Karen McClurkin, BACP, NCPS

Karen McClurkin is a counsellor registered with the BACP and NCPS in the United Kingdom. She has seven years of experience and works with people facing stress, anxiety, relationship issues, grief, addictions and codependency among other concerns. Sessions are offered in English and international clients are accepted.

Karen uses a mix of practical approaches in sessions. She focuses on building a reliable therapeutic relationship so people can talk through current problems or long-standing patterns from the past. She helps with issues such as self-esteem, intimacy problems, anger and coping with life changes in clear, everyday language.

Her practice draws on attachment-based ideas to look at how early patterns affect current relationships. She also uses client-centred methods that keep the person's experience at the heart of sessions. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) techniques are used to introduce skills for managing moods, anxiety and difficult behaviours.

Karen has worked with people affected by infertility, menopause and loss of identity, and she has experience with mother and baby home histories. She is comfortable talking about issues connected to trauma, domestic violence, substance misuse and dissociation. The focus is on helping people notice patterns, try small changes and learn practical ways to cope.

People who find themselves putting others first, struggling to set boundaries, or feeling overwhelmed by another person's needs may find the sessions straightforward and direct. The therapist asks people to complete a short matching questionnaire before the first appointment to help plan the first session.

Approaches used in online counselling and how they help