Kate Fletcher

Are you feeling over-whelmed, lost or confused, and sense you are losing control? Perhaps you are finding it hard to admit it to yourself, and you believe you have to keep it together for everyone else, but that is getting harder to do?

When life gets too much, or something bad happens to us, it can be a scary and dark place, and hard to know who to trust. It is not always easy to talk to the people you are closest to, in case you are not heard and understood, or perhaps you do not want to burden them. In crisis, sometimes our body takes over, and the stress response starts to have a life of its own.

Talking to someone you don’t know can give you the space to offload, and start to understand what is happening to you and why. There are no quick fixes, but as a counsellor, the first thing I would do is listen. I believe that your unique story gives you clues as to what is going on and why. By exploring it together in a safe place you can start to re-connect things in your life, and find a way through.

I work in an integrative way, which means I use a variety of trauma- informed approaches, such as mindfulness and body-awareness, creative approaches, and CBT. No approach is right for everybody, and I will always start by taking time to understand you and your perspective.

I am BACP registered and accredited, (as Katharine Fletcher) with a BSc in Counselling and Psychotherapy, and in Psychology. I have completed courses in CBT (level 5), Systemic (family) therapy (Graduate Diploma), Addiction (Graduate Diploma), Mindfulness, and Trauma.

How we work together will be led by what you bring to the session. I will start by listening to your story, and work towards understanding what is happening from your viewpoint.

By seeking clarification and exploring how you see your life we can begin to put issues into perspective, and identify what is your priority. It may be that we work on current problems using a more direct approach, or we might explore long-standing issues in a more open-ended exploratory way. I may suggest approaches or ideas, but I will not impose them. 

I believe each person is unique, and my offer is to be alongside you on your journey, providing a safe and confidential space in which to explore the complex emotions, thoughts and behaviours which are giving you difficulties at the moment. I believe the aim of counselling is to help the client feel more hopeful and empowered in their own life, so that they can move forward with increased confidence.

I offer a first session of up to 30 minutes for free,  either by telephone or on zoom. This is to enable you to get more of a sense of who I am and what I am offering, and to ask any questions, without obligation.

I believe it is essential for someone who is feeling vulnerable to know that they have choices. This can be an opportunity for the individual to find the person they feel is right for them, and doing this can in itself give a sense of empowerment