Ashley Karstunen , PACFA

Ashley Karstunen is a compassionate, trauma-informed therapist who supports people working through anxiety, depression, grief, relationship and intimacy concerns, trauma and abuse, and the challenges of life transitions. He draws on a range of clinical skills including trauma-informed depth work, somatic methods, meditation and mindfulness teaching, and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) to tailor each session to the individual’s needs. As a Registered Clinical Counsellor and Trauma-Informed Depth Psychotherapist who also works as a Mindfulness and Meditation Teacher and Somatic EFT Practitioner, Ashley brings both practical tools and depth-oriented exploration to the therapeutic process. He is also associated with PACFA (a professional counselling federation in Australia).

Ashley works with people facing compassion fatigue, caregiver stress, chronic illness and pain, life purpose questions, and issues affecting LGBTQ clients and people of colour. His approach blends person-centered listening with strengths-based interventions, motivational interviewing, solution-focused techniques, and somatic and mindfulness practices. He integrates Attachment-Based and Jungian-informed perspectives when useful, helping clients explore family-of-origin patterns, attachment issues, and deeper meaning alongside symptom-focused strategies like cognitive and behavioral work.

Ashley aims to create an empathic, exploratory space where emotional blocks can be eased, resilience rebuilt, and new options discovered. He collaborates with clients to convert painful experiences into learning and growth, guiding them toward clearer values, improved relationships, and more grounded day-to-day coping.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care with Ashley Karstunen

Ashley uses Attachment-Based Therapy to explore how early relationship patterns shape current connections and emotional responses - this approach helps when people struggle with trust, intimacy, or recurring relationship difficulties. He also employs Client-Centered Therapy, which emphasizes empathic listening and supports clients to find their own solutions by strengthening self-awareness and personal agency. In addition, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is used to identify and shift unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns that contribute to anxiety, depression, and stress-related issues.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic journey, and Ashley works collaboratively with each person to identify methods that match their needs, goals, and preferences. He balances symptom-focused strategies with deeper exploration so clients can both feel relief and gain lasting insight.

Online therapy options - including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging - offer practical flexibility for busy lives, people in remote areas, or those who prefer working from home. These formats make it easier to fit regular sessions into schedules and to maintain continuity of care, while allowing licensed professionals to adapt interventions to an individual’s pace and communication style.