Karen Randall

I currently have space during the school day on Monday and Friday

I am an integrative counsellor drawing on multiple therapeutic approaches. This means that I can adapt to suit the needs of my client and work flexibly and creatively. I am also trained to work with children and young people through play, metaphor and other creative approaches. For me the most important part of counselling is the relationship and having a trusting, non-judgmental and safe space to explore your feelings or life problems. 

My experience to date has seen me work with children, young people and adults with multiple presenting issues including, addiction, adoption, Bereavement and loss, anxiety, depression, stress, attachment issues, relationship struggles, school or work issues, trauma and many more. I supervise other counsellors and teach children's counselling. 

I work online, by telephone or do home visits if local this ensures counselling is accessible and my clients have enjoyed being able to have sessions from the comfort of their own home. 

I have worked with clients experiencing many different problems and find that through exploring them together they feel empowered and able to move forward. 

The first session is really about getting to know each other and what your goals are from counselling. We will also look at how we can work together to achieve those goals. Each individual experience is different, and I want to understand yours in order to be able to adapt my approach to help you achieve your aims.

The relationship is really so important and depending on your past experiences this can be some of the work to ensure you feel safe and able to talk. 

I currently have space for supervisees on a Monday or Friday.

As a supervisor my aim is to offer a safe and reflective space. I use mixture of different supervision models to guide my work including the seven eyed model. Whilst supervision aims to keep clients safe it is also important to me to offer a supportive environment where my supervisees can also explore their own feelings in relation to their work and celebrate personal development and achievements in their work. 

I have experience of working with adults in addiction, bereavement, and in EAP short term work around mental health problems affecting their work. In private practice I have worked with many presenting problems including childhood trauma and abuse as well as anxiety and depression.

I have run a counselling service in a school supervising and managing counsellors on placement supporting them to develop their skills and knowledge working with children. I have worked with CYP for several years both in one to ones and group sessions. I have also worked as a clinical supervisor looking after multiple school counsellors in different schools both primary and secondary.

I also teach children counselling qualifications and have experience in running workshops and groups.

As a supervisor I like to encourage and support my supervisees to reach their goals as well as helping them to develop and grow in their practice.  

The supervisory relationship is important in facilitating this as with the therapeutic relationship. It is important to build safety and trust in order to best support my supervisees needs. 

Whilst we work together to protect and keep the client safe by ensuring safe and ethical practice, we also need to ensure your safety and capacity. 

In a first session it is important to establish a working alliance and look at if we are a good fit. I like to get to know my new supervisee and their needs in order to see if I am able to meet those needs and work effectively together.

It is also important to get an understanding of each others backgrounds to ensure we can work safely and ethically within our competencies.