Karen Collins

Therapist Directory Listing Category: Psychotherapists and Counsellors

About the Therapist

About the therapist:

I am an integrative counsellor and psychotherapist with a wide range of experience. I am qualified to MA level and am a BACP senior accredited counsellor/psychotherapist and a BACP senior accredited supervisor. I have had specific training in working with gender and sexual minorities. I have over 19 years clinical experience working in both short term and longer term therapy. I have experience working within GP practice, within secondary care for the NHS, occupational health, insurance companies, EAPS, solicitors and international companies. I have experience as a counselling lecturer and in CPD training. Throughout this time my special interests have been working with trauma and working with minority groups, difference and diversity.

Sexual identity:

Lesbian
Queer

Gender identity: Female

Gender history: As assigned at birth

Non-monogamy: No

Intersex: No

Neurodivergent: No

Personal pronouns: She/Her

Qualifications - Links to websites:

Post Grad Certificate in Supervision (University of Chester)

MA in Counselling Studies (University of Liverpool

Graduate Diploma in Counselling (University of Keele)

Certificate in Counselling (University of Birmingham)

BSc.Hons Psychology.

Certificate in relationship counselling (Macclesfield Counselling and Training Centre)

Essentials in Gender and sexual minority therapy (Pink Therapy)

I am a senior accredited member of the BACP

I hold a clear enhanced DBS (old CRB) check

Qualifications - Additional:

Award	Awarding body	Year of award

Experience and approach:

I am an experienced, qualified and accredited integrative counsellor/psychotherapist. For many years I have had a great interest in people and their stories. I, therefore, work in an integrated way, working with clients’ stories and the social context in which they live and work, because counselling does not happen in a vacuum. I will work with a client on almost any issue or worry they may have, provided it is within my competency to do so and I have significant experience working with the LGBTQ+ community.

I have vast experience of working with abuse of all kinds and this has shown me that everyone's circumstances are different and, therefore, their needs in therapy will be different. Some people may want to take the bull by the horns and steam ahead, quickly opening up old wounds and working on them immediately. I also recognise, however, that this can be very delicate work and some clients may need to go more slowly or may need a little more help to begin to heal the damage they have sustained. Others may be somewhere in between these positions.

I pride myself on accepting people, whatever their diversity, and attempt always to treat them with respect, understanding and belief. My experience, however, has shown me that people do not always treat themselves with the same level of respect and understanding and this is particularly true within the LGBTQ+ communities. My aim, therefore, is not just to help people come to terms with difference and diversity within the general community but to help people to start accepting themselves.

Why don't people give themselves the respect they give others? This answer is not an easy one, however, most of us have grown up with messages about ourselves that may not be true. For gender and sexual minorities there are few positive role models of alternative ways of being (although this is changing). These internalised messages may not be recognised and can cause untold psychological distress. These messages may be that we, are not good enough, are not intelligent, are not sporty, are unlovable, will never make anything of ourselves or we may feel immature inside.

During therapy I hope to be able to help clients uncover these messages, process them and discover or create the real person they are. Therapy for me is about change, coming to terms with the past and moving forward into the future with more effective coping strategies.

Approaches: