Kristina Chapala Barker

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MBACP, MA (Cantab)
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

Richmond, TW9
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

About me

Hello, I am Kristina Chapala Barker, a qualified and experienced psychotherapist offering therapy online. My job is to help you make sense of things you are feeling and experiences you are having. Together we will consider ways to integrate what we find to create possibility of change. life can be hard. I am here to support you. 

I know how overwhelming and confusing finding the right therapist for your needs can be as no two people or therapies are the same. according to research, good outcomes in therapy are more often about a trusting relationship and ‘fit’ between the therapist and client. I hope my page (you can also visit my website: www.kcbpsychotherapy.co.uk) gives you an initial sense of who I am and how I work. I am glad you are here.

People come to therapy for many different reasons. Sometimes the reason feels clear and sometimes not. Whether you are feeling stuck, overwhelmed, lonely, constricted by fear/shame/self-doubt, wanting to pro-actively deepen your self-awareness, or not quite knowing why you are looking for therapy but trusting a feeling that it is something you want to do, we all deserve a safe space to tell our story and to feel heard, seen and understood without judgement.

So what it is that brings you here today? What it is that you are hoping for as you read this page?

If you would like to experience what it might be like for us to work together, please get in touch to set up an initial free consultation.

Training, qualifications & experience

I am not here to categorise or diagnose you. I am here to invite you into a collaborative and dynamic relationship grounded in safety, trust and hope, where you feel understood, accepted and challenged to evolve in new and meaningful ways.

Research tells us that our neural pathways are uniquely wired and shaped by our early environment and relationships. How we as adults relate to ourselves and others, how we respond to stressors and adversity, beliefs and patterns we hold about the world and ourselves are rooted in what happened to us and how we learnt to interpret those experiences. Research also tells us, just as our neural pathways have been formed and shaped growing up, they can be rewired and reshaped by ongoing experiences and relationships in adulthood, including our relationship.

Together we will make space to compassionately explore what happened to you for you to feel and behave the way you do now and consider ways to integrate what we find to create possibility of change.

I love to see people get curious about experiences they’ve had and beliefs they’ve formed about themselves and the world in response to those experiences. I love to see people explore the narratives they developed on the back of those beliefs and question whether they are serving them now. I love to see people reframe and rewrite their beliefs/stories to come into more fullness in themselves and their relationships.

While I am trained in using a range of therapeutic approaches, I believe that no person is the same and I tailor my approach based on your individual needs. I work extensively with early development attachments, core self-beliefs, neurobiology, embodied responses and psycho-education.

  • I hold a level 5 diploma in integrative psychotherapeutic counselling accredited by UK’s Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (www.cpcab.co.uk)
  • I hold an MA (cantab) in law from Cambridge University
  • I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (registration number 390138) and adhere to the BACP Codes of Ethical Practice (www.bacp.co.uk)
  • I am insured and in regular professional supervision, which ensures the highest standard of support for clients
  • I continually carry out further professional development related to areas specific to my work
  • As a former corporate lawyer at a city law firm, I am aware of the part that stress, strains and demands of a corporate career can play in our day-to-day
  • I am experienced working with adults and young adults, in agency and private setting, across a range of issues, some of which are: anxiety, stress, depression, self-esteem, relationship difficulties, low mood, body image, parenting, panic attacks, emotional regulation, grief and loss, managing change and life transitions, suicide and suicidal ideation, burnout, identity issues and existential meaning-making.

Member organisations

BACP
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)

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

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
Accredited Register Scheme

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.

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy

Fees

£70.00 per session
Free initial online session

Additional information

I offer one-to-one online therapy for adults on a short (6-20 sessions) or open-ended basis.  I offer a free initial session (of around 30 minutes).  Each 50-minute remote session thereafter is charged from £70. I provide therapy at a reduced rate for a limited number of clients who are not able to afford my full fee. Please contact me to find out more. 

If you would like to experience what it might be like for us to work together, please get in touch to set up an initial free call. 

Type of session

In person
Online

Types of client

Young people (13-17)
Adults (25-64)
Older Adults (65+)

Additional languages

Russian

Online platforms

Zoom
Kristina Chapala Barker
Kristina Chapala Barker