Kim Sturgeon

Thursday: 1pm-7pm

Friday: 9am-12pm

Saturday: 9am-1pm

Some of our coping strategies can feel familiar or safe to some extent, and we may soon become aware that repeating these patterns can do more harm than good. Or, something just doesn't feel right.

We may find ourselves stressed, anxious, depressed, lonely, isolated, addicted to something, or someone, or some behaviour.

However, we don't have to continue on this way.

Could you consider what you'd like your life to look like - it matters. I can provide a space to look at where you are and help you to take control of where you're going with support and care along the way.

I specialise in working with women who want to unpack and understand themselves and their experiences. From a non-pathologising and trauma-informed perspective, I work together with clients to process difficult experiences and find new ways of being that facilitate a life that is meaningful and fulfilling.

I'm a fully qualified (level 6) Integrative Counsellor - I have studied a number of different theories of counselling and have considered how I can fit them together in my practice.

I find CBT can be helpful here and there to challenge thoughts and think about things in different ways, but it's not really my jam.

I prefer to work long-term with clients (particularly when working with trauma) to build a relationship that we can move around in. IE- We can be ourselves with each other, and can move away from rigid roles or masks as much as possible.

I like to work in an open and transparent way, and find that checking in with how sessions are going, and whether something is off track builds trust with each other.

I often challenge clients according to the kind of relationship we have built, but do this sensitively and with accountability.

I also find that our work can zoom in and out. No problem is in complete isolation, and no person can thrive in isolation, so as well as exploring the thoughts and feelings you have, we are likely to explore what's happening in your wider world. For example - relationships (romantic or otherwise), family, upbringing, work, where you live, what your day to day is like, and what pressures/ stressors you are under.

Lastly, we will explore your strengths! We might talk about what resources you have within yourself that have brought you to where you are today, and how you might use them to move forward. It may be that we consider how you can develop those qualities further, or find new qualities in yourself to take you to where you want to be.

In my experience, we all have different needs when it comes to approaching counselling/ therapy.

It may be that you'd like a chance to meet, get a feel for one another and see whether we might be a good fit. In this case, I can offer a 30 min online meet via zoom charged at £10.

If you'd like to get straight to work, I currently have space for full 60 minute sessions both online and face to face towards the end of the week. 

Thursday - 1300 - 1900

Friday 0900-1200

Saturday 0900-1200

Military service can be a different experience for women. Services for veterans are often set up in ways that best support men, and the perspective of trauma within the military can be quite limited.

As an ex-servicewoman myself, I understand what it's like to be the only woman in the room/ building/ section and what this can feel like. I understand the types of experiences that are passed off as 'banter', and I understand that sexual trauma can be a component of military service across the world.

In my practice, I specialise in working with women who want to unpack and understand themselves and their experiences. From a non-pathologising and trauma-informed perspective, I work together with clients to process difficult experiences and find new ways of being that facilitate a life that is meaningful and fulfilling.

I'm a fully qualified (level 6) Integrative Counsellor, but I'm not going to get too much into counselling jargon. Integrative basically means that I have studied a number of different theories of counselling and have considered how I can fit them together in my practice.

So - I find CBT can be helpful here and there to challenge thoughts and think about things in different ways, but it's not really my jam.

I prefer to work long-term with clients (particularly when working with trauma) to build a relationship that we can move around in. IE- We can be ourselves with each other, and can move away from rigid roles or masks as much as possible.

I like to work in an open and transparent way, and find that checking in with how sessions are going, and whether something is off track builds trust with each other.

I often challenge clients according to the kind of relationship we have built, but do this sensitively and with accountability.

I also find that work can zoom in and out. No problem is in complete isolation, and no person can thrive in isolation, so as well as exploring the thoughts and feelings you have we are likely to explore what's happening in your wider world. For example - relationships (romantic or otherwise), family, upbringing, work, where you live, what your day to day is like, and what pressures/ stressors you are under. 

Lastly, we will explore your strengths! We might talk about what resources you have within yourself that have brought you to where you are today, and how you might use them to move forward. It may be that we consider how you can develop those qualities further, or find new qualities in yourself to take you to where you want to be. 

In my experience, we all have different needs when it comes to approaching counselling/ therapy.

It may be that you'd like a chance to meet, get a feel for one another and see whether we might be a good fit. In this case, I can offer a 30 min online meet via zoom charged at £10.

If you'd like to get straight to work, I currently have space for full 60 minute sessions both online and face to face towards the end of the week.

I currently have availability on Thursday afternoons and Friday mornings for face-to-face sessions.

I have a limited number of online sessions available across the week.

I am now also opening my availability to Saturday mornings.

At times we can find ourselves stuck in our emotions, with thoughts that go around and around and/or in patterns that we know are unhelpful. We might have been learned to keep parts of ourselves to ourselves. Similarly, specialising in working with women impacted by sexual violence, I understand the difficulty in allowing some parts to the surface. What feels familiar can also be exhausting, but change is uncomfortable and often scary. We need the support of someone who can help us untangle the stories of our lives and move forward with compassion and vitality.

I provide a space to be seen, heard, and valued. From a trauma-informed and socially aware perspective, I work with all parts of people helping to bring them together to appreciate the whole person. My focus is on care and connection, working sensitively and at a pace that is suitable for each client.

At the point we enter therapy, we have some awareness that something doesn't feel quite right in our life. It may be that we have reached a crisis point. Either way, we show up because we want to feel better... ideally as soon as possible. It may be that we need some support making difficult life choices, or just want someone to hear what's happening for us at the moment. Often though, things are a little more complicated, and take a little while longer to unpick.

It's important to understand that sometimes, during the process of therapy, things start to feel worse before they start to feel better. It may be that this is the first time that we have really looked out from behind our habits or coping strategies that have kept us going, but no longer really work for us. It may be the first time that we have acknowledged our own pain at all. We may have done all we could to avoid it. This can feel overwhelming. At this point, it is the therapists' job to sit with you whilst you feel these difficult feelings and to help you to understand that these feelings are acceptable, valid, and will pass.

We may talk about replacing what isn't working for you with coping strategies that feel healthier. We'll definately talk about what your needs are, and we'll probably talk about where you have learned to cope in the ways you have up until now.

Through the journey of unpicking your life experiences, processing and understanding them within the context of your life, feeling what needs to be felt, and developing kindness and compassion towards yourself and others, you may begin to approach life from a new perspective.

I have found through experience that we all require something slightly different from a first session. Some clients want to have a clear understanding of who I am as a counsellor and what I'm going to provide, some clients just want to meet and get a feel for one another, and some clients really want to get stuck in as soon as possible.

For this reason, I can't say that I have a typical 'first session'. Rather, I'd prefer that during our initial contact that we discuss what you'd like from a first session.