Dr Kate Burton
Chairperson
Kate’s interest in trauma began as a postgraduate student in the UK over twenty years ago. Following completing a doctorate in complex trauma and addiction, she retrained in counselling and family therapy, and joined the mental health field in 2015. Kate has a special interest in dissociative disorders and narcissistic abuse recovery; and in 2021 founded a clinic specialising in Complex PTSD and neurodivergence.
Kate is a published academic, an international and guest speaker, and is regularly asked to provide media commentary in relation to mental health and neurodivergence. She has held a position as an invited academic providing consultancy in relation to trauma and student well being, and prior to joining COTWA, was the co-founder of a non-profit organisation focusing on education reform.
Kate is a passionate advocate for raising awareness in relation to the necessity of a trauma-informed approach across all sectors. She also comes to COTWA from a position of lived experience.
Kate is the mother of two young adults, and when she’s not working, you’ll find her pottering around her home tending to her rescue animals, dancing along to music in her kitchen, or curled up with a cup of tea and a good book.
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.
Emmett Aster
Secretary
Emmett is an emerging multi-disciplinary artist with a knack for organisation, having spent the last four years in various secretarial, and administrative positions. He also works with neurodivergent children and teenagers in a mentoring and tutoring role.
Primarily working in the arts sector, Emmett is particularly passionate about the connective power of art and storytelling in processing and healing from trauma. Their arts company, ‘perhaps, a theatre company.’, seeks to create space for others (particularly the marginalised and underrepresented) to share their stories.
Emmett also has a special interest in the role complex trauma plays in the lives of queer and neurodivergent individuals. He is currently a creative honours student UWA, exploring the ways in which the ‘trauma of the closet’ can shape queer relationships.
Pamela Scott-Gale
Board Member
Pamela is a motivated trauma-informed counsellor with a particular interest in psyche-education, evidence-based research, professional development and clinical supervision. She is currently engaged in private practice. Pamela’s own life experiences (breast cancer amongst other challenges) have enabled her to hone her skills and knowledge through working with people, as well as through continuous professional development to meet the needs of her clients.
Pamela’s 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. She primarily utilises the Australian Institute of Family Counselling (AIFC) model, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Poly-vagal Informed Therapy (PVT).
Suellen Thomson-Link
Board Member
Suellen is a Western Australian trained Occupational Therapist. She has lived and worked in Canada and the USA for the last 40 years and has recently returned to Perth. She has her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy and has recently written a book about her work with children: “Complex Trauma Regulation with Children: A Body Based, Attachment approach.”
Suellen is also trained as a dance/movement therapist and in Level 1 and Level 2 Sensorimotor psychotherapy, a body focused intervention approach to trauma. She is passionate about working with children, adolescents and their families, to support their regulation and feelings of well-being. Suellen enjoys finding balance in environmental restoration and being surrounded by nature and animals.
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.
Sue Robson
Board Member
With over three decades of professional experience, Sue’s career began in mechanical engineering. She then transitioned into environmental engineering before ultimately retraining as a counsellor. Sue’s diverse career spans across academia, research organisations, federal government, and industry. Early on, she recognised that successful workplace interactions hinge on understanding people and supporting them to be their best selves. This sparked her enduring passion for helping people.
As Sue’s understanding deepened, she realised the profound impact of trauma/complex trauma on daily life. Motivated to make a difference, she retrained as a counsellor to help individuals come to terms with their experiences and find ways to thrive. Additionally, Sue brings lived experience of complex PTSD to her role at COTWA and is dedicated to raising awareness about complex trauma in the wider community.
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.