KATE MERCKEL – CBD

Kate is a Registered Clinical Psychologist and over eight years’ experience working in private and community settings. She works exclusively with adults across the lifespan at our CBD clinic, including professionals and high-functioning individuals who may appear “fine” on the outside but feel overwhelmed internally.

Kate is particularly experienced in working with trauma, PTSD and complex PTSD, as well as anxiety, depression, low self-confidence and self-worth. Her clinical interest in trauma developed organically through long-term therapeutic work with clients, especially in understanding how the brain and body respond to stress and adversity.

What does Kate help with?

Kate frequently supports adults with:

• Trauma, PTSD and complex PTSD
• Anxiety and chronic worry
• Depression and low mood
• Self-confidence and self-worth difficulties
• The long-term impact of childhood experiences
• Emotional regulation challenges
• Sleep difficulties
• Grief and loss
• Personality vulnerabilities and longstanding relational patterns

She has a particular interest in helping clients “piece things together” understanding how past experiences, core beliefs, and nervous system responses shape current patterns in work, relationships and self-perception.

Kate’s Therapeutic Approach

Kate describes her style as warm, gentle and encouraging, while also appropriately challenging when needed.

Clients often come to Kate wanting not just symptom relief, but deeper understanding. She integrates:

• Schema Therapy: to explore and shift long-standing patterns and core beliefs
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): to develop practical strategies and cognitive tools
• Psychoeducation: helping clients understand how their brain and body respond to stress and trauma

Kate believes therapy should feel collaborative. She takes time to understand how each person’s mind works, what they’ve already tried, and what naturally resonates with them. Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all model, she works alongside clients to clarify goals that align with their values and strengths.

What is Kate like in session?

Clients often describe Kate as someone who:

• Listens carefully and helps organise scattered or overwhelming thoughts
• Creates a calm, grounded space
• Encourages reflection without judgement
• Offers gentle but meaningful challenge
• Helps connect emotional experiences to physiological responses

She believes one of the most important aspects of therapy is ensuring the therapeutic fit feels right. While it’s important to give therapy enough time, many people sense early on whether they feel heard and understood, and Kate prioritises building that safety from the outset.

Who does Kate work with?

Kate works with adults across all stages of adulthood. She frequently supports professionals and high-achieving individuals who:

• Function well externally but struggle internally
• Experience burnout or chronic stress
• Carry unresolved trauma
• Feel stuck in patterns despite insight

Her work often focuses on helping clients better understand themselves, not just “coping better,” but developing clarity about why they respond the way they do.

What can you expect from working with Kate?

Kate hopes clients leave sessions feeling:

• Lighter
• Clearer in their thinking
• More hopeful
• Equipped with practical tools
• Deeper understanding of what’s happening internally

Many clients find that simply understanding how their brain and body respond to stress or trauma can be profoundly relieving. From there, therapy becomes about building new patterns, with greater self-awareness and self-compassion.

Feeling unsure about starting therapy?

Kate understands that booking the first session is often the hardest step. Her advice is simple:

If you’re considering therapy, you likely don’t have much to lose by trying. The first appointment is about getting a sense of whether it feels like a good fit. It often becomes easier from there. Choosing someone who feels approachable and safe is a helpful place to start.

Book an appointment with Kate (CBD)

Kate consults from our CBD clinic and works with adults seeking evidence-based, insight-oriented and collaborative therapy.

If you’re looking for support with trauma, anxiety, depression or longstanding emotional patterns, Kate offers a thoughtful and compassionate space to begin that work.