What are the opening hours?

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

Carmel Catanuto Psychotherapy

Home
Australia
Sydney, NSW
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.

16/12/2025

You are worthy of being seen and valued as you are.

Growing up, you got the message: I’m too much, so I’ll stay quiet.

Adjusting your vibrancy and your self-expression. That was the truth at the time to go unnoticed, but now it’s not true for you.

You are worthy of being yourself, not parts of you, not the best versions of you.

Worth is not earned or a performance to gain attention.

Your very existence is enough as it is.

So for today, risk-taking up more space where you remain quiet. Say what’s important for you.

Where you hide yourself away, let yourself be witnessed.

You are worthy just as you are, and it’s a non-negotiable.

13/12/2025

When we feel flat, it isn't always about depression or sadness.

It can be our need to survive. It might be that the internal script is running: Is there something wrong with me? So I had better adapt.

What if your body were doing the wisest thing it knows to do?

Toning it down, numbing out to avoid sharpness, laying low.

It's a strategy that protects you from harm.

Perhaps feeling wasn’t allowed back then.

So not feeling is the answer.

And it’s safe to stay flat.

Flat is a place to be quiet.

Bunker down within yourself.

And that sounds like survival mode.

And you're shaping to the environment.

Safety within yourself — your thoughts, your emotions, your relationships — is different from survival.

You don’t have to mould yourself to the environment.

You can use your breath to make contact with what feels grounded and safe.

The strategies can be undone.

If you feel you need support with a new way of being, reach out for a free 15-minute consultation, and we can talk about what working together might look like.

11/12/2025

Does making too many decisions leave you feeling overwhelmed?

Your mind is trying to work it out.

Your belly tightens, your throat constricts, and making choices feels like it’s too much.

You’re actually not wrong.

Your nervous system is on alert and trying to protect you — keeping you safe from getting it wrong, making a mistake, being judged, or disappointing someone.

Before you make the decision, pause and notice your breath.
Take a deeper breath.
Put focus on your feet and feel the ground beneath you.

You’re helping your body and your nervous system calm down and feel safe to make your choice.

Tuning into your body helps you get clear.

Slowing down and returning to yourself first is your priority.

Gestalt therapy helps you reconnect with your body so decisions feel grounded, not overwhelming.

If you’re ready to begin therapy, you’re welcome to book a free 15-minute consultation to discuss what working together might look like.

09/12/2025

Sometimes grief from the past comes to visit without notice.

The past draws you in from a memory long gone, and the feelings are just as you experienced them. Like it was yesterday.

Unprocessed grief doesn't follow a timeline. It waits until you're safe enough to feel it.

When grief visits, it's not wrong or bad. It's your body saying, I'm ready now.

Grief needs space, care, support, and importantly, a witness, a trusted friend or a counsellor.

When grief visits, you're not broken. It's information and a message to heal.

If you need trusted support, reach out for a free 15-minute consultation, and we can talk about what working together might look like.

06/12/2025

Does speaking up feel foreign and uncomfortable?

You've mastered fitting in, keeping the peace, not saying anything when you actually want to. To the point of being invisible.

Yes, it's a strategy you've ingeniously used for so long, and it's kept you safe. It's what you knew at the time to do.

When you connect with your courage and take the risk of speaking up, it feels so unnatural. Everything in your body tenses up, and your thoughts of self-judgement race through your mind.

Challenging the familiar can feel uncomfortable and even counterintuitive, but that doesn't mean it's wrong. It means it's new and not familiar.

Support for yourself is key when attempting something new. So your voice is shaky, it feels clumsy to set a boundary, and expressing your needs might feel too self-focused.

Consistency, not perfectionism, is needed. Each time you show up for yourself, you validate your experience, and confidence builds from the inside.

05/12/2025

Does sensitivity feel like it lets you down, and you see it as weak?

Sensitivity is connection to yourself.

It’s your body’s way of giving you information.

It’s not a weakness.

There might be some internal talk like,
“I shouldn’t get upset about this situation.”
“I’m too sensitive.”
“I don’t feel good about this, but I’ll do it anyway.”
“Everyone else is okay with it — it must be me.”

A different viewpoint might be:

What if your body is giving you information

Does the situation feel right?

Sensitivity is information — not a flaw you have to fix.

Perhaps in your early childhood, showing emotion wasn’t safe, and you decided to disconnect from your feelings.

Now, you can start seeing sensitivity in a new way — as a guide that supports your awareness and helps you feel safe, even if you once felt sensitive and alone.
In therapy, we don’t fight against it.

We gently appreciate the information that emerges.

That’s what builds strength and confidence in yourself.

02/12/2025

Do you have a problematic relationship with your mum?

When do you stop trying to fix it and walk away?

That’s a tricky question to answer and loaded with a lot of feelings such as guilt, grief and love.

Healing might mean walking away or setting boundaries. What’s healing is recognising your relationship wounds with mum and finding your boundaries, interrupting the impulse to fix someone.

When you begin to give to yourself and nurture your sense of security, your focus shifts to meeting your needs.

Gestalt therapy helps you to understand relational themes and patterns.

If you need therapeutic support, reach out for a free 15-minute consultation, and we can talk about what working together might look like.

30/11/2025

You've been with your partner for so long, how do you know if it's normal or not okay?

It's a challenge to let certain behaviours go and whether they’re unhealthy or not, as you’re so used to being treated in a certain way.

Slowly, the side comments come, or you realise the appearance of care is actually control.

Or on the inside, you feel withdrawn.

These ways have become your new normal.

You've got the awareness, and you've stopped questioning yourself.

You notice it hurts, and you recognise your worth.

Love shouldn't make you feel small, anxious or like you're surviving another day.

Healthy looks like feeling safe, grounded and supported.

If you're unsure what healthy love looks like, you don't have to work it out on your own.

29/11/2025

What if I’m finally brave enough to tell my partner how I’m really feeling, and they leave me?

It’s a common fear in relationships.

You experience stress or tension because it’s important for you to be honest.

The risk feels high — you might experience rejection, and that feels uncomfortable.

What’s true is that hiding your feelings doesn’t protect the relationship; it keeps you invisible.

When you begin to take the risk and share what’s real for you, you create space for deeper connection and understanding. There’s strength in vulnerability.

Therapy supports safety to express yourself — your truth, your needs, and your emotions.

You experience yourself in relationship, whether your partner is able to meet you there. This reinforces that your voice matters and builds confidence to be heard.

If you’re ready to be brave and begin therapy, I’d love to support you.

You’re welcome to book a free 15-minute consultation, and we can talk about what working together might look like.

27/11/2025

The attribute of empathy is a gift, even if it doesn't always feel like it.

In arguments, you've been told you're too sensitive.

Sensitivity isn't a character flaw or a negative trait.

It's actually an attribute of feeling deeply.

It's picking up on the nuances or the unspoken from others.

It's noticing the change in energy before anyone else does.

And it takes a lot of courage to be sensitive in a tough world.

It's not a weakness, it's actually an incredible strength.

Being heart-led, you offer understanding.

Where there's judgment, there's power in heart-led guidance and feeling.

People feel the compassion of safety when they're around you, and that's powerful.

Reframe sensitivity as your superpower and know that the world is better for the gift of empathy that you offer.

If you need space for your sensitivity to be heard, you're welcome to book a free 15-minute consultation, and we can talk about what working together might look like.

Link to book in my bio.

22/11/2025

What does gentle therapy mean?

What it is not is avoiding the harder places within yourself.

There’s a common belief that therapy has to be cathartic or intense to be effective. But gentle therapy is different. It supports your pace and your nervous system. It meets you where you’re at.

Gentle therapy means working with your body and mind, not pushing against them. It’s about being present to what’s happening in the moment, without going beyond your limits into overwhelm.

You don’t have to rush in or open up to pain for healing to happen. Gentle is just as effective in creating change. You don’t have to be rushed.

If you need gentle therapy to begin healing, you’re welcome to book a free 15-minute consultation, and we can talk about what working together might look like.

21/11/2025

When everything feels dull, like you’re moving through the day with the volume turned down, life can start to feel like you’re just going through the motions.

You’re on autopilot — getting your tasks done, getting ready for work, making breakfast, coffee, checking emails, ticking things off your list.

It feels flat. Life seems dull, empty, and listless. It loses its edge, and there’s not much joy.

This is often your body’s way of giving you information that something is out of alignment — a lack of connection, depth, expression, or aliveness.

Therapy is a space to explore these edges safely, to get underneath what’s holding you back, and to reconnect with your aliveness or spark again. When there’s support, there’s possibility.

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

https://carmelcatanuto-psychotherapy.com.au/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Carmel Catanuto Psychotherapy posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Carmel Catanuto Psychotherapy:

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Sydney?