over time so therapy fits the individual rather than forcing a single model.

Online sessions - including video calls, phone appointments, live chat and text-based messaging - make these approaches more accessible and flexible for people with busy schedules or limited local options. Working remotely with licensed professionals and therapists can allow for regular engagement, timely support between sessions and practical continuity while maintaining a rhythm that suits everyday life.