Image shows me, a white person with long red hair, in colourful dungarees on a hillside, next to a bench. Behind me yellow gorse glows.
Image shows me, a white person with long red hair, in colourful dungarees on a hillside, next to a bench. Behind me yellow gorse glows.

Welcome and thank you for visiting my site. In these difficult and uncertain times many people are seeking support for their mental health and well-being. You may be wondering if therapy is the place to explore your past, present and future, and if I am the right fit as a therapist for you. This is the first step in exploring these questions.

Let me tell you a little about myself and my role. I am a qualified psychotherapist and supervisor in private practice. I work online across the world, and outdoors in Northumberland. I am a white, autistic, queer, non binary, human being, whose paid and voluntary labour includes supervision, writing and working in therapy with participants largely margenlised by class, gender, disabilty, neurotype and intersecting axis of oppression.

My own history includes a complex tangle of migration and class movements, leading to living and working in rural Northumberland, via studying philosophy at the LSE, living in Taiwan, parenthood and training in psychotherapy. I am anti-oppressive in stance, which means I never believe the goal of therapy is to make you OK with, or accepting of, injustice, prejudice and discrimination. Instead an understanding of structural oppression informs how we work together. Therapy should challenge harmful structures, not accommodate those harmed to being OK with harm done to them

I work from a sex neutral perspective. This is informed by an understanding of asexual, neurodivergent and sex worker experiences. I see sex, be it solo, partnered, digital or otherwise encountered as neither “natural” or “normal”. It is an important part of life to some, and irrelevant to others, and in working with you I enter into your experience of sex, be it positive, neutral, negative or ambivalent.

I see my role as creating a space. You can explore what matters to you in this space. It is designed for you to find the solutions you need in a safe, non-judgmental environment. I use a number of interventions, as appropriate. These include journaling, mindfulness, art therapy, and stone work. I also use other techniques and traditional person-centred therapy. This is probably what most people think of when they consider therapy.

People working with me tell me they value my down to earth attitude, my open mindedness, my compassion, knowledge and specialist training. I do not believe I am an expert who can tell you what to do though. I am a trained professional who can walk alongside you and use my skills to help you work out the issues that matter to you.

Online Therapy

As someone who has been working online for 15 years I can guide you through the process of online psychotherapy. I am experienced, and trained in, not only using the technology, and supporting your use of it, but also in how online therapy can be of the most benefit to you. My training also means that I am aware of the pitfalls and issues which may arise from working virtually. Whilst research shows that online therapy is as good as in-person therapy, and sometimes even better, it is important to be aware of the differences. I will talk through these differences before we begin our work together.

Sessions can take place either using Google Meet or Zoom. You can read brief FAQ’s about online therapy here. I currently work with people from the UK and across the world, including expats, disabled people, carers, parents, those who are covid conscious and others, all of whom find online therapy ideal for their needs.

Outdoor Therapy

For some, especially those with negative experiences of counselling, or institutional abuse in their history, offices and enclosed spaces can be distressing. Others find nature to be healing, and research bears this out. We walk, or sit, and allow the session to unfold without the walls of convention. I have a number of outdoor routes and spaces and before the first session we would discuss your mobility needs, as well as any other concerns you might have.

Do you offer lower cost sessions?

Yes. I have a sliding scale of between £40 and £65 per session, I do not ask for proof of income but simply that you assess your ability to pay and the sustainability of the commitment for you. Some people have asked for guidance around fees. Generally, I suggest those who are unwaged or on minimum wages pay at the lowest end of the spectrum (£40). Those with more economic privilege can calculate in £5 increments above the national average wage which is £37,000 (approx)

Who do you work with?

The majority of the people I work with belong to experience oppression, injustice and margenlisation due to not fitting into those norms demanded by our society. Everyone has a relationship with gender, sex, sexuality and a way they engage in kinships and relationships. Not everyone has the experience of being heard, accepted, and made space for, even in therapy there is often judgement and assumptions. I work with those who need a space free of both of those heavy burdens.

The choice of counsellor is an intensely personal one. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

If you would like to discuss therapy further you can contact me on northumberlandcounselling@gmail.com or use the contact form below.

Finally, thank you for reading, sometimes simply clicking a link is the first, most vital, step.

Karen

NCPS CERT

Contact me here

If it is more convenient you can use the contact form to get in touch with me.

Go back

Your message has been sent

Training and Activism

My own activism and work with those who challenge and campaign for a more just and equitable world is vital to my decolonising and anti oppressive understanding of therapy.

I offer individually tailored training and consultancy packages, designed to fit the specific needs of different organisations and groups. I have worked with local councils, charities and NHS trusts to train their staff and develop policies which ensure LGBTQAAI people are included and affirmed on every level. I also run counselling training in conjunction with Outreach Cumbria, Liverpool John Moores University, and my own workshops. As a Pink Therapy lecturer I teach the working with sex workers unit, alongside pastoral support and supervision for the one and two year diploma students.

If you would be interested in learning more, and discussing your training needs please get in touch to arrange an intital meeting. I also helped to organise and run Pink Therapy’s Kink on Pink Seminars online, as well as facilitating blended events and presenting at Pink Therapy conferences.

I have been published in Queering Psychotherapy, a ground breaking book edited by Chance Czyzselska. In Non Binary Lives, an Anthology of intersecting identities different non binary people explored their experience of gender, in different spaces.

Gender, Sex and Relationship Diversity Therapy: Theory and Practice published by Routledge, 2025 is the first ever exploration of working with GSRD folk as a subject worthy of its own modality and with unique, as well as universal needs.

I have also written a number of articles, papers and essays exploring the intersections of margenlisation, privilege and oppression experienced by so many of us whose identities are judged to be other, reguardless of labels. I also helped to organise and run Pink Therapy’s Kink on Pink Seminars online, as well as facilitating blended events and presenting at Pink Therapy conferences yearly as part of the commitment to accessiblity and inclusion.

My recent blog posts