Karen Simkins

We all go through challenging times in our life and sometimes it can make a huge difference to talk to someone outside of our immediate situation. I am professionally trained to help people to explore what they are feeling in a caring, non-judgmental and explorative way.

Effective therapy can help to reduce emotional distress, help us to feel less overwhelmed and 'stuck' in our situations, reduce our feelings of being alone and unable to connect to others for emotional support and to help us make sense of how we feel and make positive changes for ourselves.

I am an experienced counsellor/psychotherapist, with many years experience of working in NHS counselling services and the voluntary sector.

I work relationally which means that I place an important value on the therapeutic relationship and will work at your pace, in a way that helps you to feel safe about the way we work together.

I am an integrative counselllor, trained in a way that allows me to draw on different theories so that I can provide you with an approach that is best suited to your needs.

Perhaps you are looking for a counsellor because you are - 

 - struggling with depression or anxiety

 - experiencing low self-esteem and self-confidence

 - finding it hard to let go of painful memories from the past

 - dealing with the loss of someone close to you

 - coping with work stress/stressful life events

 - have ongoing relationship problems

I can help you to explore and reflect on the difficult feelings and thoughts you may be experiencing so that you can understand your emotional responses more fully, which can lead you to make important changes in how you see yourself and how you might relate to those around you.

Sometimes it can help us to look at how the past has shaped our emotional responses so that how we react in the present moment is less puzzling or frustrating and can be a stepping stone to making changes within ourselves.

At an initial session, we can discuss what you feel you need from therapy and I can answer any further questions you may have about how I work. It can be a daunting decision to have counselling and if you prefer, you can call me for a free, brief chat before committing to an initial session.