Katy Oswald

Many of us are feeling greater anxiety, depression and isolation due to the corona virus and restricted lives we are having to live. Looking after our emotional and mental health is as important as our physical health during this extremely stressful time. Counselling with me can help you manage how you respond to, and cope with, your challenging circumstances, whatever they may be. 

Perhaps you are feeling depressed? Maybe you are overwhelmed and anxious? It may be that you are behaving in ways you would like to change? Or are there relationships that are causing you stress? Everyone's experience of the current situation will be different. The reasons behind how you are feeling will be unique to you. My approach to counselling is to help you make sense of what is going on right now, explore how you got here, and find a way through.

I offer a compassionate and confidential space in which you can feel comfortable enough to talk about difficult or painful experiences, thoughts and feelings. Evidence shows that when you talk about your problems in a safe and trusting environment, you can start to connect with and feel differently about yourself. This can lead to greater self-awareness and acceptance, bringing clarity that can help you make the changes you need to lead a more fulfilling life.

As well as being a humanistic counsellor, I am also a social science teacher and researcher at the University of Sussex. Our feelings about ourselves are not just shaped by our personal experiences, family and relationships, but also by the communities and society that we live in, and I bring this into my approach to therapy. I also draw on existential, Gestalt, Jungian and feminist ideas. 

I usually work in Citybase, at the bottom of Ditchling Road, and in Fiveways Therapy Rooms. However, as Government advice is now to work from home if possible to do so in order to limit the spread of COVID-19, I am only offering video or phone counselling sessions at the present time. Please contact me to find out more. 

I offer an initial 50 minute consultation for free. This session is a chance for us to get to know one another, for you to experience the way I work, ask any questions you might have, and decide if I am the right counsellor for you.