Carolyn Lee

I see clients Monday to Thursday with my first appointment at 8.00am and my last appointment starting at 5.00pm. 

I currently have some limited availability to take on new clients. 

I charge £65 for individual therapy and £100 for couples therapy. 

I'm Caro. I'm a counsellor and psychotherapist with over 20 years experience working in diversity and inclusion. I've helped people manage workplace stress, sort out who they are, explore coming out, work through the complexities of gender transition, grieve for their parents and partners and pets, work their way through anger and frustration, and come to terms with childlessness, both involuntary and voluntary.

We live in a world which throws a lot at us, and expects a lot of us. And, very often, we expect a lot of ourselves too. For many of us, it can help to talk through what we’re dealing with, to help us understand what’s going on and find a way forward.

Whether you’re dealing with aging, anger, anxiety, bereavement, depression, estrangement or family issues, identity, loneliness, long-term health conditions, mortality, powerlessness, relationship difficulties, or simply want to talk things through, I offer a confidential, non-judgmental space to explore what you’re feeling, and how you can manage it. We’re all different and we all need to find our own way. I can help you do that.

My training is in person-centred humanistic therapy - what you might recognise as 'talking therapy'. Essentially, in a typical session with me, you will mostly do the talking and I'll mostly listen - asking some questions, maybe checking that I've understood exactly what you mean, and prompting you to explore more fully how whatever it is that you're talking about impacts you. Sometimes I'll talk a bit more, and sometimes hardly at all - this is your time to really do the talking, and explore the feelings.

That might sound a bit woolly, and a bit vague. 'Ah, but what do you actually do, Caro? How do you make me feel better?' And the answer is that the healing is in the therapy, and the therapy is about being heard - by me, by others if you choose to talk to them, and by your self. Sometimes we will talk about actions - plans, strategies, things that might be beneficial to read or try. And sometimes we might do an exercise together, an imaginary conversation or a role play, for example. But mostly we - and by we, I mean you - will talk.

I usually work on weekly or fortnightly appointments, but am happy to consider other options. There is no time limit to how many sessions you can have, nor any sense that you are committing to months of therapy. We can start working together, and when you feel ready to stop, or to take a break for a while, that’s what we will do.

I work from my home in Penrith, Cumbria. I also work by video (using GoogleMeet and WhatsApp primarily) and by phone. If you would like to work with me, we can meet or talk within a few days to answer any questions you might have. I offer a free 15 minute chat to meet potential new clients, and explore whether we might be a good fit to work together. My first appointment is at 8am, and my last appointment begins at 5.00pm. I work Monday to Thursday. 

Before contracting to work together I offer a free 30-minute meeting online. This is to enable you to get a sense of me and ask me any questions you might have about how I work. It's also to enable me to get a better understanding of you and of what's going on for you as we consider starting to work together. 

If we decide to proceed, I ask you to read and agree a simple contract for our work together, and then we get stuck in.