About
I am passionate about helping people to create a more rich and meaningful life. I have 14 years’ experience working in mental health services. I am an accredited cognitive behavioural therapist (CBT) with the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) and acceptance and commitment therapist (ACT) and member of the Association for Contextual Behavioural Science (ACBS). I draw on a range of evidence-based therapies to offer an integrative approach and I place the therapeutic relationship at the core of the therapy.
I have extensive experience of working with young people and adults with depression and anxiety disorders. A particular aspect of my approach includes working with people who can find it difficult to be with their painful thoughts and feelings, or who may have a critical perception of themselves, or find relationships difficult, or experience the world and others as unsafe.
I will provide a safe and confidential space to work respectfully with your difficulties. If you are unsure where to start, or just feel stuck, my approach can help to develop a shared understanding about what could be triggering your difficulties, or what might be keeping them going. Then we can identify together how therapy can help you work towards what really matters to you.
Training
Kirsty graduated with a BA (Hons) degree in Youth and Community Studies in 2003. Kirsty worked in a mental health team supporting young adults with complex trauma. She also attended various trainings within this time, including an introduction to dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) and worked within a DBT team.
In 2020 Kirsty completed a postgraduate diploma in psychological therapies (high intensity cognitive behavioural therapy) with Exeter University and subsequently attended further training on working with long term conditions and medically unexplained symptoms.
In 2021 Kirsty engaged in various acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) trainings and is currently attending an advanced ACT and mindfulness-based interventions 18-month training programme.
- 2022 Advanced Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness Based Interventions (18 months course in progress) with ACT Now
- 2021 Foundations in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with ACT now
- 2021 Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Beginners with Russ Harris
- 2021 Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Depression and Anxiety with Russ Harris
- 2021 Working with Long Terms Conditions and Medically Unexplained Symptoms, Exeter University
- 2019 Postgraduate Diploma in Psychological Therapies Practice (High Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), Exeter University
- 2014 Introduction to Dialectical Behavioural Therapy
- 2003 Youth and Community Studies degree BA (Hons)