Kate Renner

I see clients from Monday through to Thursday during the day time. I do currently have some availability.

I am a psychodynamic psychotherapist and clinical supervisor with over 12 years’ clinical experience. I have a Diploma, Postgraduate Diploma and Master’s degree in Psychodynamic Counselling, as well as a Diploma in Gestalt Therapy and a Diploma in Supervision. I am also an academic tutor and supervisor within a counselling training organisation. My approach has developed through continued professional experience and learning, and draws on a range of therapeutic perspectives, allowing me to tailor my way of working to each individual.

At the heart of my work is an exploration of relationships – with ourselves, with other people and with the world around us. You may feel stuck, anxious, unheard, angry or sad, or notice patterns in your life and relationships that seem to repeat and cause you pain. I also work with difficulties arising at work, exploring the human dynamics, relationships and feelings that may sit beneath a particular situation.

I am interested in the whole person: your history, experiences, relationships, patterns and ways of coping and what is happening in your life now. I offer a collaborative and supportive space where you can slow down, listen to yourself and develop a deeper understanding of your feelings and experiences.

Sometimes we respond to situations in ways that are outside our awareness or find ourselves repeating familiar patterns. Within the therapeutic relationship, we can explore these with curiosity and without judgement, making sense of where they come from and whether they are still serving you.

My aim is not to tell you what to do, but to help you understand yourself more deeply, develop greater self-awareness and self-acceptance, and feel more able to make choices that are genuinely your own.

Previous to this career, I studied modern languages at Bristol University and I worked within commodity trading and investment banking.

I aim to provide a warm, safe and non-judgemental environment where you can feel able to express what’s going on for you. Our work will be guided by you, within a collaborative relationship where I listen with curiosity and compassion. I will also offer perspectives, ideas and gentle challenges, with the aim of helping you develop a deeper understanding of yourself and find a way of making sense of your experiences that feels true to you.

Together, we may explore how your past experiences have shaped you, and how thoughts, feelings and motivations outside of your conscious awareness may be influencing how you feel and behave in the present. We might explore some of the underlying beliefs and assumptions you have developed about yourself, other people and the world around you, including beliefs that you may no longer consciously hold but which can still influence how you experience life.

We’ll look at what is causing you pain now, how you have adapted to life and whether those adaptations are still serving you. We’ll also use our relationship as a way of understanding how you relate to others and what may be happening for you emotionally.

Alongside this, we can pay attention to what your body may be experiencing and communicating, recognising that sometimes our bodies can express things that are difficult to put into words.

I’d always be happy to have a phone call with you before the initial session if you’d find that helpful.

The initial session is a normal 50-minute session and will be an opportunity for you to talk about whatever has brought you to therapy at this time. Sometimes it isn’t clear why you’re seeking therapy, and that’s okay too. It’s very normal for things to take time to emerge and make sense.

The first session is also a chance for us to meet and for you to get a feel for whether therapy with me feels right for you. It’s a very personal relationship, and there is no obligation to continue if you don’t feel we are the right fit.

I won’t expect you to talk about anything you’re not comfortable with. You can share as much or as little as feels right for you, and we can allow things to unfold at your own pace. There may be things that take time to put into words, and part of our work together can be making space to explore and understand these things.

After the first session, you may want to take some time to reflect on whether you’d like to continue. You can then contact me by email and we can take it from there.