Therapy can help to make sense of what is causing you distress by exploring new ways to acknowledge and manage feelings, so they don’t manage you.
Therapy can uncover the obstacles that hold you back, helping you learn to change old thought patterns, make better choices, and feel more fulfilled.
I specialise in relationships, loss and grief, but I work with all issues and related emotions that come up during a therapy session.
Psychotherapeutic Counselling with Karen Stern
Therapy for your relationships with others
Relationships that are not going as we would like can leave us feeling rejected, trapped, or isolated. Therapy can help you gain awareness of what is creating the strain and learn the skills to strengthen relationships and feel more in control.
Therapy for the loss and grief felt about someone or something absent
Loss and grief, whether due to a bereavement, a job loss, or the end of a relationship can be emotionally overwhelming. It may feel like the pain will be unending, as we grieve the loss of an already imagined future. Therapy can support your walk along a new path you have been forced to take and help you see that happiness will be possible again.
A little more about me and why I became a therapist
My interest in people and the connections they make led me to a career in Human Resources. I saw how mental wellbeing was negatively impacted by conflict and a stressful work environment. I retrained as a therapist when I came to recognise that I liked the employee relations aspect of the job the most, the support I was able to offer to others.
I grew up in California. Moving to a new country, adjusting to different customs and social behaviours, leaving behind friends, family and community is another type of loss that can lead to feelings of being unanchored.
I trained as an integrative therapist. Integrating three main therapeutic theories, Person Centred, Psychodynamic, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), enables me to engage with clients in the way that is most useful to them. Every situation and perspective is unique and so I use a client directed approach, where you decide what you would like to talk about in our sessions. I like to explore how attachments were formed in early childhood, and how those relationships influence current ones.
I also use behavioural therapy to look at how thoughts influence behaviour. The aim is to help you gain a better understanding of why you feel the way you do, to learn new tools to feel empowered.
Our relationship is a collaborative one, I will work with you in a supportive, confidential space to explore what is going on, in an objective and non-judgemental way. I will help you shed old belief systems and discover your authentic voice.
Areas I work with:
In my practice, I work with a broad range of presenting problems including:
- Anger
- Anxiety and panic
- Bereavement and grief
- Depression
- Family issues
- Fertility issues and infertility
- Health related anxiety
- Loss
- Self-esteem
- Relationship issues
- Stress
- Work place issues and work/life balance
Psychotherapy Training and Experince:
Alongside my private practice, I counsel clients at a bereavement charity and volunteer with Frontline19, providing counselling to NHS workers during times of crisis.
I have a diploma in psychotherapeutic counselling and have completed the BACP How To Do Counselling Online coronavirus primer course. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a certificate in Human Resources Management. I am a registered member of the BACP and an accredited member of the National Counselling Society. In addition, I am DBS checked, fully insured, and participate regularly in continuing professional development seminars.
Contact:
Please contact me to book a free, 20-minute consultation. This is an opportunity to tell me why you are seeking therapy, what you hope to gain, how I can best support you, and answer questions. As the therapeutic relationship is integral to my approach, getting to know each other and making sure we are the right fit is important.
Rates:
I work with individual adults and charge £70 per 50-minute session
On-line therapy available
Sessions:
Psychotherapy sessions at Barnsbury Therapy Space:
Monday, Wednesday and Thursday
Directions to Barnsbury Therapy Space