Rate Kathleen Kingsley-Hughes

Hello! I'm Kathleen Kingsley-Hughes. Thanks for clicking on my profile!

I care passionately about meeting people exactly as they are and offering unconditional acceptance. My aim is to support my clients in a calm, mindful, warm, non-judgemental and understanding way. I bring a wide range of ways of working with a client and I believe that is one of my strengths.

At heart, I am a Person-Centred Therapist, which means that you are the one in the driving seat and I am a (hopefully) helpful passenger alongside you on your journey as we both explore what is going on for you. I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming the things that challenge you.

It’s a curious paradox the when we accept ourselves as we are, change becomes possible! Improving our mental health is about learning to be kinder to ourselves, so a large part of my work is about helping clients to find ways to understand their patterns and to begin to develop some acceptance around them.

There are other ways of working that might be useful to you including Compassion-Focused Therapy (which is useful for developing kindness towards ourselves and others, and can be particularly useful in working with burnout, feelings of shame and inner critical voices), and also Trauma-Focused Therapy for working with childhood trauma, traumatic events, PTSD and chronic PTSD.

We can also work with Focusing-Oriented Therapy. (Focusing is a way of working with present moment experience of the body’s felt sense, and noticing what is bubbling up into our consciousness. This can help us to find a richer, more intuitive way of living).

** What kind of issues do I work with?

I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, coping with grief and loss, sleeping disorders, low self-esteem, motivation and confidence. I have experience working with people with a military or emergency services background. I work with younger people who are exploring their values, relating to others, finding purpose in their careers, and developing their intuitive side and felt sense. I often work with parents of children leaving home, adjusting to an empty nest, estranged parents, children and siblings.

I work with those adjusting to midlife, living alone, divorce and separation, and those starting over in later life.

I often work with older clients in exploring maturing and ageing and finding joy, meaning and expression in later life.

I enjoy working with long term therapy clients who want to explore their inner worlds.

I am particularly interested in helping clients develop their ability to be more aware of their present moment experience, to bring more mindfulness to their every day lives and to their relationships, and to understand their emotions and how these show up in the body, and to explore their intuitive felt sense and embodied wisdom.

I have been on my own therapy journey, so I have a sense of how it might feel to start therapy for those who haven't tried it before and find it all rather new and strange. Let's explore that together!

** What else do I offer?

I also teach Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness and Self-Compassion. I have a long-standing meditation practice and I really love helping people to live more mindful and present lives.

I trained as a Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist so we have the option to work in that way too (yes, hypnotherapy does work online!)

I am a Well-Being Coach, Life Coach and Creativity Coach. I love helping people explore what they need to help themselves become the very best of themselves, offering accountability and coaching skills to explore what you need to go to the next level in your fitness, your relationships, your creative career or in artistic performance.

I am a Certified Hakomi practitioner and this might be another way that we might work together. Hakomi is a type of body-psychotherapy where we explore together things like body language and sensations in the body to find new possibilities for how to be, in a process of assisted self-study.

I work within the ethical framework of the BACP, of which I am a full member (registration 395258).

It is possible to work outdoors in nature (weather permitting!) and to bring our environment into the therapeutic space. Yes, even working online!

Do please ask a question if you would like more information.

I look forward to working with you!