Kay Thomas

Name: Kay Thomas
Telephone: +447462344852
Price range: £60.00 per session

Counsellor Dip. Couns MBACP

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Bromley BR1 & Orpington BR6

Accepting new clients

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About me

I'm a qualified integrative counsellor with experience of working with anxiety, low self esteem, depression, stress, grief, trauma, child loss, addiction, issues relating to chronic illness and terminal diagnoses, domestic violence, relationship problems and sleep issues.

I work with you to acknowledge, understand, accept, reflect and figure out a way to tackle the difficulties you might be experiencing today. These include, but are not restricted to:

Stress
Anxiety
Physical issues i.e. headaches, IBS, muscle tension
Difficulties with a health diagnosis
Bereavement
Domestic abuse
Parenting issues
Life changes
Depression and low mood
Traumatic experiences
Sleep problems
Addiction and dependency
Trichotillomania and skin picking
Hoarding
Issues around food and self care
Inability to form and maintain healthy relationships

I offer a safe, accepting, confidential space for you to work through issues that might be creating stress or holding you back from becoming the person you truly are, working with empathy and understanding.

I adapt each session to suit your needs, and having had an array of rich and varied life experiences myself I'm able to work without judgement or assumption and have been honoured and privileged to work with a very wide and diverse range of clients. Many of my clients are neurodiverse and I adapt sessions to suit their individual needs.

I know and understand that life can be difficult. A significant event, such as bereavement, trauma, job loss, relationship breakdown or a medical diagnosis can impact mental health and lead to issues that are tricky to deal with alone. Throw in day-to-day life stresses, such as family dynamics, personal relationships, work stress and financial difficulties, and suddenly you might find yourself in survival mode when you should be thriving. And unpicking your thoughts and feelings so that you can see the way forward to becoming the person you always knew you could be is not always easy to do. But support, in the shape of acceptance and understanding, can be transformative.

My areas of experience

I specialise in supporting people as they deal with significant life events as well as everyday stressors. I work with person-centred principles of providing a safe, non judgemental, and confidential space to explore whatever is going on for you.

I've experienced excellent training and professional development support at St Christopher's hospice and working with grief and loss is an area I'm passionate about. Understanding and coping with grief is something we will all do at some point and it's a privilege to walk alongside clients on that particular journey.

I currently work as resident therapist at The Primrose Centre in Orpington, where I provide emotional and mental health support for women (and, of course, some men) who've received a breast cancer diagnosis.

I also work with people who want to address substance misuse, and have experience of supporting clients who are living with an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol and their carers. We look at the reasons for using substances, the behaviours surrounding it, coping mechanisms to prevent a lapse or relapse and strategies for a life without drugs or alcohol.

Many of my clients are neurodivergent and living with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia and I understand the issues faced by those navigating life in a neurotypical world. I've also worked with clients in the early stages of dementia living with memory loss or memory issues associated with brain injury, people in recovery from drugs and alcohol dependencies, and clients who have experienced domestic violence and abuse and associated trauma.

How I work

I'm a person-centred counsellor influenced by psychodynamic theories. This means I understand that sometimes our very earliest experiences can impact us.

I work in a warm, accepting, down-to-earth way, with the acknowledgement that everyone is unique with their own differing needs and no one size fits all. So on occasion I use techniques borrowed from other modalities, such as CBT or Gestalt, to help you to address difficult thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

Confidentiality and psychological safety is at the heart of every session, but whatever issue you're bringing to therapy sessions we'll go at your pace and work together to help you to discover a way forward to live life to your full potential, so you can flourish and grow, free from unhelpful patterns of behaviour.

And because I understand that the most important part of therapeutic work is developing a trusting professional relationship between myself and clients, I offer a free 20-minute phone consultation so that we can work out whether we'd be a good fit.

Where I work

I work from calm, relaxing confidential counselling spaces in Bromley Town Centre and Locksbottom near Orpington, close to the A21 and the Princess Royal University Hospital, with free parking available on site.

For flexibility sessions can also be held online, and I can also work with clients who prefer to have therapy by phone.

Read more at www.kaythomascounselling.com

Availability

I have appointments available in January 2025 on Mondays and Tuesdays and some evening appointment slots for online work on other days.

Twice a month I work on Sundays in Bromley Town Centre and I'll have appointments available at 11am and midday at present.

Training, qualifications & experience

Level 4 Diploma Therapeutic Counselling CPCAB
Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies CPCAB
Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills CPCAB

I hold a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling and have experience of working with complex grief via my work with the bereavement support team at St Christopher's Hospice. I also work in substance misuse rehabilitation services, working with clients dealing with drugs and alcohol dependency and also offer support to their family members and carers.

Alongside a varied private practice, I also work with clients dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis as the resident therapist at The Primrose Centre in Orpington.

Recent CPD: