Kate Heavey BA (Hons) FdSc BACP (Accredited) - Individual, Couple and Online Counsellor and Psychotherapist. Currently offering online counselling and psychotherapy via Zoom, WhatsApp, Skype and the telephone only.
**Please note that face to face counselling is currently suspended due to Government Guidelines**
I am a qualified counsellor and psychotherapist. I pride myself on being an accredited member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy - Click here to visit the BACP's website.
Integrative Counselling
I trained as an integrative counsellor incorporating different counselling theories as I believe we are all individuals needing individual approaches. The counselling theories incorporated in my training are psychodynamic, person centred, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and existential.
Integrative counselling provides a flexible, effective and helpful way of counselling with the healing coming from our therapeutic relationship. As the name suggests, I 'integrate' counselling approaches drawing on a wide range of relevant theories and techniques to meet your individual needs. The success and effectiveness of counselling is dependent on how open, honest and willing you are to look at aspects of your own life. I do not give advice or tell you what to do; integrative counselling is a collaborative way of working which is led by you, the client.
What does counselling with me entail?
I place great importance on the acceptance of your unique perspective and aim to explore your perspective in a non-judgemental and compassionate way in a trusting, safe and confidential environment. My hope is that you will feel heard and safe to identify and voice issues that you are currently experiencing. I will encourage you to speak honestly and openly giving you the space to understand who you really are.
Through our therapeutic relationship I will encourage you to talk and identify your own feelings so you reach a greater level of self-awareness and self-understanding leading to increased self-esteem and confidence. We can explore your life experiences identifying what is important to you and what you want or need to change in order to achieve this, i.e. you may come to counselling wanting to lead a more contented life with happier relationships (both with yourself and with others). Our therapeutic relationship will always support and empower you during your counselling process enabling you to independently make your own choices and decisions as you build on your own resources.
Our counselling work gives you an opportunity to reflect on your life choices, identify patterns of behaviour and recognise ways of relating which may be creating and prolonging any struggles you may be experiencing. Depending on your needs, our work may include using images, visualisations, mindfulness, body awareness exercises or creative work such as journaling.
Clients commencing counselling and/or psychotherapy with me generally notice change within their first few sessions.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy tends to be longer term work with our attention being directed at deeper-routed issues. Once you feel safe and trusting in our therapeutic relationship we can tentatively begin to look at what is going on for you in life today (the here-and-now) and how your past may be affecting you. It could be that re-living the past is stopping you from living a contented life today and this may be bringing up many unwanted emotions, e.g. shame or guilt. Maybe you have a feeling of stuckness or not feeling present today due to past trauma's which have lead you to personal suffering and addiction. Whatever your feelings we can work through them in the safety of our therapeutic relationship.
Experience informs me that if we can sort out 'back then', discuss what is going on 'out there' then healing occurs 'in-here' (taken from Jacobs 'Triangle of Insight').
I have over 30 years' experience including corporate, caring and helping professions and have extensive knowledge of people and relationship. My current work includes bereavement, relationship, alcoholism, abuse, anxiety, anger, mental health and learning disability clients.
I very much see my role as listening, reflecting, supporting, tentatively challenging and offering input using my experience and training whilst sitting alongside you as a fellow human with my own life-experience.
Alongside my private work I have gained experience as a volunteer counsellor at Sam Beare Hospice in Weybridge which involved working with bereaved clients and family members. I also gained experience working at a local Rape and Sexual Abuse centre in Guildford. I continue to work actively with alcoholism (12 step program).
I have a current DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) which enables me to work with vulnerable adults.
BACP Accredited Counsellor / Psychotherapist
BA (Hons) Degree Counselling - Greenwich University
FdSc Degree Integrative Counselling - Greenwich University
NCFE 3 - Counselling Skills Theory
NCFE 2 - Counselling (Helping) Skills
NCFE 1 - Interpersonal Skills
Advanced Certificate in Relationship Therapy - COSRT
2021 - Currently doing further couple training at the Couples Institute.
Additional Training and Workshops include:
The Fundamentals of Working with Couples (College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists, COSRT)
Working With Couples: Dealing with Affairs (College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists, COSRT)
Communication and Difference (College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists, COSRT)
Meeting Partners Needs (College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists, COSRT)
Couples in Conflict (College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists, COSRT)
Sex Arousal and Ageing (College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists, COSRT)
Introduction to use of Attachment Theory When Working With Couples (International Attachment Network)
Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) Workshop
Working with addiction: underlying causes
Recovery from Alcoholism (12 step program)
UK and European Symposium on Addictive Disorders
What's wrong with porn? The rising prevalance of sex and pornography addiction
Working with obesity - looking at food addiction and binge eating disorder
Mental Health and working with depression and anxiety
Dreams
Mindfulness (8 week course)
Vicarious Trauma
Sexualised Trauma and the Window of Tolerance
The Body Keeps the Score: Working with Childhood Sexual Abuse (Christiane Sanderson)
Working With Survivors of Domestic Abuse (Christiane Sanderson)
Healing the Fragmented Selves of Tauma Survivors: Overcoming Self-Alienation (Dr. Janina Fisher)
Rewind Technique (David Muss)
Working with Ritual Abuse
Domestic Abuse
Understanding Coercive Control (Professor Evan Stark)
Attachment and Well Being (Sir Richard Bowlby)
Understanding and Working with Anxiously Attached Clients (Linda Cundy)
Perspectives on Interpretation: What makes a good interpretation in Therapy?
Internal Family Systems (Dr Richard Schwartz)
Effective Anger Management Tools for Working with Men
Bereavement
Palliative Care
Alzheimers and Dementia
Adapting Therapy for People on the Autism Spectrum
Asperger Syndrome
Working with Vulnerable Adults
NAPPI training
How to Work Safely and Ethically with Online Clients
Moving Your Practice Online (Online Therapy Institute)
How to do Counselling Online: A Coronavirus Primer (Open University and BACP course)
Plus on-going continued professional development (CPD), training and supervision.
As a BACP member I adhere to the BACP Ethical Framework which advises I have at least 30 hours CPD per year and a minimum of 90 minutes supervision a month (as a safe practitioner, believing there is much learning to do in this world, I generally exceed both requirements).
Contact from website
Please click here to contact me directly from this website.
Email Contact
Email [email protected]
I will email you back the same day if a working day and please be rest assured emails are confidential and only seen by me.
Telephone Contact
Call 07941 305511
If I am unable to answer please leave a message informing me of your name, telephone number and when I can call you back.
If your number is not familiar to me, and you do not leave a message, I will not call you back as I am aware this could be dangerous without knowing your individual situation.
My telephone is confidential and your message will only be listened to by me.
Text Contact
Text 07941 305511 to make an appointment.
If I am in an appointment I may not be able to answer your text straight away yet I will text you back as soon as I am able to.
When emailing, calling, or texting, please note I work in Private Practice on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays so this will delay my response to you if you contact me on non-working days.
Not ready yet?
If you feel you are not quite ready to commit to an appointment please feel free to message me. I have been where you are now and am happy to help with your transition.
