Cath Edwards Biography

35 years in mental health

Positions Held:  Therapeutic Child Care Worker, Outreach Officer, TAFE Teacher – Outreach, Numeracy and Literacy Specialising in Mental Health, University Small Group Communication Teacher, Coordinator Road Safety and Traffic Management, Manager Community Relations, Senior Mental Health Advocate Acute, High Dependency and Community Mental Health, Project Officer Drug and Alcohol, Project Officer – Outreach Mental Health and Homelessness, Marriage and Funeral Celebrant, Teacher Vocational Education – Corrections, Project Officer Cultural Diversity – Police, Life Coach, Therapist and Researcher.

Background:

Cath grew up in the midst of 5 siblings with a large extended family as her grandfather was one of 15 siblings. Cath is a 6th generation Australian and grew up in St Marys NSW. She started out studying Occupational Therapy which led to a variety of occupations in Child Care and Welfare and onto Co-ordination and Management roles and continued studying during her entire working life.

Cath’s career has been diverse with a strong passion for social justice, education and mental health. Cath has worked for Not-for Profit organisations and Federal, State and Local Government.

Cath enjoys a challenge and has been awarded two scholarships,

  1. UNESCO scholarship to study Employment Programs in the United Kingdom
  2. WHO scholarship to study Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention with the Karolinska Institute, Sweden.

Cath has also conducted two private research programs on Mental Health/Cannabis Use and its impact on Literacy and Numeracy and the Efficacy of Youth Arts/Drama on Serious Youth Crime.

Cath was also awarded the University of Western Sydney College Medal for Academic Performance and Community Contribution and numerous awards for safety and community programs.

Employment Experience:

Cath has spent the last 45 years working in a variety of positions at all levels of Government and Not for Profit Organisations. Cath has managed large regional programs in Road Safety, Mental Health and Community Safety as well as a portfolio of adult teaching positions within marginalised communities, indigenous and migrant communities and corrections. Exposure to these roles has given Cath a deep understanding of mental health concerns and trauma at both a community, family and individual level. She has witnessed the negative impact of trauma on both physical and mental health and decreased health outcomes in the long term.

During her time working in acute, high dependency and community mental health she ran group programs weekly with a special focus on recovery with a deep understanding of “it is what has happened you” rather than “what is wrong with you” that needs to be the focus. Working in these groups was a powerful and humbling learning experience about how she views mental health.

More recently, Cath was compelled to work in greater depth to support people who are suffering from trauma, anxiety and emotional distress. She experienced her own trauma while working in an Acute Mental Health setting and vowed to learn more about respectfully and safely reducing the impacts of trauma.

This led Cath into studying Life Coaching, Executive Coaching, Clinical Hypnotherapy, Matrix Coaching, Passion and Purpose Coaching, NLP and finally EMDR and EMIT and creating a new career path.

Cath was driven to create a calm place for clients to explore, understand, release, heal and grow through their trauma. She now runs a prosperous practice in the Blue Mountains with special provision for children and adolescents.

Although this was a new and challenging path to take it has reaped rewards both personally and professionally. Cath now has focus and clarity over her real passion, which is to decrease suffering for those with a dysregulated nervous system after experiencing trauma.

Cath is also an affiliated therapist with Cancer Wellness which is a regional service providing all forms of physical, financial, and emotional support to clients experiencing cancer and for their careers. This is an important part of Cath’s work with her commitment to increasing knowledge about Cancer and its traumatic impacts on the individual and family.

Cath provides therapy, (some in-home) for clients with Traumatic Brain Injury, Paraplegia and Quadriplegia. She was part of a pilot program with I-Care for clients involved in catastrophic injuries from road trauma and is additionally affiliated with NDIS providers working with children, adolescents and children who have exceptional ability.

Cath also delivers women’s groups called ‘All Mum’s Matter’ to provide support to mothers struggling day to day and Stress Management Programs to Corporate, Not for Profit and Government organisations. Her journey of study has not ceased, she is always reviewing the latest research and webinars that will contribute to best practice with her clients.

During Cath’s career in coaching, educating and providing therapy she has gained considerable experience with the most challenging of client distress and trauma. Cath also has experience with some of the rarer medical presentations of Neurological Functional Disorder, Regional Pain Syndrome, Aerophagia, Trichotillomania, Tics, Panda, and ARFID. Cath encourages treating Psychiatrists, General Practitioners and specialist hospital teams to work closely with her.

Trauma Specific Training/Experience

  • Level 4 EMIT/EMDR  Practitioner and  Trainer

Qualifications:

  • Masters in Safety Promotion – Karolinska Institute (Sweden)
  • Graduate Diploma in Adult Education and Training
  • Diploma Welfare
  • Diploma Community Organisations and Development

  • Diploma Life and Executive Coaching

  • Diploma Clinical Hypnotherapy
  • Certificate IV (Business)
  • Certificate in Engineering Leadership
  • DISC Consultant and Trainer
  • Level 4 – Eye Movement Integration Therapy (EMIT)
  • Master Practitioner Matrix Therapy

  • Passion and Purpose Coach

Advanced Study Majors:

  • Biology of Trauma
  • Grief and Loss
  • PTSD and First Responders
  • Moral Trauma
  • PTSD and Covid Pandemic
  • Conflict and Negotiation Skills
  • Cultural Diversity

Membership & Registrations: 

  • ASCH (Australian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists)
  • Cancer Wellness Nepean Blue Mountains
  • Registered for Private Health – Medibank Private

Areas of Counselling Specialties:

Trauma, Cancer/Illness and Injury, Anxiety, Toxic Stress, Loss and Grief, Pain, Relationship Distress, Emotional Distress, Bullying, Addiction, Clinical Supervision and Group Work

Other team member profiles:
David G Broadbent
Grahame Smith
Judy Reader
Ken Schmidt
Linda Elsey