Owen Robinson
Chairperson
Owen Robinson is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker. He obtained an MA (Counselling) from La Sierra University in Southern California in 1995 prior to upskilling with a BSW (Curtin) in 2003. Owen worked for 5 years as a school counsellor, was a counsellor for and later managed a branch for Relationships Australia. Owen did 5 years of outpatient case management as a social worker (plus inpatient social work) at Armadale Adult Mental Health Service. Owen has been in private practice since 1999 (part-time initially) and after becoming a Medicare provider went full-time from 2011 (to the present time.) He is listed in the database that Blue Knot Foundation keeps for the public to find a trauma-informed therapist.
When working for Relationships Australia the prevalence of family and domestic violence led Owen to refine skills and resources for supporting victimised members of households and this began an interest in screening for trauma symptoms as far back as 2005.
From 2012 to 2024 Owen was an Outreach Program Counsellor for Open Arms and has done considerable clinical work with veterans and their families. Owen has also stayed connected to Military Mental Health Professional Networks (MHPNs) and Trauma focused MHPNs in Western Australia and interstate.
Owen provides trauma-informed professional development as well as supervision.
Steven Sartain
Vice Chairperson
Steve is a dynamic, executive leader and an accomplished aviator with over 33 years’ aviation operations and management experience, 21 of which are specific to Search and Rescue (SAR) aeromedical operations. He brings to COTWA his experiences with front-line complex-trauma exposure and management through his many years flying combat search and rescue in the military, as well as through his current position as the Manger of Western Australia’s Emergency Rescue Helicopter Service for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services.
Steve brings the highest standards of integrity, vast operational leadership, and strategic planning experience on the global stage from both his military and civilian / commercial backgrounds. He also volunteers as an officer and not-for-profit board member of Australia’s first and only U.S. Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 12163, which supports Veterans and their families in Western Australia.
Karen Tappin
Treasurer
Karen has worked with the WA Department of Education for 35+ years, in various roles managing the daily business and administrative operations of schools, and providing a customer focussed service to school staff using student information management systems.
She has financial management experience in her profession and in a volunteer capacity for not-for-profit organisations.
Born and raised in Perth, she is married with two teens and has a close-knit family with four siblings. Karen’s values are kindness and courage, and she brings a positive and energetic attitude to her work and personal endeavours.
Helen Buckle
Secretary
Helen began her career as a teacher and has had a varied career background including business owner, real estate, being part of a group which started a training organisation (RTO), being a trainer in Business, Childcare, TAE and other qualifications.
As she moved through life, Helen realised that trauma affects people in many ways – anger, withdrawing from society, drugs/ alcohol, other addictions, suicide ideation – the list goes on – and so she did her training as a counsellor and specialised in trauma. She uses Zoom for international clients as well as interstate clients and those who live at a distance from her premises.
This is not the first time Helen has been on a Board and she is delighted to be involved with COTWA as it makes a difference in our society. She is passionate about helping bring help and freedom to those who suffer from any form of trauma.
Pamela Scott-Gale
Board Member
I am a motivated trauma-informed counsellor with a particular interest in psyche-education, evidence-based research, professional development and clinical supervision. I am currently engaged in private practice. My own life experiences (breast cancer amongst other challenges) have enabled me the opportunities to hone my skills and knowledge through working with people, as well as through continuous professional development, to meet the needs of my Clients.
My interests in therapeutic work involve individual therapy and relationships, abuse (sexual, physical, emotional and psychological), addictions, anxiety, stress, depression, grief, bereavement and loss, trauma and crisis work, and post-traumatic stress. This enables my Clients to learn how to self-regulate when feeling overwhelmed & learning to identify when they are becoming triggered to self-sooth themselves.
I utilise a collaboration of integrated psycho-therapeutic styles within my work, which includes the following models of therapy. Australian Institute of Family Counselling (AIFC) Model, Client-Centred Therapy, Existential Psychotherapy, Gestalt Psychotherapy, Grief Recovery MethodTM, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Compassion Focused Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Mindfulness, Schema Focused Therapy, Solution Focused Brief Therapy as well as Polyvagal Informed Therapy (PVT) and Somatic Experience Techniques, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Internal Family Systems (IFS).
Rachel Latham
Board Member
Rachel is a critical care nurse, educator, and first responder with over 30 years’ experience across emergency, rural, and remote settings. She is also a wellbeing coach and founder of Yogamates, supporting health professionals through trauma recovery, resilience, and sustainable self-care. Rachel brings to COTWA a deep commitment to trauma-informed practice, grounded in both frontline experience and lived understanding.
Tanya Hallett
Board Member
Tanya Hallett is a teacher, trainer, coach and speaker who passionately advocates for mental health and trauma informed practice in schools and workplaces. After her own work-related PTSD diagnosis, she founded TIPT (Trauma Informed Practice Training) to enable organisations to foster psychologically safe workplaces where emotional intelligence is paramount. She teaches leaders and organisations practical trauma informed strategies and solutions where people can be empowered to overcome struggles in their lives and thrive in post-traumatic growth. She tackles tough topics while playing with LEGO!
Tanya has been a trainer and facilitator for over 20 years, working in Australia and internationally for companies such as Mitsubishi and Toyota. She is a Mental Health First Aid Instructor, a LEGO ® Serious Play® Facilitator and has worked with youth and adults affected by complex trauma, intergenerational trauma, war, family and domestic violence, drug and alcohol misuse and mental health struggles. She has shared her insights on a variety of podcasts in Australia and internationally, written about the importance of a Trauma Informed Sexual Harassment in the Australian Mining Review and has worked across a variety of sectors to improve staff mental health and client relationships.
Tony Fitzgerald
Board Member
Bio here…
Jay Anderson
Board Member
Jay currently manages (and works in) a private practice with counsellors and Psychologists that provide services to the community, including clients who have experienced trauma. Jay’s interest in trauma initially began around 30 years ago when she worked in child protection. There she worked with children in care, and their families in a number of different roles. In particular, Jay engaged in both civil and forensic roles, giving her a broad and in-depth understanding of client experiences in the legal and child protection systems. Jay progressed her Psychology training to work with children as well as adults, after working to provide counselling in a specialist counselling NGO (providing support to those who had experienced Domestic violence and Sexual abuse). As such, over time, Jay has gained experience in assessing trauma as well as providing treatment for clients who have experienced trauma.
Jay joined the COTWA Board in 2024, seeking to support COTWA in their services to the community. Jay has over 30 years experience in being on NGO committees and Management Boards. This includes a number of different Australian and International professional organisations. Jay enjoys contributing to individual and community wellbeing.