Kate Williams, BSc (Hons), BACP (Accred.), EMDR UK (Accred.)

Hello and welcome to my practice. I offer a confidential service providing you with a safe and trusting environment in which to share your concerns and to work through any problems both current and past. I can help you to work through what is holding you back from feeling happier within yourself and living a more satisfying and joyful life. I have been a counsellor since 2009 and am an accredited member of the British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) which means I am bound by their code of ethics. The ethical framework can be found at and more information about counselling and the voluntary register, can be found at

My approach
In my unique approach to counselling and trauma therapy, I blend, what I consider the best and most effective, modalities: sensorimotor psychotherapy, EMDR and parts work within a talking-therapy integrative framework rooted in humanistic & existential values and psychodynamic theory. This wonderful blend can get to the heart of depression, anxiety and trauma in a safe and effective way.

Body-based psychotherapy can help you feel more grounded, alive and fulfilled whilst helping you to move away from habitual patterns into a more resourceful way of living.

Issues that I can help with include:-
• nervous system dysregulation that can manifest in chronic patterns of anxiety and overwhelm, self harm and OCD behaviours
• depression and dissociation
• single-event trauma and multiple shock traumas
• complex relational trauma often rooted in childhood
• sexual violation
• poor self esteem, overthinking, intrusive thoughts, problems with boundaries
• relational conflicts and difficulties

My approach is a strength-based approach where internal resources can be reclaimed, discovered and created via somatic interventions (including movement, breathwork, body strengthening and following the bodies wisdom) along with the use of embodied imagery, which can include the creative arts – all to increase peace, rest & restoration, strengthen boundaries and confidence in self.

I will further tailor sessions to meet specific needs where talking to gain insight & understanding may be a priority or EMDR processing of traumatic memories or parts work to free up natural energies of self-compassion for deeper internal and inner child work and early attachment ruptures.

I work online, via zoom and from my practice in Potton, Beds working with adults and teens.

EMDR Therapy
EMDR (eye movement desensitisation & reprocessing). Experiencing single traumatic events or many traumatic events can cause problems to our nervous system and we can feel depressed, anxious, we may have panic attacks, we may feel we on hyper-alert to danger, we have flashbacks, intrusive thoughts and nightmares. These can be debilitating and effect work, relationships, social and private lives and how we feel about ourselves.

EMDR works on the basis that trauma incidents aren’t stored properly in the brain so they cause triggers in the present day (like flashbacks, hypervigilance, chronic anxiety caused by certain smells, strange environments, loud noises etc) which feel like the trauma is happening now. EMDR works to reduce the distress level of the trauma and place it back on the timeline as a past event storing the memory in the correct part of the brain.
EMDR is a complete psychological therapy. It is designed in a way to support you to build up many psychological skills that support you to:
• regulate your emotions
• manage symptoms of anxiety
• build confidence
• understand how your mind and body work and how they can calm and relax
• build emotional resilience
• rescript negative beliefs
• desensitise the emotional charge so that the memory no longer triggers a difficult reaction
• reprocess the memory so that it feels as though it is in the past.

This occurs within a 3-phase trauma treatment model where we start by ensuring you are able to regulate your emotions so they no longer feel overwhelming before moving into bi-lateral stimulation work. This may include rapid eye movements or alternate tapping. The traumatic memory doesn’t need to be explained in detail and sessions will progress at a pace suitable for you.

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
Sensorimotor psychotherapy is a holistic therapy that integrates well into traditional talking therapies. SP believes that the body holds the innate wisdom for healing and by tuning into the body deep healing can occur. SP helps bring together body, mind and emotions.
The goals of sensorimotor psychotherapy focus on helping clients develop their own internal resources to process the trauma, transcend the prolonged flight-flight-or-freeze reaction of the autonomic nervous system, recognize and self-regulate emotions, and respond calmly and thoughtfully to their world.
Goals of SP helps people do the following:
• Reclaim a sense of control over your responses to the trauma and traumatic memories and so feel more grounded, peaceful and engaged in present day
• Understand the impact that your experience(s) have had on both mind and body
• Develop deeper awareness of physical symptoms and sensations and how these relate to the trauma and emotional responses
• Separate the past from the present so mind and body respond appropriately to what’s happening now rather than reacting from traumatic memories
• Regain your power and strength

Parts work
My background in parts work is predominately voice dialogue and more recently Somatic Internal Family Systems therapy.

Both voice dialogue an IFS offer ways to dialogue with the internal parts (energies, feelings, somatic sensations, images, sub-personalities) in order to free up your natural self-energy of compassion, calm, clarity, connection and creativity. It works on the premise that our most vulnerable parts have been sent into exile (split off from) and that we have a team of protectors that protect from further hurt or harm. However, these protector parts can keep our lives limited in different ways (maybe by keeping us small…or even the opposite: big and powerful) and can cause us to feel chronic grief, overwhelm, anger, anxiety and much more.

Parts work can help with anything from decision making, stuckness to healing patterns of shame.

My core approach
I’m an integrative counsellor which means I bring together different theoretical models. At the core I’m person-centred where I believe the relationship between client and counsellor carries many of the healing qualities. By offering a warm and non-judgement space for you to explore life’s circumstances and your inner world, a deeper understanding can be gained and from here answers and ways forward, that are unique for you, can emerge.

I also believe that our past greatly influences our present and my psychodynamic training supports me to help you understand how early relationships and situations have impacted on your life today informing choices you make and relationships you form and importantly how you feel about yourself.
How we relate to the world is primarily shaped by our early relationships and experiences which become part of our unconscious mental life.

The existential and psychospiritual strand to my work adds a further dimension supporting you to find a deeper meaning in your life and to move towards a life that feels rewarding and fulfilling.
Sometimes I bring in the creative arts to aid exploration and to illuminate parts of the unconscious that will support an integration within yourself – this is entirely optional but feel free to ask more about this at the assessment.

How it works
The first session is called the assessment where I’ll ask you some questions about your current concerns, background and what you hope to gain from therapy. It’s also a chance for us to find out if we can work together and for you to get a feel for my approach.

Sessions usually takes place weekly, at the same time each week for 50 minutes. The appointment slot that you are offered will usually be your ongoing appointment slot. I recommend clients commit for the first 6 sessions so they can start to feel the benefit of counselling; at this point we’ll have a review session. Having said this you are free to leave counselling at anytime as sometimes one or two sessions is enough.
In the first session I also talk through the working agreement which outlines confidentiality and certain legalities which are important for you to know. If we are working online I’ll send this through prior.
Please be aware that I take up to 6 weeks off over the summer and 3 weeks over the Christmas period along with regular breaks throughout the year. I’ll endeavour to provide a month’s notice of my breaks and CPD training should the latter fall on our session day.

About me
As well as private practice, where I work with teens and adults, I’m a self-employed therapist for the NHS IAPT programme. I’m Trans Allied meaning that I’ve undergone specialist training on Transgender topics and am welcoming of all to my practice and am committed to anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice.
I manage The Bedfordshire Centre for Therapeutic Studies, delivering CPCAB counselling courses. I have over 14 years experience as a counsellor and 25 years in the healing arts as a bodyworker and yoga teacher.
My previous counselling experience includes counselling in a further education college (over 10 years), an upper school, a children’s centre and a family service. I have experience working with childhood trauma, single-event traumas, attachment disruptions, relationship problems, depression, anxiety, self harm, eating disorders, addictions, trauma, family dynamics, low self esteem / confidence, loss of direction, sexuality and gender, stress & life crisis, loss and bereavement and other mental health conditions.

I also offer supervision for trainee and qualified counsellors are seeking additional supervision to support with their somatic trauma, parts and psychodynamic practice. Please contact me to find out more.

I manage and tutor at the Bedfordshire Centre for Therapeutic Studies.

Therapy prices are £65 / 50 min session
I work online via zoom and at my practice in Potton, Beds.