gestalt therapist

Kat is short from Katarzyna, a Polish version of Katherine.

I hold Bsc Humanistic Counselling from Metanoia Institute and Group Facilitation Training from The Gestalt Centre. I work humanistically, using Gestalt Theory as the backbone for my clinical practice. I enjoy both individual work and group therapies. I am registered with BACP which provides ethical guidelines to monitor my practice. 

While I worked in financial services most of my adult life (about 20 years), I always longed to create a life for myself where I would feel fulfilled by helping others. I started my therapeutic journey in 2019 when I triggered my trauma response during a deep meditation / yoga session. Reflecting on this now, the body-mind connection prompts deep healing however the environment needs to provide safety for healing. This is something I aim to provide as a trauma informed counsellor.

I draw from my yoga/meditation/climbing practices to get the felt sense of body and emotions. I feel connected to my body and encourage my clients to do so too while ensuring safety.

I enjoy nature, walks in the woods with my dog, swimming, climbing and art. Through climbing, I discovered that I am able to approach fear differently not just on the wall but in other aspects of life too. Painting is a creative expression of my wild imagination and something I do to calm my mind.

I had strong social anxiety up until my late 20s and understand deeply the shame experienced in social situations. I was part of a therapeutic group myself and I healed shame through participation in a safe group, hence my excitement and passion about group therapy.

I am face-blind which means I struggle to recognise faces. I usually recognise people by their body language and voices. You can read more about it here: https://faceblind.org.uk/