Dr Karen Gaunson is a Consultant Psychiatrist with extensive expertise in parent-infant psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, and trauma informed psychotherapy with adults. She has a special interest in developmental disorders, trauma and the perinatal / early childhood period.
Completing her undergraduate medical studies at The University of Melbourne on the Deans Honours List in 1994, Dr Gaunson went on to complete a Masters of Psychiatry at The University of Melbourne. Dr Gaunson became a fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry in 2003, and a member of the Faculty of Child and Adolescent psychiatry in 2004.
Dr Gaunson has provided clinical supervision, family therapy, and overseen clinical diagnosis and management in urban and regional public child and youth mental health services. She has consulted extensively to professionals working in health, education, disability, family support and statutory services. She has done additional training in mentalisation based therapy and assessment of family relationships. She has completed many family reports and is experienced in giving treating psychiatrist and expert medico-legal evidence for child protective and family law proceedings. Dr Gaunson has conducted many lectures for medical students and for a Masters of Mental Health at Monash University. Dr Gaunson is a member of the Victoria Branch of the RANZCP Faculty of Child Psychiatry committee and the RANZCP Binational Family Violence Network Committee.
Dr Gaunson undertakes a broad range of medicolegal consultations via telehealth and provides expert opinions on a range of matters with a special interest in transport accidents, public liability matters, abuse matters, forced adoption, and medical negligence claims. Dr Gaunson is AMA 4 and GEPIC accredited and is qualified to perform impairment assessments.
