Catherine McDonald

I practice on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday between 8.00am and 6.00 pm. Please contact me for current availablity.

During times when it is difficult to move through life’s unpredictable waters with ease or stability, I meet you with compassion and a clear focus on helping you to find relief and chart a way forward.

My place is to be alongside you when life feels unsteady or painful, to meet you just as you are, with acceptance and honesty, free from the fear of judgement. I offer a calm, welcoming and confidential space in which you can pause and share your story. We build our therapeutic relationship together – I bring my knowledge and experience to help guide our work; you lead us, as we walk at your pace.

I have worked in a number of settings, including charitable organisations and an NHS-affiliated service, and been privileged to support clients from a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds. I trained at the Metanoia Institute and hold a BSc (Hons) in Humanistic Counselling.

Prior to training as a therapist, I worked for many years in management and family support roles in the non-profit sector, both in the UK and USA, with a career break to raise my two children. I bring to my therapeutic work an informed understanding of the pressures of the workplace and the complexities of family life.

I work with clients experiencing a wide range of emotional and relational difficulties, including low self-worth, anxiety, depression and loneliness, as well as pervasive feelings of being stuck or lacking meaning and fulfilment in life. I offer support through transitions in life including relationship and family change, loss, bereavement, shifts in career and health issues.

At the heart of my approach is the belief that, when we develop a deeper and more honest understanding of ourselves, our relationships and the dilemmas we face, there is the potential for healing and relief.

I believe we all have an inner compass that guides us towards growth and fulfilment but many things throughout life can interrupt and distort that fundamental sense of direction and balance. Therapy can offer a space for you to reconnect with what is truly important, revisit the narratives you have held about your life and develop a deeper and more caring trust in yourself.

My practice draws on a range of therapeutic approaches and considers the whole person: mind, emotion, behaviour and body. I integrate humanistic theory from Person-Centred, Gestalt and Transactional Analysis approaches, centred in the knowledge that healing comes when we connect with our own inner strength and wisdom. My core task is to listen attentively, with curiosity and respect, as we explore what’s difficult for you here and now. The insights and practical strategies we may uncover in our work are grounded in your unique experience.

I work with adults of all ages (18+), both face-to-face in Richmond, TW9 and online on Zoom. I meet clients on a weekly basis, at the same time each week, for a 50 minute session and offer both short-term and longer-term therapy.

At the heart of successful therapy is a trusting, collaborative relationship. Finding the right therapist for you is really important, someone with whom you can imagine feeling connected and safe.

I welcome the opportunity to have a 20-minute introductory online conversation with you, to see if we could be a good fit and answer any questions about what to expect from counselling.

If you are happy with this first contact, or want to skip the introductory call, we’ll arrange a convenient day and time for our first session, when we can explore what brings you to therapy, how we might work together and what you are hoping to get out of our sessions.