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Karen Brewster, Counsellor and Psychotherapist in Bishop's Stortford

BACP-registered psychotherapist and counsellor

I’m Karen. I’m a psychotherapist and counsellor, and I’ve worked in mental health for over twenty five years. For nearly twenty of them I’ve had my own private practice, and for around fifteen I’ve been here in Bishop’s Stortford. I offer individual and couples counselling at my practice in the Old Monastery on Windhill, face to face or online.

How I work

I work in an integrative, humanistic way, drawing on many schools of thought, but I’m not bound to any one of them. I believe you already hold much of what you need to move forward within yourself. My role is to help create the conditions in which that becomes clearer.

I’m professional, understanding and compassionate. When you come to your first session, I know it can feel like a big step. You’ll receive a warm, non-judgemental welcome, and I’ll answer any questions to help you feel comfortable from the start.

Who I work with

I hold a postgraduate diploma in couple therapy and run a specialist couples counselling practice alongside my one-to-one work, supporting clients with anxiety, stress, depression, grief and loss, and low self-esteem.

Many of my clients are local, though I also work online with people from nearby towns like Sawbridgeworth and Stansted Mountfitchet, and further afield across the UK, Europe and America.

My background

I’ve worked in mental health for over twenty five years. Early in my career I supported people living with severe and enduring mental health conditions, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, through charity work, and separately provided emotional support to parents and carers of children with special needs. I later worked as a counsellor attached to a local GP surgery, and tutored on AQA counselling courses at Harlow College.

Around fifteen years ago I specialised further in couples therapy, completing a two-year postgraduate diploma at the Centre for Gender Psychology in London. I’ve since assisted in running couple therapy training in London, and I remain committed to ongoing specialist development in this area.

I’ve taught trainee counsellors, and for nearly twenty years I’ve run an established private counselling practice, around fifteen of them here in Bishop’s Stortford.

Registration and training

You can check my registration on the BACP register.

Alongside my clinical practice, I also explore deeper self-development work through a separate project, Know Thyself. Read more if that’s of interest.

Getting in touch is often the hardest bit

I see clients on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, between 9am and 9pm, and I answer messages outside those times. If I don’t pick up, leave your number and I’ll ring you back.