About Kate
Hi, I'm Kate.
I became a counsellor because I know what it's like to carry the weight of early experiences into adult life. To find yourself repeating old patterns you don't fully understand, or struggling to feel truly secure in the relationships that matter most.
My lived experience is the heart of how I work. I know the depth of what you're bringing to counselling and I will walk beside you as you make sense of and heal from it.
When we sit together in my room in Godalming Surrey, or online from your home to mine, we're two people meeting with a shared goal of supporting you to live a life that you've chosen, not one that you've felt forced to live.
What I believe
I truly believe the happiest relationships grow from a healthy loving relationship with ourselves. When we feel safe within our own skin, we can connect with others without anxiety, defensiveness or insecurity. From here we can experience the kinds of connection and trust that is genuinely sustainable.
Many of the things we struggle with, anxiety, shutdown, difficulty trusting, conflict that goes in circles are not character flaws. They are responses, intelligent, adaptive responses to environments that didn't always feel safe.
When we have repeated experiences that feel unsafe, our nervous system learns to create the right conditions to create safety. Ways like blocking off the parts that weren't accepted, putting other people first so you're not seen as selfish or arrogant or working hard to maintain perfection.
Counselling can offer the right environment for you to experience care that isn't conditional, where all of you can be safe, accepted and valued even the parts you don't like. So you can build the internal security and show up more fully in your relationships, your work and your life.
How I work
My approach is Integrative-Relational which means I draw from a range of different therapies and adjust how i work around you and what you need, rather than trying to make you fit a mould that wasn't made uniquely for you.
Depending on what you bring, I might draw from attachment theory, polyvagal theory, or somatic resourcing, helping you understand what's happening in your body, not just your thoughts.
Many of us learned early on to dismiss feelings, body sensations and physical responses as things to be controlled or pushed down. But our bodies hold so much more than we give them credit for.
You might notice a tightness in your chest before a difficult conversation, a drop in energy when things get too intense, or reactions that feel bigger than the moment warrants. These aren't evidence you're broken, they're signals, learning to listen and understand them is often where the most meaningful change begins, reconnecting to yourself
For couples and relational work I'm trained in IMAGO Therapy and The Gottman Method, both of which I find profound in their ability to transform how two people hear and understand each other. Underpinning all of this is a person-centred commitment to you as a whole person worth of unconditional care, exactly as you are.
I don't expect you to show up with all the answers, or even knowing how to do therapy right. I'll meet you exactly where you are and we'll figure it out together, from there.
Qualifications and Professional Development
- BA (Hons) Integrative-Relational Counselling
- COSRT Accredited Level 5 Diploma in Couples and Relationship Therapy
- Level 3 Counselling Skills and Theory
Additional training includes:
- Embodiment Practices for Relational Trauma
- Supporting and Working with Birth Trauma
- Trauma’s Role in Parent-Child Dynamics
- Turning Trauma Shame into Self-Compassion
- Somatic Resourcing for Trauma
- Working with Narcissism
I am a registered member of the BACP. I am committed to ongoing professional development, because the field of counselling keeps growing, and so do I.
Publications
Article - Counselling Directory - Intimacy and Connection During Chronic Stress and Parenting
Article - Express CIC - Refuelling The Caregiver
What happened in your past doesn't have to define what comes next. When you're ready, I'd love to hear from you.
