Purpose of the COTWA Directory
Complex Trauma WA (COTWA), with financial support from Angelhands Inc, aims to provide a comprehensive directory of qualified, experienced, trauma-trained practitioners in Western Australia.
This resource is designed to give individuals with lived experience of complex trauma the best chance of finding appropriate and effective treatment. To achieve this, COTWA, in collaboration with Australia’s National Centre of Excellence for Complex Trauma, Blue Knot Foundation, established an independent, formalised accreditation process. This process rigorously assesses the trauma-specific expertise of local service providers who work with complex trauma.
Every clinician listed in the COTWA Directory has successfully passed this thorough vetting process. This ensures they meet internationally accepted best-practice standards for trauma-specific skills in treating adults, children, or families with lived experience of complex trauma.
The directory is tailored to share information that survivors and their supporters have indicated they would find valuable. It helps survivors, their loved ones, or referring health professionals make informed and empowered choices when seeking local and accessible trauma treatment services that suit their unique needs and preferences.
COTWA receives no financial benefit from referrals and does not play a role in the referral process itself. Individuals are encouraged to liaise directly with the clinician of their choice and take personal responsibility for ensuring that the chosen practitioner meets their specific needs.
While COTWA cannot personally guarantee the service provided by individual practitioners or investigate complaints, every clinician listed on the directory is required to be registered with an Australian regulatory body. Their professional registration details are included in their directory profile.
Any concerns or complaints about a practitioner’s service should be submitted to the relevant regulatory body responsible for overseeing their practice. If a complaint is submitted, COTWA requests to be notified in writing so that appropriate action, such as updating directory listings, can be considered.
By maintaining a transparent, independent, and carefully curated directory, COTWA strives to be a trusted resource for those seeking trauma-informed care in Western Australia.
What makes the COTWA Directory unique?
The COTWA Spatial Directory is different from all other mental-health service directories:
- It has been thoughtfully designed with input from survivors to be trauma-informed and to address the specific needs they have identified as important when choosing a trauma therapist
- Practitioners approved for inclusion here are not self-assessed psychotherapists claiming expertise in complex trauma
- The training and expertise of every clinician have been independently assessed and verified by Blue Knot Foundation, Australia’s National Centre of Excellence for complex trauma
- Referrers and survivors can trust that clinicians listed here are trauma-informed, competent, and experienced clinicians who meet best-practice guidelines for evidence-based treatments in trauma-specific clinical expertise
- Every clinician listed in this directory has shifted their approach from asking, “What’s wrong with you?” to the more compassionate and trauma-informed question, “What’s happened to you?”