I'm Kirsty and here's a little about me

Professionally:

• Degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy.
• Five years experience of working with people 17+ in volunteer roles and placements. 
• Worked at: LGBTQ+ charity, Local mental health organisation, Carers centre, and a University counselling clinic. 
• Experience of working with low self-esteem, low confidence, family issues, childhood bullying, anxiety, stress, grief, loss, relationships problems among other things.
• MBACP.

Personally:

You are making the very brave yet daunting decision to work alongside a stranger which can involve sharing your concerns and deepest fears, believe me when I say that notion is not lost on me. Therefore you should have some idea of who I am as a person.

So, here I am. A female in my mid 20's who is continually working to get her name out there in the counselling world while also working another job to be able to get by.

I am a huge believer in spending time doing what you love and indulging in lots of self-care. For me doing what I love is attending concerts in this country and across Europe. In contrast to the loud atmosphere of rock and heavy metal events I find solace in going for walks with my boyfriend where I can take my camera and take pictures of the outdoors and nature. All pictures on this site were taken by me on my self-care/destressing travels.

The million dollar question, why did I decide to become a counsellor?

Short answer,  I want to help people.

Longer answer, I want to be someone who makes a difference. The news, online, pretty much everywhere there are reports of people feeling ignored, being made to feel like they don't matter, and being made to feel insignificant. People are struggling and they feel alone. If I can make even the smallest impact in someone's life, if for our time together in sessions long term or short term I can allow someone to feel heard, understood, and not as alone then I am doing something worthwhile. 

Personal experience with counselling:

My personal counselling had a profound impact on me. I have always been quite a confident person who held my own in most situations, the opinions of others didn't really impact me or alter how I saw myself. Then in my teenage years that changed due to an experience I had and I felt lost for quite awhile. Counselling brought me out of the fog that I felt like I was trapped in. I was provided the time and the space to not only find myself again but to come back even stronger and even more confident than I was before. If I can have that kind of impact on someone, the way my counsellor did on me, then I have done what I set out to do.