Anita Knight MA MBACP (Accred) Children 5 years +, Adults &Couples, Shrewsbury

About me

I'm guessing you're probably either a brave (and probably anxious) adult seeking support for either yourself, a child or young person, or an equally brave and anxious young person who's seeking support for yourself or someone you know. The most difficult part is in trying to decide which counsellor will be the best fit for your needs! I'm hoping that by reading on you will get more of an idea of whether my approach might suit what you're looking for, but if you still have some questions please feel free to contact me.

I am BACP Accredited specialist counsellor / psychotherapist for children & young people and have qualified to Masters level in this field.

With younger children I often use metaphor within play to enable emotional processing in a safe but comfortable way. I always have a variety of toys, art and craft materials available during our sessions. This approach enables young children to express how they feel without needing to articulate it.

Some young people or adolescents express themselves through activities in 1:1 sessions but others might find it more easy to talk about their thoughts and feelings than younger children. It really is about what works for you.

If appropriate for your needs I can also see young people online. Some young people have chosen me themselves and others have been referred by parents, carers, GPs, Social Care, Schools & Employers. I have also worked with young people who have had engagement with or been referred to CAMHS and those who are Looked After Children. 

I have a Post Graduate Certificate in Advanced Counselling Practice & see adults either face to face or online. I always have art and craft materials available during sessions, but adults sometimes find it easier to talk about whatever they want to.

I am also trained in working with couples & am able to work with you and your partner's relationship to help you gain more understanding about things you might be struggling with and to try and help you on the journey of your choice together.

Where do I work from?
I currently work privately from my homely room about 20 minutes from Shrewsbury & from Meole Brace, Shrewsbury. Under special circumstances I am sometimes able to see children & young people in their schools. I also offer an online counselling service whenever this is appropriate.

Who do I work with?
Clients who contact me are of all ages, gender, sexuality, religion or ethnic background and are sometimes referred through agencies or schools.

My approach:
Everyone perceives and experiences life through their own 'reality' which is why I adapt my approach to individual needs. In counselling terms this is called an Integrative approach. To be more specific: my core values are Person-Centred but I also draw on knowledge and experience from other modalities (Psychodynamic, CBT & TA) within my practices when these fit with a client’s needs.

My understanding is that the relationship matters most in any counselling experience and during each session I offer a safe place where people can explore themselves without feeling judged.  My work is usually guided by what you or your child brings into each session and together we can explore whatever feels important on that day. There is no pressure to talk about or share anything you or your child don't want to and the sessions happen at a speed which is comfortable for you.

Organisational membership and important information


I am a BACP Accredited Psychotherapist and I follow the BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy within my practices.

I was a Relate registered Safe Speak Children & Young People’s practitioner for nearly 3 years

I worked with Place2Be for over 1 year delivering play therapy to young children

I have worked in Primary, Junior & Senior schools as a counsellor / psychotherapist

My private practices have been up & running since 2015

I have a BPs accredited degree in psychology (with honours). This enables me to work psychotherapeutically.

I am fully insured for my counselling work & love what I do!

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Areas of difficulty people often bring to sessions are:

• Relationships - children and young people

Young people often feel out of control, lost, confused and unsettled as they explore who and how they want to be. Throughout this process, young people test behaviours, take risks, make mistakes and relationships will often be formed and broken. Differences of opinion, fall outs, fights, relationship breakdown, separation and divorce are just a few situations that can feel overwhelming for young people who often aren't experienced enough to understand or manage their emotions effectively. Parents are not usually the person a young person would choose to talk to about their difficulties and this often leaves everyone involved feeling unsettled and upset.

Together we can explore situations that are important in your life.

• Relationships - Adults

Sometimes immediate situations and experiences, or those from our past, can impact our current relationships and leave us feeling stuck, unsettled or uncomfortable. Life changes or events we weren't expecting can often take us by surprise or make us feel anxious.

Together we can explore how you are feeling and why this might be so that you might find a way forwards which suits yourself and your current needs.

• Anxiety / stress

When too many difficult situations or thoughts happen it is often easy to try and ignore them in the hope that they'll go away. I'm sure the saying 'burying things under the carpet' is familiar to most of you. The problem is that if too many difficult things are 'buried' or ignored then our bodies often react in anxious or stressed ways. People who are anxious or stressed have sometimes described feeling fearful or thinking negatively about situations, or share experiences of feeling hot, shaky, angry, tearful or getting aches or pains in their body. There might be  similar issues you want to explore in our sessions..

• Depression / feeling low

Sometimes things that have happened in the past or are happening now, or even chemical changes such as hormones, can affect people so much that eventually it might feel like they can't cope anymore. Often difficult thoughts or feelings (sometimes unconscious ones) can eventually lead to feeling flat, fed up, tired and like you don't want to join in with everyday things. There are opportunities to explore how different situations can or have affected the way you feel. You might also want to think together about ways which help you manage your emotional response to uncomfortable feelings.

• Confidence / self esteem

It's easy to question ourselves when there are so many things to get right! Do you often feel like you aren't good enough or can't get things right? Does it sometimes feel like people are often telling you what to do or are judging you?..... or maybe you feel like people haven't been available in the ways you needed them to be? People are often expected to follow rules that sometimes seem unfair, especially when you're young. As a consequence of not being able to make your own choices or think for yourself it is possible to forget or be confused about who you are, what you are worth and how you want to behave. Counselling can be an opportunity to discover how and who you are and whether there might be changes you'd like to make for the future.

• Loss / bereavement

There are usually similar sequential patterns which happen for most people following a loss or bereavement.  It can be easy to feel angry, depressed or like you've got 'stuck' or need to 'get over' an experience of loss especially if others seem to be 'moving on'. People sometimes feel pressured by this, but it's important to understand that everyone processes bereavement and loss at their own speed and with their own thoughts and memories. Whether it be a death or absence of someone or something that continues to affect you, withholding either positive or negative feelings or the fear of forgetting special memories can lead to feelings of guilt or shame. Some people find it helpful to think about feelings and explore memories together in our sessions.  

• Anger management

Did you know that anger is often expressed when other emotions aren't understood? It is the easiest emotion to express and everyone gets angry sometimes, but it can feel scary and out of control, especially if you experience it often. By gaining a deeper understanding of why or how you or others might be feeling angry, or sometimes even finding ways of letting it out in safe ways (e.g. by telling someone how you feel), it can be possible to manage anger more easily or in better ways. Many people have said that our counselling sessions have helped with anger management.

• Trauma

This can be any event or events in your life that shocked you or affected you negatively, often on more than one occassion. Sometimes people who have suffered traumatic experiences can have 'flash-backs'. This is where they experience the feelings related to the trauma again, sometimes even a long time after the event(s). It is possible that by sharing the experience and how you felt or feel about the situation (through talking or creative activities) things may begin to feel easier.

• Self harm

Self harm is a way of coping with very difficult and sometimes desperate feelings. Each individual has a different idea about what self harm means for them and I will always risk assess any young person who self harms at the beginning of each session. Self harm will not become the focus in the counselling room unless you choose to talk about it, but I am able to offer opportunities for you to explore  any issues that are having a negative impact so that you might feel more able to cope in other ways. Some people have found this helpful.

Please note that counselling isn't always the most appropriate service, for this reason I offer an assessment session at a reduced price to determine whether I might be able to offer you the support you need.  I will always try and share contact details for alternative support services which might be more suitable for your current needs if my services are not deemed the most suitable.

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How things are in the counselling room:
Regardless of age, I always have many resources and creative activities available in the counselling room. These enable people to express and process their feelings and explore their own story more easily, sometimes without the need to talk (this is especially important for work with younger children, who often aren't able to communicate as effectively through talking).

My aim is to always offer a non-judgemental, empathic, confidential, safe and friendly environment where you have opportunities to build trust, explore feelings, thoughts and perspectives so that you might eventually accomplish feelings of empowerment, a sense of self, and acceptance of both yourself and others.

Please contact me if you would like any further information.