Kathryn Handley
Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.
This professional is temporarily unavailable and will not be responding to enquiries until they return.
This professional is temporarily unavailable and will not be responding to enquiries until they return.
About me
Hello, I'm Kathy, a very warm welcome to my profile. Reaching out can be one of the hardest steps but from this point forwards I hope to make this as easy as possible for you to come for counselling.
I am a fully accredited, highly trained and experienced therapist (Level 7 Masters degree level), working with clients of any age (16+). I particularly enjoy working with trainee counsellors too throughout their journey to qualification. I offer a warm, professional and safe space for you to talk about what is troubling you, ensuring empathy and kindness at every step of your journey.
How I work
Choosing the right therapist is vitally important so you feel comfortable and at ease. Therefore I offer a free telephone consultation so you can decide whether I am the right fit for you. I am trained to work integratively, which means that I can adapt to meet the needs of each client by weaving in and out of 3 main modalities:
Person-centred: this way of working gives the client the space to process past and current experiences, enabling them to develop clarity of thought and empowering them to make the right decisions, at the right time. It is probably what most people think of when it comes to traditional counselling.
CBT: this is a more structured way of working in which we work collaboratively to problem-solve or find alternatives to current ways of thinking and behaving.
Attachment: this modality is particularly useful for those clients who are working through family or relationship issues, helping to raise awareness and understanding of why we and others behave in the ways we do.
I offer both short and long-term therapy.
My experience
Alongside my work with clients, I have enjoyed training mental health practitioners at the University of Derby, as well as 22 years working with teenagers and young adults in various education settings, including work as a school-based counsellor for 4 years.
I currently work for two NHS commissioned services across the county which sits beautifully alongside my private work. This ensures I stay up-to-date in my training and professional development, offering my clients the reassurance they are working with a therapist who continues to learn, adapt and use their in-depth knowledge in their everyday work to support clients. Being based within GP practices for my NHS work means I am experienced in working with a range of mental health difficulties.
Where I work
I am based in a brand new office suite in Mickleover which is easily accessible from Derby and surrounding areas, offering plenty of free parking nearby. The therapy room is modern, warm and cosy; a place where you can relax, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life (I've included a photo below). The office entrance is discreet, allowing you privacy and ease of access. I also offer online and telephone counselling which can be more convenient for some clients.
Areas I specialise in
I work with a wide range of mental health related issues such as anxiety, depression, family and relationships and work-related stress. I have a particular passion for working with those clients navigating all that life throws at you between the ages of 16-35, as well as supporting their families to support them. To this end, I have a lot of expertise and experience in providing mental health support and academic mentoring for A Level students and teaching and support staff in schools, having had lived experience of this as a teacher for 22 years before moving into mental health.
Next steps
I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have to put you at ease and help you make an informed decision. Email, call/text me or book an intro call, whichever you prefer.
You can contact me by clicking on the 'Book intro call' or 'E mail me' button at the top of my profile or text/call me on 07876 221489. There is never any obligation to take up the offer of counselling with me; we can have a chat to check I am the right fit for you and take it from there.
Training, qualifications & experience
Qualifications include:
MSc in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy.
BSc (Hons) 2:1 Psychology and French.
PGCE (QTS)
I am fully registered and accredited with the BACP which is the regulatory body for counsellors.
I currently work for the extended access service (NHS) with clients aged 14-25, having done this role since 2019.
I have 22 years experience working with teenagers and young adults in various education settings, including work as a school-based counsellor for 4 years in a large secondary school.
In my private practice work, I enjoy working with any client (age 16+) and have over 7 years experience working with adults and trainee therapists.
Client testimonial:
I originally came to see Kathy for issues with anxiety and stress. I was having panic attacks and feeling low and overwhelmed but struggled to recognise when my stress levels were high. From the very start she was so welcoming and friendly and you felt like you could open up to her without any judgment. I ended up seeing Kathy each Friday for about 6 months. We started off with me writing down a list of all the things that are worrying me and across the weeks we worked through the list going into each in depth and finding a way to minimize the worry and put things into perspective. This was extremely effective as it made me really think about all the little (and large) things that were weighing on me and you find out what the big things are that are causing stress.
She helped me to recognize when my stress levels were high and helped me to understand what was happening in my body and what effects it can cause. That understanding really helped to put things into perspective and aided in finding ways to recognise and stop a panic attack happening when I am at work. There were times in the month that I would walk into the office and everything seemed so loud and overwhelming and I can now recognise when that is happening that my stress levels are high (even though it doesn’t feel like it) and go and work in a quieter space.
It was a freeing experience talking to Kathy as some of the worries I wanted to discuss I didn’t feel I could discuss with friends and family and I had been bottling them up. It’s a big weight taken off your shoulders when you can talk to someone who listens without judgement like Kathy and helps you find a way through.
Some days were tough discussing the big worries (and there were tears) but Kathy creates a wonderful environment where there is no shame and you can let whatever feelings arise come out and if something is causing too much stress then we find something else that brings the levels down. You find that as sessions go on those big worries become much easier to talk about.
I would highly recommend Kathy to anyone who was struggling with anxiety and worries; she’s a star!
(Chloe, 33)
Member organisations
school Registered / Accredited
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred). Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision. Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training. All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£47.00 - £57.00
Concessions offered for
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
£75 for the first appointment (known as an assessment) lasting 75 minutes.
£57.00 for a 50 minute face-to-face session or online using MS Teams.
£47.00 for a 40 minute face-to-face session or online using MS Teams. This duration can be particularly useful for teenagers who may find a longer session difficult, those on a budget or perhaps those of you new to therapy who would like to try it for the first time and see how you get on.
£49 concession price offered for full-time university students and trainee counsellors.
If you would prefer, sessions can also be offered over the phone.
When I work
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early morning | |||||||
| Morning | |||||||
| Early afternoon | |||||||
| Late afternoon | |||||||
| Evening |
Further information
Location
The therapy room is located in the new office suites above Curran Bird estate agents and Brook's deli and wine bar in Mickleover. If you are stood looking at the building, you will see a door just to the left of Brook's. The door is usually locked but there is a buzzer to call me once you arrive at this door and I will come down and greet you.
Parking
There is plenty of free parking near the office.
Tesco offer 3 hours of free parking (a 3 minute walk away).
There are lots of residential roads within easy walking distance (trying to avoid Warner Street wherever possible).
The community centre (postcode DE3 0DA, accessed from Vicarage Road) also has a large, free car park. Once you are parked up behind the community centre, you can exit the car park on foot onto Warner Street, turn right and there you will find Brook's Wine Bar and Deli.
