Catherine Thomson, BACP

Catherine Thomson introduces herself as Kate and offers a warm, down-to-earth approach to counselling. She is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and draws on five years of practice to help people facing stress, anxiety, relationship strain, grief and changes in life. Kate uses straightforward language and practical tools so conversations feel useful from the first session.

Kate works in a person-centred way and adapts her methods to each person. She blends hands-on and creative exercises such as sand tray work, letter writing, vision boards and mindfulness to make ideas easier to try out. Sessions can include psychoeducation, narrative exercises and play-based approaches when these suit someone’s style.

Her aim is to help people manage difficult thoughts and behaviours, reduce anxiety and set clear, realistic goals. Kate also focuses on building stronger boundaries, clearer values and more confident decision-making. She describes her manner as non-judgemental, friendly and professional to promote honest conversation.

Before training as a counsellor Kate had a varied career including running businesses and voluntary roles, which she says informs her practical outlook. She has worked in charitable organisations and the independent sector, including roles with Mind, Action for Carers and BUPA, and has experience supporting people from diverse backgrounds and sexual orientations.

In sessions Kate listens, reflects and offers guidance while leaving choices to the individual. Her work is intended to help people understand unhelpful patterns, gain new ways to handle problems and make changes that feel right for them.

Therapeutic approaches that translate online

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choose actions that match what matters most. It can help with anxiety, low mood and big life changes. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationship patterns shape current connections and helps people build safer, more stable ways of relating to others. This can be useful for intimacy issues, abandonment concerns and attachment difficulties.

Finding the best approach is a joint process. The therapist will listen to your goals and preferences and suggest methods to try. Over time the work can be adjusted so techniques fit the person rather than forcing a single method.

Confirm the exact session formats before booking as the profile does not list specific options. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow work to continue around appointments. It also makes it simple to use visual materials like vision boards or written exercises during a session. If video is possible it supports face-to-face conversation, while phone sessions can be a good choice for a shorter check-in or when bandwidth is limited. Registered or accredited professionals can guide choices so sessions work alongside daily life.