Carmel Catanuto Psychotherapy

Carmel Catanuto Psychotherapy Carmel Catanuto, Psychotherapist Counsellor - Sans Souci, St George area My main approach is Gestalt Therapy. What is Art Therapy?..and what can it do for you?

Gestalt is a holistic and experiential therapy that focuses on deepening your awareness by focusing on your present experience, including your thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and behaviours. The therapeutic relationship is foundational to Gestalt therapy, as is through relationships with me where growth and healing occur. It is through your relationships that you define how you feel about yourself and how you want to be now and in your future. Art Therapy is a creative way of combining therapeutic theory and art processes to explore and resolve issues such as self-esteem, making better choices, and reducing the stress in your life. Art therapy helps to bring insights and understanding when there is no clarity. It will address why you are feeling and behaving in particular ways that don’t work. Art therapy is a useful tool when used in conjuction with Gestalt therapy. If you resonate with me and my approach, contact me for a free, no-obligation, 15-minute phone call. You can tell me your problems and I will let you know how I can help. Phone for an appointment on m. 0409 690 701.

31/03/2026

Sometimes, being sensitive can feel lonely because you notice things others might
miss.

You sense the unspoken details and often feel tension before anyone else notices it.

You pick up on tone, silence, small changes, and what people leave unsaid.

You wish others would notice too, but instead, you end up feeling alone and singled out.

People might judge you, saying you are too much, too emotional, or too sensitive.

This can lead to self-doubt, making you pull back and ignore your true feelings.

But you can turn this around by validating your own experience and supporting yourself.

Remember, your feelings give you useful information to help you make the best choices
for yourself.

Don’t doubt yourself. Trust and believe in who you are. You don’t need to hide or make
yourself smaller. Instead, listen to what you need and move toward what supports you
best.

26/03/2026

When busy means avoiding your own thoughts and feelings.

Do you stay busy to avoid your true feelings in your relationship?

Your days are about work, family, and responsibilities.

It seems endless, and keeping up is better than stopping.

If you do stop, it can all crumble, and feeling overwhelmed or out of control is uncomfortable.
When you’ve stopped, it feels hard, something’s not quite right, there’s resentment or
distance, and you don’t know what to do.

It’s better to keep going because being busy is what you know, and there’s a part of you
that knows and is protecting yourself.

If you stopped to check in with yourself, paused not to fix or change, but to connect.

For many people I work with, “busy” helps them avoid feelings or issues in their relationships. Slowing down can mean facing what they already know is true.

There’s no need to rush in; gentle, honest steps and moments with yourself are enough.

If you stop holding it all together, they might leave.So you be the strong one, the reliable one, the dependable one; yo...
26/03/2026

If you stop holding it all together, they might leave.

So you be the strong one, the reliable one, the dependable one; your needs are pushed aside.

Holding it together doesn’t equal feeling safe.

It’s about connection with yourself, and a real, honest connection doesn’t minimise your needs.

Give yourself permission to rest and attend to your needs. The right people stay.

24/03/2026

I have moments of bravery and then I go back to an old way.

Have you ever noticed a moment when something changed and it caught you off
guard?

Maybe you spoke up or made a different choice and felt confident.

But then, just when you feel empowered, something happens.

You’re faced with a challenge.

Someone reacts in a way you didn’t expect.
Perhaps you notice a look of disapproval.

In these moments, you may slip back into an old pattern.

You might wonder, “Why did this happen? Am I going backwards?”

As a result, it can feel like slipping into old habits.

But what if this is not failure, but your mind’s way of bringing awareness to old habits, while your nervous system tries to protect you?

Being brave means stretching your comfort zone, which takes practice. Growth may not be obvious, but gaining awareness helps you make better choices each time.

Growth isn’t a straight line. It unfolds over time.
Keep going, reminding yourself you’re not starting over. Instead, you’re steadily moving
forward.

I’ve changed, and my relationships in my life pull me back to my old self.You’ve done the healing work. You’ve changed, ...
19/03/2026

I’ve changed, and my relationships in my life pull me back to my old self.

You’ve done the healing work. You’ve changed, you’ve become more conscious.

Sometimes the closest relationships you have pull you back into old ways. The tempting habits, the relational dynamics that you’ve worked hard to change.

It can get confusing and tiring. You can become torn between connection and disconnection within yourself to keep the peace and avoid conflict.

What can help is noticing the triggers and choosing to respond with awareness, boundaries, and self-compassion. It doesn’t mean you’ve gone back to your old ways.

Sometimes it can feel uncomfortable to stay in the present with yourself in uncomfortable situations. It’s about remembering your truth, supporting your needs, and connecting with yourself.

Your growth isn’t dependent on someone’s opinion or judgment. It’s about reinforcing what feels right for you and backing yourself.

19/03/2026

Do you feel sensitive and judge yourself for it?

When you sense something, it’s your body’s way of giving you information.

Information about the situation or something from your past that you remember.

It’s not a weakness.

You might then override the sensitivity, moving into overthinking.

Then the internal talk starts like,

“I shouldn’t be like this”
“I should know better than to feel this way”
“I’ll just do it anyway, even though I don’t want to”

The shoulds are judgments from others.

Reframing might help you support yourself.

Like, what do I need right now to support myself?
How could I do something different here?

You allow your body to feel the sensitivity and don’t move to fix it.

You are already doing something different to interrupt a default reaction and give
yourself the opportunity to feel your own sensitivity and feelings that may come up.

In therapy, we don’t fight against it.

We gently appreciate the information that emerges.

That’s what builds strength and confidence in yourself.

17/03/2026

When you think of therapy, what comes to mind?

It might be along the lines of therapy is just about talking about your problems and what’s not working.

Therapy is more than talking. Healing happens in the therapeutic relationship.

Here’s what you don’t see and is essential for a strong therapeutic relationship;

Attunement to your experience, someone who is really with you, and you feel it.

Being seen, there’s no analysis or judgment; there’s an allowance.

A felt experience, you’re regulated, and feel calm in the interaction.

Your brain and nervous system process this unspoken information and assess if it’s
safe.

If you’ve held it all together, are always the strong one, you get the opportunity to relax the hold, and you’re not alone.

If you’d like to experience therapy in this way, reach out for a free 15-minute consultation, and we can talk about what working together might look like.

When overwhelm overtakes your bodyYour body reacts, and your mind catches up.You feel tense, your breathing is shallow, ...
12/03/2026

When overwhelm overtakes your body

Your body reacts, and your mind catches up.
You feel tense, your breathing is shallow, and your throat tightens.
You feel frozen, want to run or hide.

It’s a reaction, not weakness; your nervous system is sending you messages.

Slow down, pause, and focus your mind on your feet to feel the ground. Name one thing you can see, hear or touch.

You don’t need to fix yourself; you need to support yourself and your experience.
Wonderful, you’re now in the present with awareness, which brings choice.
And you know what safety feels like.

12/03/2026

How to meet grief with compassion.

When grief pays a visit, it doesn’t mean you’re going backwards.

It’s actually an invitation to stop, reflect, slow down and be with your experience.

When we push feelings away, especially grief, it doesn’t go away. Meeting grief with curiosity and compassion is key to healthy processing of feelings.

It’s your body’s way of saying ‘please notice me’, it could be the heaviness, loneliness or pain.

Tune into what you need and let yourself have it.
Meeting yourself where you are is true self-compassion.

Grief then feels safe and has
space to heal with your gentleness and self-compassion.

10/03/2026

When Grief comes up and you don’t expect it
Does this sound familiar?

You go about your day, and you’re taken back to the past, a loss you’ve experienced, and it feels heavy.

It might feel confusing, and the thoughts might be, I thought I was over this.

Grief has its own time frame and doesn’t work to your own expectations. Grief, when met with kindness, compassion and safety, wants to be expressed because it’s safe.

It doesn’t mean you’ve gone backwards or there’s a problem; it’s possibly a deeper layer.

It’s seeing it differently and reminding yourself that it’s okay to feel what you feel and to
see it from a new perspective.

You feel that something is offBut you don’t know what to do or how to say it.Have you ever had that feeling inside that ...
05/03/2026

You feel that something is off

But you don’t know what to do or how to say it.

Have you ever had that feeling inside that something isn’t right, but you can’t quite name it until something happens?

You go into your head and question yourself, talk yourself out of it, doubt yourself

Often, your body feels something before the mind or the words catch up or make sense of it.

You don’t need to work it out with the perfect words; get curious about your body sensations, the tightness, the pull to hold back.

Clarity is about listening and not rushing; it’s getting curious with your feelings as they deserve space to be felt.

If you’d like support with the mind and body connection. Reach out for a free 15-minute consultation, and we can talk about what working together might look like.

05/03/2026

Shame is subtle and can be hard to detect.

Shame lets us know our limitations, and it can also be toxic to our self-esteem and to who we are as people.

The toxic part is that we see ourselves as wrong and fear a great exposure; we need to cover up.
People-pleasing, self-criticism, judgment and fear of being yourself are ways to disconnect from your true self.

Shame isn’t who you truly are.

We experience shame in relationships, and it is a learned way of relating. We also heal from toxic shame in relationships that are safe, attuned and connected, and we’re not made wrong for having needs.

If this resonates with you, you’re not alone, and healing is possible.

Address

Suite 2, 1A Torwood Street, Sans Souci
Sydney, NSW
2219

Opening Hours

Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm

Telephone

+61409690701

Website

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