Kathleen Rao, BACP

Kathleen Rao approaches therapy with the conviction that each person is the expert on their own life and that her role is to support clients in accessing and trusting that expertise. She creates a space where people can explore feelings of being lost, unresolved trauma, or a wish for deeper meaning, and she helps them make sense of those experiences in a way that feels manageable and humane.

Kathleen places great importance on the therapeutic relationship, building trust and alliance so clients feel contained and at ease during sessions. She aims to meet people person to person, offering warmth and empathy while acknowledging how daunting it can be to share intimate thoughts and feelings with a stranger. That emphasis on connection shapes how she works every day.

Working with an integrative model of psychotherapy, Kathleen draws on a range of evidence-based approaches and tailors interventions to what each person brings to the room. She sees a broad range of presentations and has a particular interest in grief and complex grief, perinatal and postnatal health including perinatal complications, long-term health conditions, and burnout. Kathleen is an insured member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the professional body for counsellors and psychotherapists in the United Kingdom. She has worked within the mental health field for fifteen years, including ten years of experience within the NHS, and brings that background to her therapeutic practice.