About me
I am here because I want to help you have choices which can help you to feel happier and to support you in making some changes in your situation or within yourself, if that is what you choose to do.
Is counselling right for you?
Talking can be very helpful, however you may not want to talk to friends or family, or have worries too private to share with people you know. Emotions are designed to move, to come and go, and when not expressed, emotions can get 'stuck' and lead to depression, anxiety, stress, low self esteem and physical illnesses. You may feel alone, and counselling can help by offering a safe space to share these thoughts and feelings with another person who is trained to help. People often tell me that the best thing about counselling has been the opportunity to talk to someone neutral, not connected with the rest of their lives, and who is not judgemental.
Counselling does not aim to offer advice but can help you find a way forward and cope better with problems you are having in your life. An experienced listener may be all you need and/or some new perspectives with tested techniques for solving problems.
As a humanistic, person centred counsellor with 17 years experience in private practice, I work with people of all ages in general counselling. I am trained in Person-Centred, TA (Transactional Analysis) and Gestalt therapies, and I work through building a trusting relationship with you in which you can talk freely and say just how you feel. I listen without judgement, giving you the space to know yourself better and talk about anything that is worrying you. If you wish, I can also draw on elements of the CBT model, and/or creative work, but I believe real change comes through relationship and trust.
Working together
We can meet and see what brings you to counselling, with a view to continuing for further sessions. The counselling relationship is all-important, so you will need to see if I am right for you. I prefer to work one to one with individuals and not with couples.
If you would like to know more, click on my website link for more information.
If you are interested in receiving counselling sessions with me at Katalyst Counselling I would be pleased to hear from you and we can then arrange to meet. Please get in touch on 07856905442, (the mobile phone voicemail is completely confidential and I will respond to messages by text) or you can complete the form below to send me an email.
It would be helpful to me too if you are able to mention how you heard about me. Thank you.
I have also designed some wellbeing cards and TA cards - see Etsy shop katalystart or www.2inspireyou.co.uk
Training, qualifications & experience
My qualifications
I am a qualified Counsellor (BA (Hons), Dip. Couns, Accredited Registered NCS) with a Diploma in Integrative Humanistic Counselling (Person Centred, TA / Transactional Analysis and Gestalt).
I trained from 2009 at The Wealden Psychology Institute in Crowborough, East Sussex, an independent college known for its excellence, where I gained a Diploma in Counselling (an Accredited course). I have worked in private practice for 13 years in Eastbourne, Swansea and Ceredigion.
I have experience in a wide range of general counselling issues including:
- Loss of meaning or direction
- Depression
- Low self esteem / fragile sense of self
- Loss and bereavement
- relationship issues
- Anxiety problems
- Sexuality and gender issues
- low self confidence
My Diploma training covered a wide range of counselling issues, and I undertake regular additional training.
I am an Accredited Registered Member of the NCS (National Counselling Society).


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.
The National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society This Not For Profit association of counsellors and psychotherapists aim to support the counselling profession, members and training organisations. In 2013 the NCS register was accredited by the Professional Standards Authority under the Accredited Voluntary Register Scheme. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
My counselling experience:
- I have worked as a bereavement counsellor at St Michaels Hospice in Hastings, East Sussex
- I have worked with young people (over age 13) as a counsellor and as a careers adviser
- I have experience of working in a general counselling centre (Summerhayes in Lewes, East Sussex)
- I worked with Brighton LGBT Advisory Centre ( also known as Brighton Switchboard) with gay, lesbian and transgender people.
- I enjoy working creatively, and I also have an interest in exploring spirituality in every sense of the word. My counselling room is located in a restful, natural setting
- I can work through talking/listening, or creatively with drawing, colour and objects , if you wish..
Therapies offered
Fees
£40.00 per session
Additional information
Fees
Cost per session is £40 for a 1 hour session. I aim to keep my fees low to be accessible and affordable, and do not offer any concessions.
I can accept payment by cash, cheque or bank transfer.
Payment must be made at the session or in advance.
Cancellations with less than 24 hours notice and no-shows may mean the full session fee is payable, bearing in mind I may have had to turn down another person who wanted to book the slot. However we will always talk about this if it happens and take into consideration the reasons for cancellation.
When I work
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Monday to Friday from 7.00am till 6.00pm
Further information
Where do I work?
I work from cross Inn, Llanon between Aberaeron. Aberystwyth and Lampeter. My counselling practice is conveniently located just 25 mins drive from Aberystwyth, 20 mins from Lampeter and 10 mins from Aberaeron. I can offer easy free parking.
I work in a garden setting at my home from a peaceful purpose-built garden room. I can offer a comfortable, quiet and completely confidential space in which to listen to you and to help with any changes you would like to make.
I also design some counselling resources such as Feel Safe cards and TA Transactional Analysis cards - see www.2inspireyou.co.uk or my Etsy shop https://katalystartshop.etsy.com for more information.
Testimonials
Some of my former clients have given me permission to use the feedback I obtained from them as testimonials:
"I would like to thank you, you helped more than you can ever know. I'd like to let you know that after realising my worth I decided to emigrate to Australia. I leave Monday."
"I cannot thank you enough for all you did for my daughter. When we contacted you we were desperate for help, thanks to you she turned a corner and now is a happy, normal teenager again"
"This is a message to acknowledge that those sessions i had with you were a really important part of my healing journey, and i want to say thank you very much Katrina, and i hope you are happy and healthy."
"You have really helped me a lot, my counselling sessions have meant a lot to me and been very important in my life."
"You have a way of summing things up in a few words and somehow managing to say exactly how I feel"
"Sometimes it's uncanny the way you are able to say what I am feeling, how do you know?!"
"Counselling has really helped me a lot, I was very nervous at first but now am really glad I did this".
"Katrina puts you at easy immediately and the counselling room was warm and inviting which makes all the difference. The therapeutic relationship was almost instant! She used an integrative approach, which meant we never got stuck in a rut as she used techniques which suited me, and since I have had a few different therapy approaches hers was certainly the best. As now a counselling student I was possibly more aware of how she was as a therapist than someone who has no theoretical knowledge of counselling, she was also very accommodating of my variations in times for sessions as I could not make the same times weekly and put no pressure on me to stick rigidly for this would of hindered therapy. In short she was a refreshing relief from the counsellors I have had and really helped me make massive gains, a true professional and genuine counsellor. The gains I made have truly changed my life for the better and she achieved this with me."
"Caring, helpful, logical, smart."
"The best therapist I have used and would definitely use again in the future. Puts you at ease when you first meet her, is very friendly with a wonderful personality and I always came away from the sessions with something positive. Katrina helped me a lot during my counselling sessions and I would have no qualms in recommending this wonderful therapist to anyone. A diamond :-)"
"Katrina is really nice to talk to. She offers a calm, safe environment for you to address your thoughts and feelings. With Katrina, I could talk about things easily but never felt pressure from her if I needed to stop. She is gentle and offers different ways of thinking about things that I didn’t realise before. I felt like she understood me and my feelings. She is professional and genuinely caring."
"She is always so friendly, and the environment she conducts her sessions in also has a calming and inviting vibe to it. Both of these things allow you to promptly start opening up. Counselling allowed me to try and approach the people I was having problems with in my life more objectively and started me on a path to increasing my self esteem which now empowers me to believe that if I want something I am worthy of it and able to get it."
"I'm so much happier with myself and I would like to thank you for being a part of that! I hope you continue your fabulous work! "
"Katrina is warm and caring, but also able to remain objective about the circumstances while offering an alternative perspective on situations. She is Intelligent, articulate and able to create a safe and secure environment that I felt fully comfortable in. She is very honest but very kind. I never felt like I was being judged on my circumstances or my thoughts and opinions. I was encouraged to find my own answers which gave me a far more thorough understanding of what I needed to do for me. I have never had therapy/counselling before but would gladly recommend Katrina for anybody who feels they need to consult someone to work through any issues that may be affecting them."
"Katrina helped me realise the difference between feelings and emotions. I believe that due to my personal circumstances I wasn’t addressing my emotions but rather thinking about them which made the situation worse. Now I am far more comfortable identifying my emotions, and can find the best ways to channel them so I am not burying or ignoring them anymore. If I hadn’t met with Katrina then I could have potentially made some irrational decisions which would have been very costly. I am now able to focus much more on what I believe is important and am confident that decisions I make in the future will be the right ones rather than ones based on intense emotions."