Kate Craib

Hello and welcome.

Thank you for taking the time to look at my profile. 

I understand that searching for the right counsellor can be a challenging journey, and I'm here to make that process easier for you.

In counselling, there's no 'one size fits all' solution. It's crucial to find a counsellor who feels like the right fit for you, someone who understands your unique needs and experiences.

Background and career history

I am a fully qualified, registered counsellor with over 30 years of experience in various helping services. Throughout my career, I've gained invaluable insights into the many life challenges that both young people and adults face.

In addition to running my own private practice, I also work part-time as a Mental Health Coordinator at a university, where I support neurodiverse students (primarily ADHD, ASD) and those struggling with their mental health and wellbeing.

My journey in mental health began with a degree in Psychology and Communication studies in the late 1980s. Since then, I've held roles in education, local government, and youth services, always with a focus on mental health and wellbeing. My extensive experience includes managing drug and alcohol education provision for schools, training future counsellors for the CPCAB, and counselling for organisations like MIND and domestic abuse agencies.

Today, I practice from 'The Healing Hut,' a purpose-built log cabin in my garden, where I offer a safe and nurturing environment for my clients. I'm also a certified Relationship Workshop Facilitator and Law of Attraction Coach, regularly hosting group workshops. Currently, I'm expanding my expertise with additional training in Transpersonal Psychology, which I plan to integrate into my practice.

I am based in Kent, close to Maidstone and Rochester and five minutes from the M20 and the A2.

Why come to counselling?

Counselling is a powerful tool for those experiencing emotional pain or difficulties that are impacting their daily lives and overall wellbeing. When those challenges feel overwhelming, professional counselling can offer relief and healing.

Imagine if you had a splinter that was causing you irritation. You probably wouldn’t go rushing off to the doctor at first. You would maybe try and remove the splinter yourself. Or you might wait and see if it would work itself out.

If it didn’t work itself out of it’s own accord or if you couldn’t remove it, you might ask someone – a friend or relative – to try and remove it for you.

Only if everything you tried didn’t work – and especially if the splinter was getting deeper and causing you more pain, then you might seek out a professional to help you.

Just like dealing with the splinter – some people are able to deal with life’s events themselves and some people have friends or acquaintances that they can sit and talk with when things get tough and this can be really helpful.

But sometimes – when we cannot deal with whatever is going on for us and people in our lives aren’t able to help (or maybe we don’t want to talk to someone we know or we don't have a trusted person to talk to ) – then professional counselling may be a way to alleviate the pain.

A counsellor is a professional who is trained to work at therapeutic depth with their client to empower their client to work on:

• common life problems - such as relationship breakdown, bereavement, work stress or family related issues
• managing common mental health issues and other psychological problems - such as anxiety, PTSD, depression, borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder
• working through unresolved trauma such as childhood abuse & neglect, complex grief, domestic abuse survival
• gaining self awareness and change

Counselling is a collaborative process that empowers you to become more self-aware and find the best path forward. In our sessions, we'll explore the issues causing you pain and work together to uncover the root causes, helping you achieve a sense of peace and control over your life.

I firmly believe that you know what is best for you and through counselling you can become more self-aware and understand how to be your own adviser.

The ultimate aim is that when you finish the process, you will be in a different psychological place and will have overcome what ever it was that was causing you pain or be able to cope more effectively with painful, difficult life events.

A Personalised Approach
I believe in a personalised approach to counselling because everyone is unique. As a person-centred counsellor, I'll tailor our sessions to meet your specific needs, using a variety of tools and techniques to create a plan that works best for you.

I am honoured to be a part of my clients' healing journeys, and I deeply respect the courage it takes to seek help. Taking that first step is often the hardest, but it's also the most important. 

I offer a free 20 minute introductory call, where we can discuss your counselling goals.

If you are on a low income, I offer a concessionary rate, for a limited amount of clients . Please indicate when you enquire if you wish to discuss availability for a concessionary rate.

Standard session rate:

• £60.00 per therapeutic session

Concession rate:

• £30.00 per therapeutic session.

Student Counsellor rate:

• £45.00 per therapeutic session.

Deposit

• 50% Non refundable deposit required for first session (paid in advance). 

I currently have no wheelchair access. 

I am a registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (registration number 351696).

I am a trained Aromatherapist, Meditation Teacher, Sound Healing Practitioner and Reiki Healer - which I offer as separate services. 

I have a purpose build log cabin in my garden where I hold my practice.