About Me
Hi, I’m Rachel (she/her), a counsellor and online therapist based in Shipley. I mainly work with LGBTQ+ clients and those who feel like their identity and experiences might mean other therapists don’t get them. Working with me can help you overcome your challenges, recognise your existing strengths and create new and more effective ways to navigate your life.
Since I was a teenager, I’ve been passionate about reducing mental health stigma and have written zines, blogs and articles and spoken to groups on the subject. I came to work as counsellor after experiencing the life changing effect good therapy can bring. This experience, along with my knowledge of neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain and nervous system to change its activity in response to stimulus), means that I carry with me the knowledge that change is always possible, even when dealing with long-standing mental health issues.
RACHEL KAYE COUNSELLING AND ONLINE THERAPY
Coming into the field from a previous career in the arts and participating in activist/queer/feminist communities means I know first-hand the joys and challenges these spaces and subcultures can bring. This background also informs my understanding that mental health is interconnected with our wider environment, including experiences of discrimination and marginalisation, living / working conditions, social support and access to health care.
Because I’ve had my own long-term therapy, I know what it’s like to be sitting in the other chair in the counselling room – how scary and vulnerable it can be to open up to a stranger. This experience has directly informed my commitment to be welcoming and approachable, particularly in those challenging first sessions.
I am committed to making my practice as inclusive as I can, particularly to those who have previously struggled to find a therapist who understands and values their perspective, identity and experiences. Alongside my work in private practice, I currently work with Yorkshire MESMAC, an organisation who provide free access to counselling. I am committed to examining my own areas of privilege and am educating myself as I strive to make my practice as anti-oppressive as possible – including undertaking training on the impact of racism, neurodiversity, class and disability.
– QUALIFIED TO POST-GRADUATE LEVEL (COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY)
– SPECIALIST TRAINING IN DELIVERING
COUNSELLING ONLINE
– BACP REGISTERED
– SUPPORTED BY LGBTQ+ SPECIALIST CLINICAL SUPERVISION (from a Pink Therapy Advanced Accredited Gender, Sex and Relationships Diversities supervisor)
– I UNDERTAKE REGULAR TRAINING AND CPD TO KEEP MY SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE UP-TO-DATE – with a focus on working with LGBTQ+ clients, trauma and the body and self-compassion
– A cap on the number of clients I work with and an intentionally limited practice to provide attention, quality and investment in self-care
‘Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?’
Mary Oliver