Kate Carruthers

I’m an integrative counsellor and trauma therapist offering in person and online sessions.

I’ve been in practice for over ten years having qualified with a professional diploma in therapeutic counselling in 2011.  I'm a registered member of BACP and am committed to working within their ethical framework that outlines key values, principles and qualities of the profession.  

I work with adults aged 18 and over with a range a life experiences and difficulties. I specialise in working with trauma, PTSD and complex PTSD and have a postgraduate diploma in trauma and PTSD.

I work predominantly with trauma and the imprint it leaves on everyday life. Trauma can result from our response to distressing and frightening events such as a car accident or assault and / or repeated or prolonged experiences such as childhood abuse or neglect. 

Reactions to trauma can have a deep impact on a person's life and it is not uncommon to live with this for years after the traumatic event occurred.  Life may feel unsafe and dangerous.  Thoughts, choices, relationships and ultimately how a person lives in the world can become shaped by the experience of trauma.  Common problems can also include anxiety, depression, substance misuse, self-harm and thoughts of suicide. 

I have a structured and systematic approach and work with the three phases of trauma recovery. To begin with I will carry out a thorough assessment where I can gather information that will help us to plan our way forward. We will then focus on safety and stabilisation to help you feel more grounded and in control of everyday life. There follows the second phase where the trauma can be fully processed and we will talk together about the right process for your experience. The final phase attends to integration and meaning-making. Reflecting on what you have gained and consolidating it in order to move beyond the trauma.

I am trained in different evidenced-based trauma-focused treatments that are developed to work with the different experiences that trauma can bring such as flashbacks, nightmares, intrusive thoughts and images, dissociation and dissociative episodes, negative thoughts, emotion dysregulation and hyperarousal.   

Trauma therapy is an interactive form of therapy and we will look at many different strategies and techniques in session together that you will be encouraged to practise over the week. You will also receive additional tools, worksheets and information in written form along the way.

I offer a free 30 minute introductory appointment so that we can meet and you can ask any questions you might have.  I will give you more of an idea about my approach as well as talking through the counselling process and what's involved.  I hope to make this feel relaxed and informative.  Should you then decide to proceed we will arrange our first session.