• Professional counselling and psychotherapy for couples
    and individuals

  • Professional counselling and psychotherapy for couples and
    individuals

Welcome to Catherine Clay
counselling and psychotherapy

I am a BACP Accredited psychotherapist who works with individuals and couples. My practice is founded in relational theory, and focuses on our relationships with others.

How I can help

I specialise in working with clients – individually or as a couple – who are facing stresses or tensions in their marriages or partnerships. With a Masters degree in psychotherapy and a research thesis on separation and co-parenting, as well as a Certificate in Psychosexual Studies, I am well equipped to support individuals and couples with relationship difficulties.

My role is to fully understand you, your feelings, experiences and perspectives. I will actively engage with you and share thoughts and impressions that come to me as we work together, with the objective of facilitating insights that feel meaningful. Sometimes I may suggest exercises or introduce you to relevant therapeutic concepts, if I think you will find it helpful.

Individual Therapy

Therapeutic work is about creating a safe space where you can be heard without agenda or judgment. When we turn to the people around us out for support, we are often mindful and considerate of the values, perspectives or biases that they themselves hold. Even when people mean well, they sometimes hold opinions about our situation that may not feel helpful.

The dynamic between therapist and client is unique in that it lacks the agendas that naturally exist in our other relationships. As a therapist I am exclusively concerned with you, your wellbeing and your goals. You will be heard with empathy and warmth, and I will offer careful interventions when I think they may aid you.

Couples Therapy

All relationships experience difficult times. When there are ruptures, it can be hard to see a way forward. It is not my role to take sides, or to referee, and neither is it my goal to “save” your relationship. Instead, I will create a space where you can reflect together, be heard and understood, and ultimately make the decisions that are right for you both.

Often the couples I see love each other very much and are committed to working though conflicts. Sometimes one party is more committed to therapy than the other, and that is fine. By facilitating honest and kind communication about your needs and wants, I can help you reach clarity about your relationship.

Pre-marriage Counselling

This package of three 60 minute sessions is for couples who want to strengthen their relationship, and make sure they are in great shape to weather life’s challenges. Why not gift it to a special couple that you care about?

Every relationship comes under pressure periodically and these sessions help prepare couples for those times. The work is focused on providing practical tools to help you navigate future difficulties as a team and to ensure that you emerge from conflict stronger and closer.

We explore what makes your relationship work for you, and how you both support and value each other. It is a positive and enjoyable process, and invariably seen by clients as a worthwhile investment.

Separation Counselling

The end of a relationship can be a complex experience. Feelings of hurt, guilt, grief and anger can get in the way of parting amicably. Separation counselling can help you both recognise the parts of your shared story that were good and meaningful, and to accept the parts that were not. The aim is to help you move forward in a positive way, and avoid being held back emotionally by pain or regret.

When there are children to consider, their wellbeing is often your highest priority. We work on establishing healthy boundaries and redefining a new relationship as co-parents. As a member of Resolution, I am committed to constructive, non-confrontational practices and at the core of the work is respect for each individual’s autonomy and choices.

Group Training

If you would like someone to talk to your staff, students or members of your organisation about mental health and wellbeing, I offer 1, 2 and 4 hour training sessions on topics such as:

– Managing work and life balance
– Mental health awareness
– Stress in the workplace
– Neurodiversity (autism, ADHD)
– Bereavement through suicide

Please get in touch to discuss your requirements in more detail.

Welcome to Catherine Clay counselling and psychotherapy

I am a BACP Accredited psychotherapist who works with individuals and couples. My practice is founded in relational theory, and focuses on our relationships with others.

How I can help

I specialise in working with clients – individually or as a couple – who are facing stresses or tensions in their marriages or partnerships. With a Masters degree in psychotherapy and a research thesis on separation and co-parenting, as well as a Certificate in Psychosexual Studies, I am well equipped to support individuals and couples with relationship difficulties.

My role is to fully understand you, your feelings, experiences and perspectives. I will actively engage with you and share thoughts and impressions that come to me as we work together, with the objective of facilitating insights that feel meaningful. Sometimes I may suggest exercises or introduce you to relevant therapeutic concepts, if I think you will find it helpful.

Individual Therapy

Therapeutic work is about creating a safe space where you can be heard without agenda or judgment. When we turn to the people around us out for support, we are often mindful and considerate of the values, perspectives or biases that they themselves hold. Even when people mean well, they sometimes hold opinions about our situation that may not feel helpful.

The dynamic between therapist and client is unique in that it lacks the agendas that naturally exist in our other relationships. As a therapist I am exclusively concerned with you, your wellbeing and your goals. You will be heard with empathy and warmth, and I will offer careful interventions when I think they may aid you.

Couples Therapy

All relationships experience difficult times. When there are ruptures, it can be hard to see a way forward. It is not my role to take sides, or to referee, and neither is it my goal to “save” your relationship. Instead, I will create a space where you can reflect together, be heard and understood, and ultimately make the decisions that are right for you both.

Often the couples I see love each other very much and are committed to working though conflicts. Sometimes one party is more committed to therapy than the other, and that is fine. By facilitating honest and kind communication about your needs and wants, I can help you reach clarity about your relationship.

Pre-marriage Counselling

This package of three 60 minute sessions is for couples who want to strengthen their relationship, and make sure they are in great shape to weather life’s challenges. Why not gift it to a special couple that you care about?

Every relationship comes under pressure periodically and these sessions help prepare couples for those times. The work is focused on providing practical tools to help you navigate future difficulties as a team and to ensure that you emerge from conflict stronger and closer.

We explore what makes your relationship work for you, and how you both support and value each other. It is a positive and enjoyable process, and invariably seen by clients as a worthwhile investment.

Separation Counselling

The end of a relationship can be a complex experience. Feelings of hurt, guilt, grief and anger can get in the way of parting amicably. Separation counselling can help you both recognise the parts of your shared story that were good and meaningful, and to accept the parts that were not. The aim is to help you move forward in a positive way, and avoid being held back emotionally by pain or regret.

When there are children to consider, their wellbeing is often your highest priority. We work on establishing healthy boundaries and redefining a new relationship as co-parents. As a member of Resolution, I am committed to constructive, non-confrontational practices and at the core of the work is respect for each individual’s autonomy and choices.

Group Training

If you would like someone to talk to your staff, students or members of your organisation about mental health and wellbeing, I offer 1, 2 and 4 hour training sessions on topics such as:

– Managing work and life balance
– Mental health awareness
– Stress in the workplace
– Neurodiversity (autism, ADHD)
– Bereavement through suicide

Please get in touch to discuss your requirements in more detail.

Get in touch

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Your work, your time

I work with clients in a comfortable and private space located  in Princes Square in central Harrogate. It is easily reached by foot from train and bus stations, and there is parking nearby if you prefer to drive. I also provide counselling over the telephone and via Zoom to many clients. If you prefer this way of working, just let me know.

I am open to discuss session length and frequency, but I commonly work in weekly or bi-weekly sessions. Individual sessions are typically 5o minutes long and couples sessions 60 minutes, and the cost is £70 and £85 respectively.

Get in touch

Your work,
your time

I work with clients in a comfortable and private space located centrally in Princes Square in Harrogate. It is easily reached by foot from train and bus stations, and there is parking nearby if you prefer to drive. I also provide counselling over the telephone and via Zoom to many clients. If you prefer this way of working, just let me know.

I am open to discuss session length and frequency, but I commonly work in weekly or bi-weekly sessions. Individual sessions are typically 5o minutes long and couples sessions 60 minutes, and the cost is £70 and £85 respectively.

Get in touch

Testimonials

“With Catherine I felt listened to, and understood. When I have needed it she offered suggestions but mostly I have just felt free to explore how I really feel about the things happening in my life. It felt good not doing it alone.”

“The sessions with Catherine helped me see our issues in a different light. I could be honest with myself and with my husband. We had stopped talking somehow. We are stronger now. Therapy made a big difference for us.”

Testimonials

“With Catherine I felt listened to, and understood. When I have needed it she offered suggestions but mostly I have just felt free to explore how I really feel about the things happening in my life. It felt good not doing it alone.”

“The sessions with Catherine helped me see our issues in a different light. I could be honest with myself and with my husband. We had stopped talking somehow. We are stronger now. Therapy made a big difference for us.”