Karen Tuck

Karen is a very experienced clinical social worker/therapist with a Post Grad in Social Work and training in Somatic Psychotherapy, Children’s Play Therapy and Trauma Informed Best Practice. She has a private practice, providing Mental Health consultations and undertaking the role of Voice of Child with Fair Way. Karen is a passionate advocate for children and their families (whānau) and is as committed now as she when she graduated from Victoria University in 1989 as a single mother of two young children. She is now a grandmother who travels regularly overseas to ‘play’ and go on adventures with her 3 granddaughters.

As a clinical social worker, Karen is profoundly committed to client centred, trauma informed, strengths based practice. Her career has been in both NZ and Australia, enjoying a variety of roles and work opportunities. She is committed to on-going training and professional development to ensure professional best practice. Her work with children is her primary motivation, reward and passion. As a non-directive Child Centered Play Therapist, Karen provides a safe, creative and supportive environment and engagement for children to openly share and express themselves.

In her therapeutic practice as a child therapist, Karen has witnessed children evolve from first presenting as angry and ‘acting out’ to engaging and expressing their inner conflicts and feelings - resulting in more regulation and capacity to respond and share themselves in more helpful and healthy ways. For example, a seven year old boy shared “I am not angry at all, I am actually really really sad because I miss my Dad,” after 3 months of therapy.