Katy Oswald

I can help you if you know something needs to change, but you are not sure how. Perhaps you are feeling depressed and like you have lost your way? 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? 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 have significant experience of working with clients who are struggling with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and stress. I often work with academics, post-graduate and under-graduate students, as I understand the stressful nature of working and studying in academia.